Alexis Winchester's Story
by sammygrrl00
Summary: Sisfic. Alexis Winchester is Sam and Dean's little sister. Mostly follows series. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

We got to the motel late that night. That's probably why I was so crabby. My family knew I didn't run well on lack of sleep and since I was with my brother Dean, he was getting the brunt of it. (Alright I was biting his head off, but I would never admit it). And to add to my problems, my father had been missing for almost two and a half weeks. I wasn't sure why he hadn't just taken us with him. I had a feeling it had something to do with me. I was too small. I was a girl. I wasn't properly trained yet.

I was fifteen, a little small for my age but could tussle with the best of them, and had been training since I was four. I was ready. But, since I was the baby of the family and the only girl, I couldn't be trusted.

Dean had been fighting with dad since he was eleven. It just wasn't fair. I lay on my bed as soon as we got in, too stuffed to sit up. We'd eaten at some rundown diner since Dean wanted some of their pie. I just wanted to go to sleep.

"Dean" I sighed with a huff, "Where do you think dad is?" We'd been doing some job in New Orleans without him.

"I don't know, kiddo" he replied, turning on the television.

"You think something happened?" I said after a little while. I wasn't going to ask, mostly because I was scared of the answer, but decided to ask anyway. I needed to know, after all.

"No" Dean replied coldly. He flopped on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "Go to bed"

I huffed and glared at him."That's it?" I asked. "That's all I get?" He didn't answer me. "Why won't you talk to me?" I asked. "You ways used to talk to Sam! Why can't you talk to me? I'm not a baby Dean!"

Dean sat up straight and glared at me. "What the fuck are you talking about? And what's with the shit about Sam? You know he's gone. He's been gone for four years and we haven't heard from him in two. And I do talk to you!"

"No you don't!" I cried. "It's gonna be okay Lex go to bed doesn't count. I mean like talk. You know, like when you say more than five words to me a day" He just scoffed and ignored me again. I just huffed and snuggled down in the covers. "Could you at least turn that down?" I asked meanly.

Frustrated, Dean looked at me and turned the volume up. I got out of the bed and stood in front of the TV. "Move" he scoffed, motioning with his hand. I didn't move an inch. I folded my arms. "Move your ass, Lexie" he growled. Dean came over by me and I sized myself up to him. He was nowhere near as tall as Sam, but still a whole head taller than me. I knew he threatened it a lot but he didn't have it in it to hit me.

"You're an ass" I stated coldly.

"If you talked to dad like that he would beat the crap outta you" he stated smirking at my defiant expression.

"I'm not talking to dad I'm talking to you" I remarked. He sighed and smiled.

"You look like mom when you're pissed"

I looked down at the floor. He knew that saying stuff like that always got to me. "Dean what are we gonna do?" I asked trying to keep us on topic. "We can't just wait here for dad the rest of our lives"

"We're waiting for dad, Lex" He stated coldly.

"I don't mean we should leave him" I grumbled. "I mean we should go save his ass"

"We can't Lex" he said. "And would you just watch the language?" He looked right at me now. "Now just sit down and shut up"

I went to punch him, but he swiftly caught my arm. He smirked. "Nice try kid" I pulled away and went to the door. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"Away from you!" I shouted in anger.

"Don't let the door smack you on the way out!" He yelled rolling his eyes.

I walked up to the gas on the corner. I felt like punching something. I walked in a circle around the store just to calm myself down. I stopped by the cooked food. They had pie in little containers. I smirked. Dean loved pie. I stared at them for like five minutes before just getting two.

I walked back really slowly, not wanting to go back right away. I wanted to take my grand old time, hoping that Dean was worrying about me at least a little.

I knocked for Dean to let me back in. He opened the door with a dumb smirk on his face. "Password?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes and went to push past him. He went to close the door. "Dean" I sighed.

He sighed and let me in. I smiled and sat at the table. "I'm not sorry" I stated.

"For being a bitch or trying to hit me?" he asked, trying to look genuine.

"Shut up" I smiled. "You deserved to be hit"

He smirked and shook his head. I sighed, reached into my jacket, and pulled out my cell phone. No missed calls. No dad. "I got a plan" He said suddenly.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

He smiled and gave me a goofy look. "It's a surprise"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it is"

When I opened my eyes the next morning it was still semi dark out. "What time is it?" I grumbled.

"5:45" Dean replied. "Now move it" I just sank back into the bed, wanting to be difficult. Dean scoffed and shook his head. "You asked for it" He pulled me by my ankles onto the floor. I landed with a thud.

"Ow" I grimaced, getting up. I shoved him and went into the bathroom to change.

He chuckled as I exited the bathroom with my jeans on. "Get in the car ankle biter" I climbed into the passenger seat and started playing with the dials. "Don't touch" He said.

I sighed. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise" He urged with a smile.

"I don't like surprises" I said coldly. I stared out the window. "And why do we have to be up so damn early?"

"You're still upset from last night, aren't you?" he said, rolling his eyes. I didn't answer. "Listen, because I'm only gonna say this once" he sighed. "I don't talk to you like I do Sammy because you're my little sister. It's not because I don't trust you, I just…I don't know where dad is or even if he's okay, and I don't want to scare you. You're only fifteen, you shouldn't have to deal with this stuff" He stopped. "Alright?"

"Dean" I sighed. "Whether you like it or not, it's just me and you. Sammy's gone. So I have to deal with this stuff"

"Not for long" he said softly.

"What?" I asked.

"We're going to Stanford" he stated. "We need Sam's help on this one"

"You really think he'll come?" I asked.

Dean sighed. "Only one way to find out" He pressed the gas harder.

We drove in silence for a little bit. We stopped to go to the bathroom at a rest stop, and I brought out the pie I bought and handed both to him. He smiled and stuffed his face. "You shouldn't have to deal with it either, you know" I said suddenly. It was on my mind and I just needed to get it out.

"What?" he said, glancing at me?

"You said I shouldn't have to deal with this stuff" I explained. "You shouldn't have to take care of me, or worry about me, or-"

"Lexis, even if we were the freaking Brady bunch I would worry about you" Dean scoffed. "It's my damn job" He paused. "Now are we cool?"

I was silent for a second. There was no winning when Dean was around. "Yeah" I sighed. "We're cool"

"Alright" Dean stated. "Now this chick flick stuff stops for at least a couple hundred miles"

I smiled, but didn't respond. We drove for a day and a half before we made it to California. "Hey Lex?" Dean said suddenly. I glanced at him. "You haven't…"

"No" I replied quickly knowing where he was going. "I haven't felt anything from dad"

And that was that. At least, until we got the voicemail.

It was dad, but he sounded scared. That made me nervous. "Dean, something is starting to happen, I think it's serious. I need to try to figure out what's going on. Be very careful Dean, we're all in danger" it said.

"Run it" Dean stated. "There's EVP on it"

"Never go home" said a voice. I looked to Dean, but he just took his cell away and went back to driving.

It was late, and I just figured we were gonna wait until morning, but Dean pulled into the college. "What are you doing?" I asked as we pulled up to a student apartment building. "Can't we wait until morning?"

"C'mon Lexie, where's your sense of adventure?" Dean laughed. He got out of the car and went to the front door. He started to pick the lock.

"Dean, it's called a doorbell" I said shaking my head.

"It's three in the morning" he said. "He wouldn't answer" He opened the door and I hesitantly followed. I closed the door quietly behind me. A loud scuffling noise from up ahead made me jump. I ran to see Sam on top of Dean, then vice versa.

"Whoa, easy, tiger" Dean laughed.

"Dean?" Sam said in shock. "You scared the crap out of me"

"That's cause you're out of practice" Dean smirked. Sam flipped them over again. "Or not…Get off me"

"Having fun?" I asked with a smile.

"Alexis?" Sam said, looking at me.

"In the flesh, Sasquatch" I grinned, stepping next to Dean.

"Don't call me that, squirt. Dean, what the hell are you doing here?" Sam said, turning back to Dean.

"Well I was looking for a beer" he grinned.

Sam wasn't amused. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Dean put his hands up to calm him down. "Okay, all right, we gotta talk"

"Uh, the phone?" Sam said, shaking his head.

"If I'd have called, would you have picked up?" Dean asked.

The lights flicked on. "Sam?" said a voice. It came from a good looking girl, who I knew was Sam's girlfriend Jess.

"Jess, hey" he smiled. "Dean, Lex, this is my girlfriend Jessica"

"Wait, your brother and sister?" she asked.

"I love the Smurfs" Dean smiled, pointing to her shirt. "You know I gotta tell you, you are completely out of my brother's league" I rolled my eyes.

"Just let me put something on" she smirked.

"No, no, no, I wouldn't dream of it…Seriously" he finished. I nudged him to make him stop. "Anyway, me and Lex gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business, but, uh, nice meeting you"

"No. No. Whatever you wanna say you can say it in front of her" Sam insisted, putting an arm protectively around her waist.

"Okay. Um…dad hasn't been home in a few days" he replied, glancing at me for support. I nodded to Sam.

Sam just shrugged. "So he's working over-time on a "Miller Time" shift; he'll stumble back in sooner or later"

"Dad's on a _hunting_ trip" I added, hoping he would get the point. "And he hasn't been home in a few days."

"Jess, excuse us" Sam said gravely. "We have to go outside"

Dean started. "We need your help, Sammy"

"No" Sam chuckled. "I mean come on; you can't just break in, in the middle of the night, and expect me to hit the road with you"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because it would be stupid"

"You're not hearing me Sammy" Dean butted in. "Dad's _missing_; I need you to help me find him"

"You remember the poltergeist in Amherst, or the devil's gates in Clifton?" Sam said. "He was missing then too, he's always missing and he's always fine"

"Not for this long. Now you gonna come with me or not?" Dean asked.

"I'm not Dean" Sam sighed.

"Why not?" Dean asked, frustrated.

"I swore I was done hunting for good"

"Come on, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad" Dean shook his head.

"Yeah? When I told dad when I was scared of the thing in my closet he gave me a .45" Sam said.

Dean glanced at me. "Take a walk Lexis"

I rolled my eyes with a sigh and went ahead to the car without them. This was a stupid idea. Sam was never going to leave college and come with us. I leaned on the hood of the Impala. We had no idea what dad had even gone to do. Not that he usually ever really told us in the first place. Hell, he never even told me the truth until I was six. I smirked to myself. That had been an interesting experience. I thought about dad, and how he was probably kicking something's ass right now. And about how I first found out about his job.

_My seven year old body squirmed in my bed. "Dean?" I questioned. We were just in the crappy motel room like normal, but there was a wall separating the two beds. "Sammy?" I got no reply. I wanted to leave the room so bad, but I was too scared to even take myself out of the covers. There was something under my bed. I knew it. _

"_Sammy!" I yelled louder. They should be able to hear me. A low growl came from under the bed. I whimpered. "Dean, Help!" _

_Dean came running in the room, Sam right on his heels. "What?" Sammy asked. "What's wrong?"_

"_There's something under my bed" I sniffed, remembering how my bed moved and growls resounded. _

"_Are you sure?" Dean asked. Sammy gave him an odd look. At twelve he was so overprotective. Dean stared at him, as though willing him to say something. At sixteen, he wasn't so eager to help me with my monster problems. _

"_Yeah" I nodded. _

"_Sweetie, I'm sure there's nothing there" Sammy replied, putting a hand on my shoulder, and coaxing me to lie back down. I fought against him. Sammy was always the one to try and calm me down. _

"_Sam" Dean sighed. Sammy just glared at him. _

"_Will you check?" I asked, showing my best puppy dog eyes. _

_Sammy sighed and looked to Dean. Dean smirked. "What, is Sammy scared of the boogie man?" My tiny eyes widened. He looked to me, then back at Sammy. "Well you shouldn't be cuz he ain't real"_

_Sammy rolled his eyes. "Nice"_

"_Look" I urged. Dean stood up and leaned over, looking under the bed. When he wasn't grabbed, I felt a lot better. _

"_There see" Sammy smiled, "Nothing. Now go to sleep okay?"_

"_Kay" I said, snuggling down into the covers. I knew Sammy would come to bed eventually. That thought alone just made me feel better. I watched them leave and found myself slowly relaxing. I finally got my eyes to close. _

_Not two seconds later, my bed was being shaken violently. It shook back and forth like as though something underneath it was struggling to get out. I jolted awake and moved towards the middle of the bed. "SAMMY!" I screamed, feeling tears coming. "DEAN!" _

_A hand shot up from the edge of the bed and got a strong hold on my leg. I flipped off the bed, hitting my head on the nightstand, and found myself holding onto nothing as I was dragged under. "HELP ME!" I yelled as Dean and Sam came running over. Sam grabbed my hands and pulled. Dean took a shot gun and started shooting under the bed. Panicked, I latched onto Sammy. The thing let go and I went flying into Sammy's arms. _

"_It…what…" I cried, not even knowing what to ask. I hiccupped on my tears, feeling betrayed. My older brothers said there was nothing to be scared of. They said it was okay. "You told me there was nothing there" I said, voicing my concerns. _

"_There wasn't" Dean replied, shaking his head. "I swear, I'm sorry Lex"_

_I just held onto Sammy and tried to control my heart rate. When I could breathe, I let go and went by Dean. "Did you kill it?" I asked. _

"_I think so" he said with a slight nod. "Lemme see your legs" _

_I looked down. I hadn't even known I was bleeding. The sight of blood made me want to cry again. Dean picked me up and put me on the counter. He instructed Sammy to get the first aid kit. That was when my father walked in the door. "Alexis?" he asked, looking at me. "What happened?" The question was directed at Dean. _

"_We were attacked by a…well I don't really know" Dean replied, looking sheepish. He held up my legs. "It tried to pull her under the bed" Then he added, "Sir" as an after point. _

_He nodded, and looked at me. "I guess it's time to tell her" he sighed. He helped to bandage my legs and looked me over. I only had a billion little cuts all over, nothing that wouldn't heal in a week. He made me sit on the couch with him. "Listen, Alexis…" he started. "The thing that tried to pull you under the bed is real. Many monsters are real. They're evil and…I hunt them. That's why I disappear all the time"_

"_But why do you have to hunt them?" I asked. _

"_Because it's my job" He said. "Understand?" _

_I nodded. "Yes, sir" I was lying. I was scared and tired and I just wanted my brothers to let us leave so nothing else could get us. _

"_Good" he said. "We're going to start training her next time I come back" he said to Dean. Dean looked at me and nodded. "I'll be back in a couple days" Then he took his bag, and left. _

_We went to sleep that night with fear. At least I did. I slept with Sammy. I think it was because Dean wasn't actually going to go to sleep. He kept a good eye on us. I nudged Sammy. "Sammy" I whispered. _

"_Hmm" he mumbled. _

"_Did one of the monsters kill mommy?" I asked. Even as a little kid I was very intuitive. _

_Sammy flipped over so he was facing me and didn't smile. "Yeah" _

_I nodded and thought about that. "Is that why daddy fights them?" Sam nodded. I flipped over and snuggled into the blankets. "I don't think I wanna fight monsters" I whispered. _

"_It's okay squirt" Sammy said. "Me and Dean will protect you" _

_That was how I found out that my life was never going to be normal._

The boys rounding the corner brought me out of my daze. "Yeah well dad's in real trouble if he's not dead already, I can feel it" Dean said, coming to the car. "I can't do this alone"

"What the hell am I?" I asked. "Chopped liver?"

"You're just a kid" Dean remarked. I shut up.

"You can do this without me" Sam sighed.

"Yeah. Well, I don't want to"

"What was he hunting?" Sam asked.

Dean opened the trunk. The cases of guns and knives stood out. "All right, let's see. Where the hell did I put that thing?" he mumbled.

"So when dad left, why didn't you go with him?" Sam asked as Dean rummaged through the trunk.

"I was working my own gig with Lex" he said. "This voodoo thing down in New Orleans"

"Dad let you two go on a hunting trip by yourselves?" Sam asked.

"I'm 26, dude." Dean remarked. "Where the hell is the-"I reached into the trunk and pulled out the book and papers. "Thanks" He sighed "All right, here we go. So dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago this guy" He pulled out the newspaper clipping. "- they found his car but he'd vanished, completely M.I.A."

"So maybe he was kidnapped" Sam shrugged. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, dad went all brigades on us because some guy was kidnapped.

"Yeah well, here's another one in April, another one in December '04, '03, '98, '92; Ten of them over the past 20 years, all men, all same 5-mile stretch of road. Started happening more and more so dad went to go dig around" He looked to me.

"That was about three weeks ago" I added.

"We hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough. Then I get this voicemail yesterday" I listened to the voicemail again.

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam asked.

"Not bad, Sammy. Kind of like riding a bike isn't it?" Dean smiled. "All right. Lex slowed the message down, and ran it through a Gold Wave took out the hiss, and this is what we got."

"Never go home" Sam said, repeating the message.

Dean threw his cell in the trunk and slammed it shut. "You know in almost two years I've never bothered you. Never asked you for a thing…" he started.

"All right. I'll go. I'll help you find him" Sam stated. "But I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here"

"What's first thing Monday?" Dean asked.

"I have this…I have an interview"

Dean smirked. "What, a job interview? Skip it"

"It's a law-school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate"

"Law school?" Dean asked.

"So we got a deal or not?" Sam asked, going back inside. Dean nodded.

He jumped in the car and I followed, now getting into the back seat. I didn't mind. In the backseat you could ignore the people in the front seat and stretch out. Dean was silent in the driver's seat, which was odd, but I didn't say anything to him. He was going through something, and when Dean was emotional, it was best to stay out of the target range.

Sammy came back to the car with his duffel, and threw it in the trunk. He got into the passenger seat, casting a glance at me, and we left without a single word. I rolled my eyes and smirked. Leave it to these two to have a happy freaking reunion.

"So how's Jessica?" dean asked. "Got quite a nice set of-"

"Dean" I sighed, cutting him off. "Spare me"

Dean smirked and Sam chuckled. "She's great" Sammy replied.

"You living together, then?" he asked casually. What this question really meant was "I can't ask if you're sleeping with her, because Alexis is here, but is it any good?"

"Yeah" Sammy replied. A hint of a smile played on his face that I don't think even Dean caught. I knew he really liked Jess. I had been secretly talking to Sammy the entire time he'd been gone, even though dad told Dean and I not too. I couldn't help it. Me and Sam just…we got along good. Not that Dean and I didn't, but with Sammy you could talk about stuff. Dean just didn't want to.

"How did you do on the LSAT's?" I asked, "You got the results right?"

Sammy turned around. "I got a 176" he said. Just from the look on his face I could tell it was really good.

"Nice, Sam" I smiled enthusiastically. "So you're pretty much guaranteed an in with this interview right?"

"I don't know" he said nervously. "I mean, I did well, but plenty did better"

"Yeah, yeah" I laughed. "Save it"

Dean glared at me in the mirror. "How do you know about all this stuff?" he asked me with a curious glance.

"He told me" I replied, leaving it at that.

"When?" Dean wanted to know.

I felt myself start to blush. "When I called him"

"You called him?" he said, sounding mad.

"Yeah, on a telephone. You might've heard of them" I said, letting my sarcastic self take over. It was easier to just be sarcastic than let Dean know I was scared of his reaction.

Dean didn't respond to my comment. I knew he would pounce on me later, but as long as it was over for now I was fine. We drove for an hour or two when Dean stopped to get some food. It was light out now. "Lex, come in with me" Dean said, walking towards the gas station.

I hesitantly got out of the car and glanced at Sam. "If I don't come out alive, you know who to blame" I whispered. Sammy just shook his head and chuckled.

"You are coming?" Dean yelled.

I hurried to catch up. We went into the station and I followed him to the back. He grabbed three juices and a handful of breakfast bars. He pretended to scan the magazines, while I waited. "Would you just yell at me already?" I said, frustrated.

"Why didn't you tell me you were talking with Sam?" he asked, turning to face me.

I sighed. "Because you would've told dad" I replied. "Or you would've taken the phone and tried to convince him to come back. That's why he never answered your calls. "

He thought for a second. "When were you calling him?"

"Whenever you weren't around" I said. "Once a month or so, maybe more"

He paid for the stuff and grabbed me before we got all the way back to the car. "No more secrets, okay?" he said slowly. "Just…tell me stuff"

I nodded and walked back to the car, annoyed. Yeah, no more secrets. Because Dean totally doesn't keep secrets from me. Sam was ruffling through Dean's tapes. "Hey, you want breakfast?"

"No thanks" he said, glancing up. "So how'd you pay for that stuff? You and dad still running credit card scams?"

"Yeah well…hunting ain't exactly a pro-ball career" Dean smiled. "Besides, all we do is apply, it's not our fault they send us the cards"

"Yeah and what names did you write on the application this time?" Sammy smirked.

Dean got back in the driver's seat. "Uh…Bert Aframian and his son, Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal"

"Sounds about right" Sam smirked.

"But none for me" I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"You're sixteen" Dean remarked. "And I buy you everything you want anyway"

"I swear man; you gotta update your cassette-tape collection" Sam said, interrupting our argument.

Dean looked offended. "Why?"

"Well for one they are cassette tapes, and two—"he said, pulling a few out. "Black Sabbath? Motor-head? Metallica? It's the greatest hits of mullet rock"

Dean grabbed one out of his hands and popped it in the player. "House rules, Sammy. Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole"

Sam rolled his eyes. "You know Sammy is a chubby 12 years old. It's Sam, okay?"

Dean turned up the music. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you" he remarked, pulling out of the gas station. "The music's too loud"

Sam hung up his cell phone. "All right, so there's no one matching dad at the hospital or morgue, so that's something, I guess"

"Yeah, he's not registered to be hurt or dead" I said, rolling my eyes. "So that leaves…pretty much everything" Sam just sighed.

"Check it out" Dean said. Up ahead, there was a bridge with police swarming it. Looks like an accident or something. Dean pulled up and pulled out two fake IDs, handing one to Sammy. "You're an intern" he said to me. I nodded. "Let's go"

"Did you guys find anything?" a police officer asked, yelling to a guy off the bridge.

"No, nothing!" he called back.

Another officer came out of the abandoned car. "No sign of struggle, no footprints, no fingerprints. Spotless, it's almost too clean"

"So this kid Troy, he's dating your daughter isn't he?" one asked.

"Yeah" another replied.

"How's Amy doing?" he asked.

"She's putting up missing posters downtown"

Dean stepped in front of me and glanced at the car. "You fella's had another one just like this last month, didn't ya?" he asked.

"Who are you?" the policeman asked, narrowing his eyes.

Dean smirked, flipping open his wallet with the fake ID in it, "Federal Marshals"

"You two are a little young for Marshals, aren't you?" the officer asked.

Dean just smiled. "Thanks, that's awfully kind of you" he remarked. "You did have another one just likes this correct?"

"Yeah, about miles up the road" he pointed. "There have been others before that"

"So this victim, you knew him?" Sam asked.

The policeman nodded. "In a town like this, everybody knows everybody"

Dean circled the car, trying to look professional. "Any connections between the victims besides that they're all men?" he asked,

The policeman shook his head. "No, not so far as we can tell"

"So what's the theory?" Sam asked, walking towards Dean. I followed, just scanning the car for signs of anything suspicious.

"Honestly? We don't know" he replied. "Serial murder? Kidnapping ring?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well that is exactly the kind of crack police work that I'd expect out of you guys"

Sam stomped on his foot. "Thank you for your time" he smiled at the officer. We walked off and Dean immediately smacked Sam over the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Why do you have to step on my foot?" Dean asked.

"Why do you have to talk to police like that?"

Dean scoffed. "Come on. They don't really know what's going on. We're all alone on this. I mean if we're gonna find dad we've gotta get to the bottom of this thing ourselves"

I cleared my throat as I saw two officers and agent of some sort walking towards us. "Can I help you?" asked the sheriff.

"No sir, we were just leaving" Dean smiled. We walked to the car and I felt the sheriff staring at our backs.

"So what now?" Sammy asked as we got back in the car.

"I think we should go find that Amy girl" I said. "She was his girlfriend, so maybe he knows something"

"Sounds like a plan" Dean said, starting the car up and driving. "Where would she be? You got a last name?"

"No, but she's downtown hanging up posters. Shouldn't be too difficult" I sighed, leaning back in the seat.

Both Sam and Dean looked back at me. I gave them a sheepish smile. "What?"

"How do you know that?" Sam asked.

"I can't eavesdrop on cops?" I asked smugly. "Geez guys, I am some help, you know"

They turned around and Dean took off for downtown. We came into the town. It wasn't huge or anything, but wasn't too small either. It was a good size. I pointed silently across Dean to the girl hanging putting up the posters under a theater.

"You must be Amy" Dean said as we approached her.

"Yeah" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Troy told us about you, we're his uncles. I'm Dean, this is Sammy" he said. "And his cousin, Lexie" I smiled.

"He never mentioned you to me" she replied.

"Well that's Troy, I guess" Dean sighed. I had to say, we were good liars. Even I would believe us." We're not around much; we're up in Modesto. So we're looking for him too, and we're kind of asking around"

"Hey, are you okay?" a girl asked, glaring at us in the process. Amy nodded at her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Do you mind if we ask you a couple questions?" Sammy asked.

"I was on the phone with Troy. He was driving home" Amy stated. We took a seat in a local diner. "He said he would call me right back, and he never did"

"He didn't say anything strange or out of the ordinary?" Sam hinted.

Amy shook her head. "No, nothing I can remember"

Sam pointed to her neck. "I like your necklace"

Amy looked down and pulled it all the way out of her shirt. She smiled "Troy gave it to me. Mostly to scare my parents with all that devil stuff"

"What a wonderful boyfriend" I retorted. Dean stomped on my foot and I grimaced.

"Actually, it means just the opposite." Sam explained. "A pentagram is protection against evil, really powerful" He looked at me and I gave him a surprised look. "I mean, if you believe in that kind of thing" he added quickly.

"Okay, thank you "Unsolved Mysteries"." Dean scoffed. "Here are the deal ladies-the way Troy disappeared—something's not right. So if you've heard anything…" The girl and Amy looked at each other uneasily. "What is it?" he asked.

"Well, it's just…with all these guys going missing, people talk" Amy said, uncomfortably.

"What do they talk about?" Sam, Dean and I said in almost perfect unison.

"It's kind of this local legend" her friend responded. "This one girl, she got murdered out on Centennial like…decades ago. Well supposedly she's still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up—"She paused. "Well, they disappear forever" she finished.

I glanced at Dean, not really saying much, then at Sammy.

Great.

We were in the library. Dean thought for a second and typed "Female Murder Hitchhiking". The page came back saying, "No results found." He tried typing in "Female Murder Centennial Highway", again, "No results found" came up.

Sam went to go grab the mouse away from Dean. "Let me try"

Dean smacked Sam's hand away. "I got it" Sam rolled his eyes and pushed Dean's rolling chair out of the way. "Dude" he remarked, annoyed. "You're such a control freak"

"So angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah" I replied.

"Maybe it's not murder" he sighed. He typed in "Female Suicide Centennial Highway" and a result actually came up. I sat down, waiting for Sam to read it aloud. "This was 1981. Constance Welch, 24 years old; Jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river"

"Does it say why she did it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" Sam stated, grimacing.

"What?" I asked, dreading the answer a little after that look.

"An hour before they found her, she calls 911. Her two little kids are in the bathtub, she leaves them alone for a minute, she comes back, and they aren't breathing. Both die"

"Pleasant" I remarked.

""Our baby's were gone and Constance just couldn't bear it," said husband, Joseph Welch" Sam read.

"Does that bridge look familiar to you?" Dean asked with a smile, pointing at the screen. It was the same place from this morning.

We had to wait until night. That was when the spirits came out. The bridge was dark and empty, with no one around. No matter how many hunts I went on, which at fifteen was a lot, I never got used to going around town in the dead of night with a gun in my pants and knife hidden on my leg. I felt badass, but still. There was something about carrying a gun around that made you feel less safe.

"So this is where Constance took the swan dive" Dean said, peering over the edge.

"So you think dad would have been here?" Sam asked, glancing over.

"Well he's chasing the same story and we're chasing him" Dean shrugged. He looked at me for a second, and then looked away.

"Okay so now what?" Sam asked.

"Now we keep digging till we find him" Dean explained. He sighed. "It might take a while"

"Dean, I told you, I've gotta get back by—"

"Monday." Dean interjected. "Right, the interview"

"Yeah" Sam sighed, looking forlorn.

"Yeah, I forgot" Dean stated. By the look on his face, I knew he hadn't forgotten. I also knew my brothers well enough to know that they were about to start something. "You're really serious about this aren't you? You think you're just gonna become some lawyer? Marry your girl?" Dean asked.

"Maybe" Sam shrugged. "Why not?"

"Does Jessica know the truth about you?" Dean asked. "I mean, does she know about the things you've done?"

"Here we go" I mumbled, moving away from the two of them. If they wanted to fight over something stupid, well good for them.

"No and she's not ever going to know" Sam stated coldly.

"Well that's healthy" Dean scoffed. "You can pretend all you want, Sammy. But sooner or later you're going to have to face up to who you really are" He started walking away towards where I moved to.

Sam followed him. "Who is that?"

"One of us" Dean said, pointing to him and me.

"No, I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life"

Dean sighed. "Well you've got a responsibility"

"To dad and his crusade?" Sam asked incredulously. "If it weren't for pictures I wouldn't even know what mom looks like. What difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her, mom's gone, and she isn't coming back"

Dean grabbed Sam by the shirt and shoved him against a bridge rail. "Don't talk about her like that" he growled.

I quickly moved in between them. "Stop it!" I yelled. Dean hesitantly let Sam go, and turned to face me. He stared in shock. I looked behind me to see the woman with long dark hair and a flowing white dress standing on the side of the bridge. She suddenly turned and let go of the rail, falling into the water. I ran to the edge, but there was no movement in the water below. She was just gone.

"Where'd she go?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "I don't know"

I stared into the water. "She's just gone" All the sudden, a car engine started. I glanced up. It was the Impala.

"Who's driving your car?" Sam asked. Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. The Impala started moving. At us. Really fast. We started running down the bridge. The car was closing in on us. Dean was ahead of me, and Sammy was behind me. "Come on Dean. Let's go! Go!" Sam shouted. He pulled me over to the edge of the bridge and we jumped off.

I grabbed the side of the railing to keep myself from falling all the way. I struggled to pull myself up, but was able to get to a sitting position. I glanced up to see Sam right in front of me. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Where's Dean?" I panted, trying to stay balanced.

Sam's eyes widened. "Dean!" he yelled to the water. "Dean!"

Dean came out of the water completely muddy and exhausted. "What?" he yelled back, frustrated.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sam called back.

"I'm super" he shouted, collapsing on the bank.

Sam helped me over the edge of the bridge again and over to the car. Dean made it back up too, and he smelled. And of course, the first thing he did was check on the car. "You look beautiful" I remarked, wrinkling my nose in disgust. He just glared at me.

"Car all right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah whatever she did to it, it seems all right now" he sighed. "That Constance chick—what a bitch!" he yelled.

"Well she doesn't want us digging around, that's for sure" Sam added. I sat on the hood of the car, as Sam and Dean joined me. "So where's the trail go from here, genius?" Sam asked. Dean just shrugged. Sam thought for a second and grimaced. "Dude, you smell like a toilet"

I waited by the car with Sam while Dean got us a room at a local motel. He walked out, a strained look on his face. "What's up?" I asked.

"C'mon" he said. "Dad was here"

Dean knew what room it was, and I picked the lock with a bobby pin. Sam smiled. "Impressive" he stated.

I smiled. "If there's one thing you need to learn, it's how to pick a lock"

We went inside. There were pictures on the walls and the room was pretty messy. "Whoa" I grimaced.

Dean turned the light on and held up a half eaten cheeseburger. "I don't think he's been here for a couple days, at least" he said, sniffing it. He held it out to me.

"I don't want it" I scoffed. He shoved it towards my face. I punched it out of his hands, it crumpling on a mess on the floor. "You're disgusting" I said, as he picked it up.

"Salt, cats-eye shells" Sam sighed. "He was worried. Trying to keep something from coming. What do you got here?" He looked to Dean, who was now looking at the pictures on the wall.

"Centennial Highway victims" he replied. I glanced them over. "I don't get it. I mean different men, different jobs, ages, ethnicities. There's always a connection, right? What do these guys have in common?" I shrugged. Hell if I knew.

"Dad figured it out" Sam laughed.

"What?" I asked, walking over.

"He found the same article we did. Constance Welch, she's a woman in white" Sam explained.

Dean shook his head. "You sly dogs"

"What's a woman in white?" I asked. Dean smirked. "Wait" I said, putting a hand up to stop him. "I don't want to know"

"All right, so if we're dealing with a woman in white, dad would have found the corpse and destroyed it" Dean said, after laughing at me.

"She might have another weakness" Sam suggested.

"No, dad would want to make sure, he'd dig her up" Dean argued. "Does it say where she's buried?"

"No, not that I can tell" Sam said. "If I were dad though, I'd go ask her husband. If he's still alive"

"All right, why don't you see if you can find an address, I'm gonna get cleaned up" Dean said.

"Good idea" I replied, grimacing. He still smelled like pee. He gave me a look and grabbed his bag heading to the bathroom.

"Hey Dean-What I said earlier, about mom and dad, I'm sorry" Sam said. I rolled my eyes.

Dean held his hand up. "No chick flick moments" he stated.

"All right, jerk" Sam smiled.

Dean smirked. "Bitch" He went into the bathroom and shut the door. I'd forgotten about their little game. Every time Sam called Dean a jerk, bitch was sure to follow.

I lay down on the bed and buried my face into the pillow. "Is that a gun?" Sam asked.

"What?" I asked, picking my head up.

"You have a gun on you?" Sam asked in shock.

"I'm fifteen, Sammy" I smiled. "I can't go on hunts empty-handed"

"But…"

"But what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "I swear to God, you say you're a girl…"

Sammy laughed and picked up his phone. "Never mind" I buried my face again. "Lex, what are you doing?"

"Smelling the pillow" I stated. "It smells like dad" He left me alone after that. I just focused on trying to think about how we had to find dad. I mean, he had to be around, didn't he? He wouldn't have sent us the voicemail if he didn't need help. We would find him.

"Hey man, I'm starving. I'm gonna grab a little something to eat at that diner down the street. You want anything?" Dean asked us.

"No" Sam responded.

"Aframian's buying" Dean taunted, looking at me.

"I'm gonna come" I stated, getting up.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Because I don't know what I want" I said matter-of-factly. He stuck his tongue out at me, and I waltzed past, grabbing the card out of his hands.

We walked out and I headed to the car. He stopped me, motioning at the bushes. Not even thinking about it, I covered in them. You got used to listening when you were in life and death situations a lot. We may be siblings, but I knew when to listen. It wasn't until I peeked out a little that I saw why he made me get in the bushed. Cops were at the end, talking to the check-in guy. He pointed at Dean. Dean held up five fingers at me. That meant; get out ASAP, it was the authorities. He called Sam too. "Dude, five-o take off" he whispered. "Uh, they kind of spotted me. Go find dad"

He hung up and turned around to two police officers. "Problem officers?" he asked with a smile.

"Where's your partners?" one asked.

"Partners? What—what partners?" Dean lied.

The one policeman went towards our hotel room. "And didn't one come out with you?"

"Nope, it's just me" he grinned.

"So. Fake US Marshal, fake credit cards" Listed the policeman. "You got anything that's real?" I prayed he wouldn't say anything stupid.

"My boobs" he smiled. I scoffed. Yeah, that was stupid.

I made it around the block, where I met Sam. "Where's Dean?" he asked.

I sighed. "With his boobs"

"What?" he asked.

"The cops took him in"

"Well we should go see Mr. Welch" he stated. "We can worry about him later"

We rode all the way out to Mr. Welch's house. It was close to where the bridge was at. "Okay" Sam sighed, turning the car off. "We're reporters, you're an intern. Try not to talk too much, understand?"

I rolled my eyes, but opened the glove box. "Who do you wanna be?" I asked. "Charles Aberforth or Harold Cunningham?"

He grabbed the Harold one and I grabbed the one for me, Casey Cunningham, which went with it. We walked to the door and Sam knocked. "Hi, uh, are you Joseph Welch?" he asked.

"Yeah" he replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Harold Cunningham" Sam stated. "This is my intern, Casey" Mr. Welch didn't say anything, so Sam pulled out a picture. It was of dad, him and Dean from when he took them hunting. I couldn't go, I was only seven. "Have you seen him?"

"Yeah, he was older, but that's him" he said, stepping into his yard. "He came by three or four days ago. Said he was a reporter"

"That's right" Sam nodded, giving me a glance. "We're working on a story together"

"Well I don't know what the hell kind of story you're working on. The questions he asked me" he sighed,

"About your late wife Constance?" I asked. Sam shot me a look.

"He asked me where she was buried" Mr. Welch stated, only looking at Sam.

"And where is that again?" Sam asked.

Mr. Welch glared at him. "What, I got to go through these twice?"

"Its fact checking" Sam said, making him calm down. "If you don't mind"

"In a plot behind my old place over on Breckenridge" he said, pointing towards it.

"Why did you move?" I asked. Sam nudged me with his elbow, but I ignored him.

Mr. Welch shot me a matter-of-fact look. "I'm not gonna live in the house where my children died"

"Mr. Welch, did you ever marry again?" Sam asked.

"No way" he stated. He had a look of nostalgia on his face. "Constance, she was the love of my life. Prettiest woman I ever known"

Sam looked at me, and then to Welch again. "So you had a happy marriage?"

He hesitated. "Definitely"

"Well that should do it" Sam nodded, and I headed for the car. "Thanks for your time"

I opened the door and was about to get in. "Mr. Welch, you ever hear of a woman in white?" Sam asked suddenly.

Welch just looked confused. "A what?"

"A woman in white, or sometimes a weeping woman" Sam explained. "It's a ghost story. Well it's more of a phenomenon really. Um, they're spirits. They've been cited for hundreds of years. Dozens of places; in Hawaii and Mexico. Lately in Arizona and Indiana." He listed. "All these are different women, you understand. But all share the same story"

"Boy I don't care much for nonsense" Welch said, turning around.

"You see, when they were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them" Sam went on. What was he doing? "And these women, basically suffering from temporary insanity, murdered their children. Then once they realized what they had done, they took their own lives. So now their spirits are cursed. Walking back roads, waterways, and if they find an unfaithful man, they kill him, and that man is never seen again"

"You think-You think that has something to do with Constance?" Welch asked incredulously. "You smartass"

"You tell me" Sam shrugged, not even flinching.

"I mean maybe—maybe I made some mistakes, but no matter what I did, Constance would never would have killed her own children" Welch scoffed. "Now you get the hell out of here, and you don't come back"

"Yes, sir" I nodded. "_Harold_" Sam looked at me, and just got in the car. We started driving away by the time Welch had stopped staring at us.

"Well that went well" I remarked. Sammy just smirked. "There's something I don't get though"

"What?" he asked, pulling out his cell phone?

"Why did Dean smirk earlier about the women in white?" I asked,

Sammy just gave me an uncomfortable grin. "She lures the men in" he said. "Like a prostitute or something. Then she jumps them, and-"

"Okay" I cut him off. "That's all the detail I need" We drove and I thought for a second. "What are we going to do about Dean?"

"I don't know" Sam sighed.

I thought. "Can I see your cell?"

"Use yours" he scoffed.

"I can't Dean broke it" I said, holding up the broken screen.

He handed it to me. I dialed 911. "911, what is your emergency?" a lady asked. Sam glared at me.

"Yeah, I heard shots going off on Whiteford Road?" I said. "I don't know what it is, but the police might want to check it out"

"Thank you" the lady said. "Someone should be there immediately"

I hung up and he took the cell phone out of my hands. "Dude!" he exclaimed, trying to keep his eyes on the road and glare at me at the same time.

"What?" I asked, hearing sirens behind us.

"A fake 911 call?" he asked. "Seriously? Remind me to never let you borrow my phone again" His cell phone rang. He picked it up, still glaring at me. "Hello?"

"Fake 911 phone call Sammy?" Dean asked. "I don't know, that's pretty illegal" I could hear him on the cell.

"That wasn't me that was Lexie" Sam said. "Did you teach her that?"

"You're welcome" I said into the phone. Dean laughed,

"Listen, we gotta talk" Dean said.

"Tell me about it" Sam sighed. "So the husband was unfaithful, we are dealing with a woman in white. She's buried behind her old house. So that should have been dad's next stop"

"Sammy would you shut up for a second" Dean asked, cutting him off.

"I just can't figure out why he hasn't destroyed the corpse yet" Sam went on.

"Well that's what I'm trying to tell you. He's gone" Dean explained. "Dad left Jericho"

"What? How do you know?" Sam asked. I leaned over to hear well.

"I've got his journal" Dean replied.

"He left his journal?" I asked, looking at Sam.

Sam sighed. "He doesn't go anywhere without that"

"Yeah, well he did this time"

"What's it say?" Sam asked.

"Same old ex-marine crap when he wants to let us know where he's going" Dean replied.

"Coordinates" I sighed.

"Coordinates?" Sam asked Dean. "Where to?"

"I'm not sure yet

"Let me talk to him" I said, reaching for the phone.

"I don't understand, I mean what could be so important that dad would just skip out in the middle of a job?" Sam went on. I tried to pull on the phone, but Sam slapped me away. "Dean, what the hell is going on?"

I sat back. "SAM!" I screamed.

"Whoa!" He yelled, slamming on the brakes. The woman in white had been in the road directly in front of us. We went right through her. She had disappeared as fast as she had appeared.

"Take me home" said a cold voice. I turned around to see Constance Welch sitting in the backseat. "Take me home" she demanded.

Sam gripped the steering wheel harder. "No" The locks on the car door locked by themselves. I tried to pry them open, but it was useless. We were trapped. Then, when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the car started gunning down the road.

"Sam! Stop!" I yelled. He gave me a helpless look, and pressed the brake harder. We didn't stop. Next, he tried to control the steering wheel but no matter what he did we kept going. He let go and went back to the door. I did the same. I kicked at the door, trying to claw my way out.

We pulled up to a broken old house. I knew it was hers. This was her home. The car stopped and shut off. "Don't do this" Sam said.

"I can never go home" she said, just staring at the house.

"You're scared to go home" he said. He went to turn around, but that was the last thing I saw. I was catapulted out of the car. I flew out; feeling like something had thrown me from my middle. I lay on the ground, moaning. The flying might have been cool, but the landing? Not so great.

I groaned, and sat up. She had totally knocked the wind out of me. Stupid ghost bitch. Dean came running up the drive, stopping to kneel by me. "Are you okay?" I nodded, and pointed to the car, trying to say that Sammy needed help. I heard Sam's screams. I stood up and ran with Dean to the car. Dean pulled out his gun and shot into the car, shattering the window.

Sam was able to move and turned the car on. "I'm taking you home" He groaned, and floored it. He went right through the house.

"Sam!" Dean and I yelled in unison. We ran in together, him handing me a gun.

"Sam! You okay?"Dean asked, helping Sammy to sit up.

"I think" He replied.

"Can you move?" Dean asked him.

Sam groaned and moved a little. "Yeah. Help me"

Dean helped him out while I watched Constance, my gun pointed. She was picking up a picture. I glanced back at Sam and Dean, who were out of the car now. Suddenly, a dresser came at us really fast. I tried to move, but we were pinned. I pushed the edge, tried to kick with my feet, everything, but we were trapped.

The lights in the house flickered on. I glanced up to where she was looking. At the top of the stairs were two kids. "You've come home to us mommy" they spoke.

Suddenly, the kids were behind her. They grabbed Constance and she screamed in pain. They turned a weird purple and flickered like lights. Slowly, they melted into the floor. The dresser stopped pushing into us, and we could move it. We walked over sort of hesitantly.

"So this is where she drowned her kids" Dean spoke, pointing at the wet spot on the rug.

"That's why she could never go home" Sammy said. "She was too scared to face them"

"You found her weak spot. Nice work Sammy" Dean smiled, clapping him on the back.

Sam laughed, "I wish I could say the same for you. What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face, you freak?"

"Hey, saved your ass" Dean smiled. He walked to the car and inspected it. "I'll tell you another thing. If you screwed up my car, I'll kill you" He moved wood off, and Sammy and I helped.

Thankfully for Sam's life, the car wasn't badly damaged. Only one headlight was busted, much to the chagrin of Dean. I was in the backseat again, and watching Sammy look on the map for the coordinate's dad gave us. I held the flashlight for him.

"Okay here's where dad went" Sam spoke. "It's called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado"

"Sounds charming" Dean smirked. "How far?"

Sam added in his head. "About 600 miles"

Dean nodded. "If we shag ass we can make it by morning"

Sam squirmed uncomfortably. "Dean, um…"

"You're not going" he stated, sadly.

"The interviews in 10 hours, I gotta be there" Sam explained.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, whatever" he said quickly. "I'll take you home"

I couldn't help but be jealous of Sam. He had a home to go to. He had friends; a girlfriend; a teacher. I just homeschooled. I wished I could talk about what being normal was like with someone. If I tried to talk about it with Sam or Dean, all I would get would be a sappy tale from Sam and a death sentence from dean. Normal. I wished I could escape like Sam did sometimes. We got back to Sammy's place in a few hours. Dean pulled up and Sam got out of the car in silence. "You'll call me if you find him?" he asked. Dean only nodded. "Maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?"

"Yeah, all right" Dean replied, but from the look on his face I could tell that he wouldn't be contacting Sam anytime soon. Sam looked at me and smiled.

"Good luck, Sasquatch" I stated, trying not to sound upset. Sam smiled still, and turned to walk away.

"Sam" Dean spoke. Sam stopped and turned around. "You know we made a hell of a team back there"

"Yeah" Sam sighed. Then he walked to the door.

I hopped into the front seat and Dean drove off. As we made it down the street, I felt nauseous. I felt like something bad was going to happen. I felt nervous. I closed my eyes and hid my face in my hands. Pain shot through me and I felt dizzy. I gripped Dean's arm. "What?" he asked, shaking his arm a little? "What's wrong?"

"I feel…" I said slowly. I clenched my jaw.

"Is it dad?" he asked excitedly.

I shook my head as the pain subsided a little. "Dean" I said, letting go of his arm. "Turn around right now"

With no questions asked, Dean did an illegal U-turn and drove right back to Sam. "What is it?" he asked, glancing at me. I was still holding my head.

I opened my eyes, which were watering. "I don't know" I stated. We came back to the apartment house where there was a silent street. I got out of the car and ran up to the house. Dean moved me out of the way. He broke the door down when he heard Sam scream from inside.

"Sam!" he yelled, kicking it down. "Lex, stay here"

Too scared to protest, I held my ground, just waiting. "Sam!" I heard him yell. I could see smoke pouring out of the doorway. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Jess! No!" he yelled. I felt sick to my stomach. I decided to ignore Dean and into the room. There was fire erupting from the ceiling and Jess was pinned to the ceiling, her stomach slashed open. Just like my mom. Dean grabbed Sam and my arm and shoved us out into the street.

We waited for the firefighters, and I just stayed back by the car in silence. Dean watched the house and Sam was in the trunk. Dean slowly walked to Sammy and nodded at me. I followed. Sam had a loaded pistol. He sighed, throwing it in the trunk. "We got work to do" he stated.

Silly me. There was no such thing as normal.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

We were on the damn road again. It had been a week. We stayed for the funeral and tried to figure out what was going on, but we found nothing. And when I say nothing, I mean like zip; zero; freaking nada. There was no sign of anything.

The funeral was short and sweet. Sam cried the entire time. That was one of the only times I ever witnessed my brother cry. I wasn't sure how much that scared me. Dean wouldn't even set foot near him the entire time. The crying just freaked him out too much, so I was left on clean up duty. I held Sam's hand, and we walked up to the casket. "I'm sorry" he stated. "I love you"

I didn't say anything, just gave her sort of a nod of recognition. I hadn't known her at all, other than what Sammy had told me. I guess I should have asked about her more. We left and she was put into the ground. It was over as soon as it started.

Anyway, we were back on the road, headed straight towards Blackwater Ridge, Colorado. That's where dad was sending us after all. It was night when we finally headed out from Palo Alto. "Dean, how did you know to turn around?" Sam asked.

"What?" Dean replied, sounding confused.

I stiffened, but didn't move. I had said I was going to try to sleep an hour ago. They thought I couldn't hear them anymore. "How did you know that something was wrong? You had left"

"Lexie?" Dean asked. I didn't move. I just focused on pretending to sleep. "Is she really asleep?"

Sam turned around. "Yeah" he said. "Why?"

"She…uh…knows stuff" Dean stated. "Like, she feels things. She told me you were in trouble"

"She told you my girlfriend was…"

"No" Dean interjected. "She just told me to turn around. That something wasn't right"

"So our sister, knows…things?" Sam asked.

"Yeah" Dean replied. They were silent for a moment. "You can catch some sleep if you want. We won't be there for awhile"

"Okay" Sammy said, leaning over and falling asleep almost immediately.

As soon as I heard Sam's light snores, I sat up. "I can't believe you told him" I stated.

"He asked" Dean responded.

I thought for a second. "You so owe me" I said.

Dean just smirked. "What do you mean I owe you?" he scoffed. "I don't owe you shit"

"Yeah" I replied. "You do"

"Fine" he said. "One favor"

I smiled and lay back down. I went to sleep for real this time. I woke up feeling like all my muscles were stretched to the max. Sleeping crunched up in the backseat wasn't such a good idea. I sat up to see Dean still driving and Sam still sleeping. "How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"Like six hours" he stated. "We're in Grand Junction" Sam violently sat up as though something had scared the crap out of him. "You okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah I'm fine" Sam sighed, holding his forehead. I glanced at Dean.

"Another nightmare?" asked Dean. I guessed that Sam had been waking up. Sam just cleared his throat. "You wanna drive for a while?" he asked him.

Sam laughed. "In your whole life you never once asked me that"

"Just thought you might want to, never mind" Dean sighed.

"Can I drive?" I asked, with a cheesy smile.

"No" Dean shook his head. I just rolled my eyes and sat back.

"Look man, you're worried about me, I get it and thank you but I'm perfectly okay" Sam said. Dean just nodded. "All right…where are we?"

"We are just outside of Grand Junction" Dean replied.

Sam opened the map and I leaned over his shoulder to glance at it. "You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon" he sighed.

Dean glanced at him. "Sam we dug around there for a week, we came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica…"

"We gotta find dad first" Sam replied.

"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence" Dean went on. "Dad will have answers; he'll know what to do"

I looked at the map. "It that where the coordinates point?" I asked, pointing at the little x.

"It's weird man" Sam said, nodding at my question. "These coordinates he left us, this Blackwater Ridge"

"What about it?" Dean asked.

"There's nothing there, it's just woods" Sam replied. "Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"

"Maybe he's hunting something out there?" I asked. Sam just sighed. We came to a sign that said Welcome to Lost Creek, Colorado". Dean pulled over as soon as he saw the visitor's center.

"So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote" Sam said, as we entered the building. "It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, and dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place"

I picked up an animal pellet and dropped it again. Dean slapped me on the arm. "Dude check out the size of this freaking bear" he said, pointing at the picture.

"And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area" Sam went on, not realizing we weren't listening anymore. "It's no nature hike that's for sure"

"You boys aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" asked a ranger, who came from the back.

Sam shook his head. "Oh no sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper"

Dean grinned. "Recycle, man"

"Bull" the ranger scoffed. "You're friends with that Hailey girl right?"

Dean glanced at me and Sam. "Yes, yes we are ranger…Wilkinson"

"Well I will tell you exactly what we told her" he sighed, frustrated. "Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater till the 24th, so it's not exactly a missing person now is it?" Dean shook his head, and I did the same. "You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine"

"We will" Dean stated. "Well that Hailey girl's quit a pistol, huh?"

Ranger Wilkinson shook his head. "That is putting it mildly"

"Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit you know so she could see her brothers return date" Dean said, slowly. Ranger Wilkinson nodded, and gave us a copy. I was shocked. That was really easy.

"What are you cruising for a hook-up or something?" Sam asked him, as we left.

Dean laughed. "What do you mean?"

"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge so what are we waiting for, let's just go find dad. I mean why even talk to this girl?" Sam asked. He had a point.

"I dunno maybe we should know what we're walking in to before we actually walk into it" Dean shrugged, giving Sam a weird look.

"What?" Sam asked throwing his hands in the air.

"Well since when are you all shoot first ask questions later anyway?" Dean smirked.

"Since now"

Dean chuckled. "Oh, Really?" Sam scoffed and walked to the Impala. "You think he's okay?" Dean asked me, putting his hands in his pockets.

I looked over to where Sam was sitting in the passenger seat, looking grumpy and upset. I sighed, patting Dean on the arm. "Not even close"

Dean knocked on the door. A girl, probably Dean's age, opened the door. Her dark hair was in her face and she looked worried and flustered. "You must be Hailey Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Alexis. We're rangers with the park service" Dean stated. "Ranger Wilkinson sent us over; we wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy"

She scanned me and Sam over. "Let me see some ID" she demanded.

Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out a fake ID. "Here ya go" he said confidently.

She narrowed her eyes at the ID, but nevertheless opened the door. "Come on in" she said. I walked in first, and Sam followed. "That yours?" she pointed at the Impala.

Dean smiled. "Yeah"

"Nice car" she remarked.

"So if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?" Sam asked.

"He checks in every day by cell" she replied. "He e-mails photos, stupid little videos…but we haven't heard anything in over three days now"

"Well maybe he can't get cell reception" Sam shrugged.

"He's got a satellite phone too" she added.

Dean paced a little. "Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?"

"He wouldn't do that" said the boy around my age, who was sitting at the table.

Hailey sighed. "Our parents are gone; it's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other" she said, putting a hand on the kid's shoulder.

"I know what you mean" I remarked lightly. I gave Dean a little smirk.

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah" she said. She showed us her laptop. "That's Tommy" The video played. "Hey Hailey, day six, we're still out near Blackwater Ridge, we're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, talk to you tomorrow"

Sam frowned and looked at me. I narrowed my eyes. Had he seen something in the video?

"Well, we'll find your brother, we're heading out to Blackwater ridge first thing" Dean said.

"Then maybe I'll see you there" she smiled. We all shot her a look. "Look" she sighed. "I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning and I'm gonna find Tommy myself"

"I think I know how ya feel" Dean said.

"Hey, you mind forwarding these to me?" Sam said, still staring at Tommy's face frozen on the screen. Hailey nodded, and we left.

I hopped in the backseat. "Okay, so now we're heading into the wilderness?" I asked. "Whatever happened to fighting demons, guys? I don't do camping"

"We aren't camping" Dean said. "Trust me" He backed out. "We're going to the bar"

"Really?" I asked, "Now?"

"We should get a motel first" Sam said. "Lexie, can't wait in the car"

Both I and Dean gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?" Dean asked for me.

"Dude, she's 16, she can't get into a bar" Sam stated matter-of-factly.

I nearly fell into the front seat trying to reach the glove box. I pulled out five fake IDs. "Uh…Sammy?" I said, tossing them onto his lap. "I'm coming too"

"You're fifteen!" he exclaimed. "You are not coming to a bar"

"Would you rather leave her alone in some weird motel?" Dean asked. "She's been coming with me for like two years now, man. Relax. She doesn't cause any trouble"

"Yeah" I stated, feeling happy that Dean was standing up for me. "I don't cause trouble"

He pulled up and we got out of the car. Sam grabbed my arm. "You don't, like, drink…do you?" he asked.

"No" I laughed. "I just hang out. Hustle for some money, that's all" He looked annoyed. "Sam, you went to bars before you left, and you weren't 21 yet"

He sighed and nodded slowly. "You two slow pokes coming?" Dean yelled. I went to catch up to him. I was annoyed with Sam. I wasn't the twelve year old he left when he went to Stanford. I was older. I changed, couldn't he tell?

We got a table in the back, alone. I went to play some pool, wanting to ditch my brothers for awhile. "Hey boys" I smiled, picking up a stick.

One of them glanced me over. "You're a little young to be in a bar, aren't you?" he asked with a smile. I leaned on the stick.

"Aw, thanks" I laughed. I went to pretend to shoot the wrong way. "So you wanna play?"

"For money?" he asked. "No, I'm not hustling some girl outta her money"

"Please" I said sweetly, leaning on the table. "I can play with the big boys, can't I?"

Another man stepped up. "C'mon Steve, let's play. If she wants to lose all her money, let her"

Steve grumbled, but grabbed a cue. "Alright, you can hit first" he spoke. "Since I am a gentleman" he smiled, leaning close. I giggled, shoving him away. I took a really sucky shot and pouted a little. "S'ok" he smiled. "My turn"

He made one in. I sighed, and took my second shot, hitting three of mine in with one shot. "Wow" I smiled, "Well, beginners luck"

"You trying something funny here, Sweetheart?" the one asked me, stepping a little to close for comfort. I glanced back to where Dean and Sam were sitting.

"Nope" I smiled. "I'll leave if you're too chicken to get beat by me. By a girl"

After a few more minutes, I had hustled both Steve, his brother, and his friend out of a hundred bucks each. I smiled as they placed it on the table. "See ya later boys" I grinned.

"You hustled us" one accused, stepping forward.

"Just let her take her money" Steve said, stopping him. "But if we ever see you again, girly, you got another thing coming"

I just took my money and quickly made my way back to Dean and Sam. Like I had never heard that one before.

"So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic, local campers mostly" Sam was saying as I returned. "But still, this past April two hikers went missing out there, they were never found"

"Any before that?" Dean asked.

"Yeah In 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year" Sam said, as I sat down. "Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936. Every 23 years, just like clockwork"

"You make anything?" Dean asked. I pulled out my handful of cash. "Nice" he remarked.

"Okay watch this" Sam said, ignoring my cash. He pulled out his laptop. "Here's a clincher. I downloaded that guy, Tommy's, video to the laptop. Check this out" He clicked on Tommy's video going frame by frame. There was something behind him, a shadow, moving.

"Do it again" Dean demanded. He played it again.

"That's three frames. That's a fraction of a second" Sam explained. "Whatever that thing is, it can move"

Dean hit Sam. "Told ya something weird was going on" he smiled.

"Yeah" he scoffed. "I got one more thing. In '59 one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive".

"Is there a name?" Dean asked. Sam just smiled.

Mr. Shaw was flustered. "Look ranger, I don't know why you're asking me about this. It's public record; I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a…"

"Grizzly?" Sam asked. "That's what attacked them?"

Mr. Shaw paused, and then slowly nodded his head. He seemed very unsure.

"The other people that went missing that year…those bear attacks too?" Dean asked. "What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing? If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it"

"I seriously doubt that" he grumbled. "Anyways, I don't see what difference it would make. You wouldn't believe me, nobody ever did"

"Try us" I said, rolling my eyes. If this guy only knew.

"Mr. Shaw, what did you see?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." He said. "It moved too fast to see, it hid too well. I heard it though, a roar, like…no man or animal I ever heard"

"It came at night?" Sam asked. Shaw nodded. "Got inside your tent?"

"It got inside our cabin" He said. "I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door, it unlocked it. Do you know of a bear that could do something like that?" he asked. "I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screaming"

I grimaced. "It killed them?"

"Dragged them off into the night" he replied. "Why it left me alive…been asking myself that ever since" He thought for a second. "Did leave me this though…" He opened his shirt, showing us three long scars. It looked like something had clawed him, and it wasn't a bear. "There's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon"

I glanced at Dean. He cleared his throat. "Thank you for your time" he smiled. We left and walked back to the Impala. "Spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. If they want inside they just go through the walls" Dean remarked as I looked at him. I looked away.

"So it's probably something else, something corporeal" Sam stated, thinking.

"Corporeal?" Dean laughed. "Excuse me professor"

"Shut up" Sam smirked. "So what do you think?"

"The claws, the speed that it moves, could be a skin walker, maybe a black dog" he stated. "Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature and it's _corporeal_" he stressed, smirking. "Which means we can kill it" He popped open the trunk, propping it open with his shotgun. He loaded a shotgun, and put it in a duffel

"We cannot let that Hailey girl go out there" Sam said.

Dean scoffed. "Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big scary monster?"

"Yeah" Sam stated.

"Her brother's missing Sam" Dean scoffed. "She's not just gonna sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator-friend"

"Finding dad's not enough?" Sam asked, slamming the trunk shut. "Now we gotta babysit too?" I stared at him in surprise, as did Dean. "What?" he demanded.

Dean shrugged. "Nothing" he replied, throwing his duffel at Sam. I stood there, looking at Sam, worriedly. "C'mon ankle biter" Dean said, pulling me to the car.

The next morning, we headed back to the welcome center, where Hailey, her younger brother Ben, and some tough looking guy were arguing. "I'll tell you again, I don't think Ben should come" the tough guy spoke.

"Roy" Hailey sighed.

"Look you're paying me good money to keep everybody safe, I think Ben's safest at home" Roy said.

"You guys got room for three more?" Dean asked, getting out of the car.

"Wait, you want to come with us?" Hailey asked.

Roy looked at Sam, and then me. "Who are these guys?" he asked.

"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue"

"You're rangers?" he asked in disbelief. I scoffed and folded my arms.

"That's right" Dean smiled.

"Even her?" he asked, pointing at me. I stepped forward to argue, but was held back by Sam.

"She's an intern" he smiled.

"And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" Hailey asked, looking at Dean.

"Well sweetheart, I don't do shorts" Dean smirked. I thought about that. When _was_ the last time I saw Dean in shorts?

Roy stepped up to him. "What, you think this is funny?" he asked. "It's dangerous backcountry out there, her brother might be hurt"

"Believe me; I know how dangerous this could get" Dean remarked. "We just wanna help her find her brother, that's all" Roy nodded slightly, and we headed out. "Roy, you said you did a little hunting" Dean started.

"Yeah, more than a little" he replied, looking tough.

"Uhh…" Dean sighed, nodding. "What kind of furry critters do you hunt?"

"Mostly buck" he said. "Sometimes bear"

"Tell me, uh…Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" Dean asked. Roy stopped him, grabbing him. I took a step back, wondering where this was going. "Whatcha doing Roy?" he asked.

Roy stuck a stick in front of Dean, right where his next step would have been. "You should watch where you're stepping…ranger"

"It's a bear trap" Dean stated, looking at me. I nodded, and fell into step with Sam.

"Hey" I greeted. "You okay?"

"I'm fine" he said slowly, a confused look on his face. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason" I stated. "You just seem…I don't know. Upset?" He didn't say anything. "You _can_ talk about it you know. It's not illegal like Dean seems to think it is" He still didn't say anything. I let it go and was pushed from behind by Dean. He had a big bag of peanut M&Ms. He smiled, popping a bunch in his mouth. I rolled my eyes and ran to keep up with him.

I sneaked around the trees next to him. I threw a stick and he quickly glanced in that direction. I grabbed the M&Ms out of his hands, and smiled as I ate a few. "That wasn't funny" he remarked, stealing the bag back.

We hiked for a few hours in almost complete silence. "This is it…Blackwater Ridge" Roy said.

"What coordinates do we have?" Sam asked, stepping forward.

Roy pulled out a GPS. "35-111"

Dean stopped walking, so I did too. "You hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah, not even crickets" Sam replied.

Roy put his GPS away and glanced at all of us. "I'm gonna take a look around" he stated, turning to leave.

Sam stopped him. "You shouldn't go off by yourself"

"That's sweet…" Roy grinned. "Don't worry about me"

"All right everybody stays together" Dean said, looking at me especially. I gave him an innocent look. "Let's go"

"Hailey, over here" Roy called. We all ran to where Roy was coming from. "Looks like a grizzly" he remarked. The entire campsite in front of us was destroyed. Broken pieces of tent were scattered. Everything was smashed to pieces.

"Tommy?" Hailey called. She took off her backpack. "Tommy?" Sam shushed her. "Why?" she asked.

"Something might still be out there" Sam said.

I looked at the ground and at the destroyed equipment. This was no bear. "Sam! Lex!" Dean called. I walked over. "The bodies were dragged from the campsite" he stated, pointing at the ground. "But here the tracks just vanish. That's weird. I'll tell you what…that's no skin walker or black dog"

"Help! Help!" a voice called from deep in the woods. We rushed in that direction, but nothing was there.

"It seemed like it was coming from around here didn't it?" Hailey asked. I glanced around, even looking up the trees. There was no one here.

"Everybody back to camp" Sam instructed. We ran back to find all our supplies gone.

"Our packs" Hailey cried, falling in the dirt. Congrats, you can see. I thought sarcastically.

Roy sighed. "So much for my GPS and my satellite phone" he remarked.

"What the hell is going on?" Hailey said.

"It's smart" Sam said. "It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help" I knew that neither Roy, nor Hailey and her brother would have any idea what he was going on about.

"You mean someone…some nut job out there just stole all our gear?" Roy asked.

Sam looked to me and Dean. "I need to speak with you two…in private" We walked away, with one last glance at Hailey. "Let me see dad's journal" Sam asked. Dean handed it to him. "Alright, check that out" He pointed to a picture of a Wendigo. It was a big cannibalistic monster that ate people.

"A Wendigo?" I asked. "You think?"

"Oh come on" Dean scoffed. "Wendigo are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west"

"Think about it Dean, the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice" Sam listed.

"It makes sense, Dean" I sighed.

"Great" Dean remarked, taking out his pistol. "Well then this is useless"

Sam handed the journal back to Dean. "We gotta get these people to safety" He led the way back to camp. "All right listen up, time to go. Things have gotten more…complicated"

Hailey stood up. "What?"

"Kid doesn't worry, whatever's out there, and I think I can handle it" Roy smiled.

"It's not me I'm worried about, if you shoot this thing you're just gonna make it mad" Sam said. "We have to leave now"

Roy rolled his eyes. "One you're talking nonsense, two you're in no position to give anybody orders"

"Relax" Dean said, stepping up.

"We never should have let you come out here in the first place, alright?" Sam said. "I'm trying to protect you"

Roy chuckled. "You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight"

"Yeah?" Sam asked. I knew for a fact that Roy should definitely not have brought up to mommy card. That was just asking to get your ass beat. He sighed. "It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here"

Roy laughed. "You know you're crazy right?"

"Yeah?" Sam laughed. "You ever hunt a win-"Roy pushed him, cutting him off.

"Roy!" Hailey shouted.

Dean stepped in-between them. "Chill out" Dean interjected.

"Stop; stop it, everybody just stop" Hailey demanded. "Look, Tommy might still be alive, and I'm not leaving here without him"

"It's getting late." Dean stated, running a hand over his face. "This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves."

"How?" Ben asked, speaking for the first time.

I watched Dean draw Anasazi symbols, memorizing the design. "One more time that's…?" Hailey asked.

"Anasazi symbols. It's for protection" Dean said. "The Wendigo can't cross over them" Roy sat back and laughed. "Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy" he called. He looked at me. "Think you can finish the last one over there?" I nodded and set to work.

"You just do whatever your brothers tell you, don't you squirt?" Roy laughed, watching me draw.

"Don't call me squirt" I scoffed. "And yeah, that's the general idea"

"Why?" he asked. "You're old enough to be a big girl"

"Because that's life, Roy" I stated coldly. "They're my family" I saw Hailey glance up at me and grimaced. Her family was missing. Like my dad.

I walked away. "…This book. This is dad's single most valuable possession everything he knows about every evil thing is in here" Dean was saying as I sat down. "And he's passed it on to us, I think he wants us to pick up where he left off, you know saving people, hunting things. The family business"

"That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just call us?" Sam asked. "Why doesn't he tell us what he wants; tell us where he is?"

"Because dad doesn't do stuff the easy way" I stated.

"But why?" He asked.

"I dunno" Dean shook his head, "But the way I see it, dad's giving us a job to do and I intend to do it"

"Dean, no. I gotta find dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer" Sam urged. "It's the only thing I can think about"

"Ok, all right, Sam we'll find them I promise" Dean said. "Listen to me, you've gotta prepare yourself. I mean this search could take a while, and all that anger, you can't keep it burning over the long haul, it's gonna kill you. You gotta have patience, man"

"How do you and Lex do it? How does dad do it?" Sam asked. I glanced up at him.

"Well for one… them" Dean said, looking back a Hailey and her brother. "I mean I figure our family's so screwed to hell; maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable. I'll tell you what else helps. Killing as many sons of bitches as I possibly can. Right Lexie?" he asked, squeezing my knee. I mumbled a little yes.

"Help me! Please!" yelled a voice. "Help!"

"He's trying to draw us out" Dean said, standing up. "Just stay cool, stay put, inside the magic circle"

"Help! Help me!" it called.

"Ok that's no grizzly" Roy said.

"It's ok, you'll be all right I promise" Hailey said, holding Ben. Something screamed.

"It's here" Sam stated. My heart was pounding in my chest.

Roy shot at it. "I hit it!" he said, running to go find it.

"Roy, no! Roy!" Dean called. He grabbed my arm, glancing at me and the other two. "Don't move" I was annoyed and scared, but stayed with Hailey and Ben. They came back alone.

"What happened?" I asked. Dean just shook his head. Roy was dead.

We waited inside our magic circle until the sun was rising. I hadn't slept a wink. Sam sat by a tree, playing with his bracelet. I sighed, and lounged on the dirt. Dean was having a hard time explaining this to Hailey.

"I don't…I mean these types of things they aren't supposed to be real" she said, shaking her head.

"I wish I could tell you different" Dean sighed.

"How do we know it's not out there watching us?" she asked.

Dean shrugged. "We don't. But we're safe for now"

Hailey paused for a second. "How do you know about this stuff?"

"Kind of runs in the family" he smirked.

"Hey. So we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one, want to kill this evil Son of a bitch" Sam stated, standing up. I stood too.

"Well hell, you know I'm in" Dean smiled.

"Me too" I grinned, flipping my knife in circles. We sat down together and tried to explain what we were up against to Hailey and Ben.

"Wendigo is a –Indian word. It means evil that devours" Sam stated.

"They're hundreds of years old" Dean said. "Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, other times a frontiersman or a miner or a hunter"

Hailey shuddered. "How does a man turn into one of those things?"

"Well it's always the same" Dean explained. "During some harsh winter a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp"

"Like the Donnor Party" Ben added.

Sam nodded. "Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities"

"Speed, strength, immortality" I listed, counting on my fingers.

Dean sighed. "If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry"

"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" Hailey asked.

Dean grimaced slightly. "You're not gonna like it"

Hailey looked defiant. "Tell me"

Dean looked at Sam and me. "More than anything, a Wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It uh, stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden and safe. We gotta track it back there"

Hailey closed her eyes for a second, taking that in. "And then how do we stop it?" she asked.

"Well guns are useless so are knives, basically…" he pulled out his lighter fluid. "We gotta torch the sucker"

We hiked through the woods, where trees were marked with claws. "Dean" Sam said. I followed Dean.

"What is it?" he asked.

All the trees around us were covered in bloody claw marks. "You know…I was thinking…those claw prints…so clear and distinct, they were almost too easy to follow"

I glanced at him nervously. "You don't think-"A loud growl cut me off. We backed up, slowly, looking for it. Hailey screamed. A body fell from a tree. It was Roy.

"You okay?" Sam asked Hailey. She nodded, trying to hold in tears. "You got it?" he asked Dean, who was looking at the body.

"His neck's broke" Dean said.

"Okay" Sam said with a sigh. "Run, run, run, run, go, go!"

We all took off. Dean was right beside me. We ran at top speed through trees. Sam turned back to help Ben. Dean stopped us. I glanced around. There was no noise. Hailey screamed. I whipped around in enough time to get hit hard in the face and see the ground meet my face.

I groaned and opened my eyes not too much later. I was being dragged by something big. Sammy? No, it was too bony and tall. That was when it came to me. I was being dragged off to be eaten by a Wendigo. I panicked and started struggling. A claw came swiping down at me, narrowly missing me. Dean was next to me, trying to get me to calm down. He put a finger to his lips, looking tired.

Throwing a few M&Ms on the ground, I realized he was making a trail. I kept my mouth shut. Hailey was over the things shoulders. I wanted to panic. This thing smelled bad. It pulled us into some sort of mining shaft, and soon I couldn't see a thing. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed that we were stopped. There was a skeleton next to me. Screaming, and shooting Dean a frightened look, the Wendigo, shut me up with a blow to my gut. Dean was passed out.

I was out of breath. I kicked around, trying to escape. It hit me on the head, and I was dizzy, but not knocked out. It picked me up, and slammed me into the wall.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was being shaken awake by Sammy. I was hanging from the ceiling. "Lexie, wake up" he coaxed. I did, and fully awakened. My arms felt like they were going to fall off.

"Get me down" I said. He cut me off, and I fell to the cave ground.

"Hey, you okay?" Dean asked me from where he was sitting.

"Yeah" I replied. Rubbing my wrists. "I'm okay"

"You sure you're all right?" Sam asked Dean as he grimaced in pain. "Yeah. Yep, where is he?" He stood up.

"He's gone for now" Sam replied. I scooted next to Dean.

"Tommy" Hailey said, after she was cut down. She had found her brother hanging like us. He looked dead. "Oh, Tommy" she cried. His head jerked up and she screamed. "Cut him down" she said. Sam did so. "We're gonna get you home" she said, holding him straight.

Dean nudged me. I looked at the flare gun and smiled. "Check it out" he called to Sam.

"Flare guns…those'll work" Sam smiled.

Dean laughed, and twirled them around. We headed down a random tunnel. We had to get out of here. Hailey and Ben helped their brother walk. I moaned as I walked. My whole body hurt all over from being beat up. The Wendigo growled, sounding closer than I would have liked. I gave Dean a worried look. "Looks like someone's home for supper" Dean remarked.

Hailey looked scared. "We'll never outrun it"

Dean looked at all of us. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he said, to Sammy.

Sam grimaced. "Yeah I think so"

"No, Dean" I said.

"Shut up, Alexis" he said, using my full name. "All right listen to me. Stay with Sam, he's gonna get you out of here"

"What are you gonna do?" Hailey asked.

Dean just winked at her, ruffled my hair a bit, and started down another path. "Chow time you freaky bastard!" he yelled. "Yeah that's right, bring it on baby, I'm feeling good"

"All right come on. Hurry!" Sam said. I gave Dean one last glance and reluctantly followed.

"Hey! Hey you want some white meat bitch! I'm right here!" I heard him yell. A loud growl came from close behind us. "Get him outta here" Sam said, letting go of Tommy.

I grabbed his arm. "Sam!"

"Go!" he said. "You have to help them"

Angrily, I helped hold Tommy up. We limped along out of the cave. I heard the flare go off. I let go of Tommy, letting Ben take him. "Sam!" I yelled. I was panicking. What the hell?

"Come on, hurry, hurry, hurry" he yelled, coming up to me and pushing me around.

"You missed?" I yelled, as he pushed me ahead of him.

He pushed us into the end of the tunnel "Get behind me" he said, standing in front of us. He was blocking us with his body. The Wendigo came slowly towards us, torturing us to the last minute. It roared.

"Hey!" Dean yelled, shooting the Wendingo in the stomach. It burst into flames, roaring in pain. Then it was over. I pushed Sam out of the way, wanting to see Dean was okay for myself. "Not bad, huh?" he grinned.

I hit him in the arm with a smile. "Yeah, you loser" I stated. "Not bad"

"And the bear came back again after you yelled at it?" asked a policeman.

Ben nodded. "That's when it circled the campsite; I mean this grizzly must have weighed 800-900 pounds"

I smiled at him and walked to the Impala. My arm had been stitched up and I really wanted to crawl into my backseat and just sleep off the dull throbbing pain. I sat next to Dean on the hood, Sammy coming next to me. Ben and Hailey got into the ambulance with Tommy.

"Man I hate camping" Dean remarked.

"Me too" Sam stated.

"Me three" I added with a small smile.

"You know we're gonna find dad, right?" Dean said, and I knew he wasn't talking to me.

"Yeah I know…" Sam sighed. "But in the mean time…I'm driving" he remarked, hopping off the hood. Dean sighed, tossing him the keys. I got into the front seat instead of the back, just wanting to sit it between them for now. It was comforting to have two people next to you. It felt less lonely somehow. I leaned my head on Dean, something I hadn't done in awhile. He didn't say anything. We drove off, leaving Blackwater Creek in the dust.

Good riddance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad that you liked the story so far. Pretty soon I'm going to add a chapter that is a completely made up case. It'll focus more on Lexie, but it'll be awhile for me to get that up since it takes longer to write. Okay, I'll shut up now! Thanks again!**

**Chapter Three**

We drove for awhile with nowhere to go. Dad hadn't contacted us. So, with nothing to do, we just kept heading east. On the fourth day, Dean was looking for something to do. We had stopped at a diner to eat. "What are you doing?" I asked, as Dean circled stuff in the newspaper. "Reading? I didn't know you could do that"

"Shut up" he said, hitting me on the arm really hard.

I held it in pain for a second. "Move" I said, "I gotta pee" He let me out and I went to the bathroom in peace. Believe it or not, but living with two guys for weeks is more annoying than it sounds.

"That's fun" he said, pointing at a blonde waitress who walked by. I rolled my eyes and took my seat. "Here, take a look at this, I think I got one. Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out" Dean stated. "Authorities dragged the water—nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago"

"A funeral?" Sam said, handing me the paper to look at,

"They buried an empty coffin" Dean replied. "For uh, a closure or whatever"

"Closure?" Sam scoffed. "What closure? People don't just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them"

"Something you want to say to me?" Dean asked, crossing his arms.

"Really guys?" I asked, annoyed. Here we go, they were fighting again.

"The trail for dad—it's getting colder every day" Sam said, ignoring me.

Dean nodded. "Exactly, so what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know. Something, anything" Sam responded, frustrated.

"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude" Dean said, leaning forward. "You don't think I wanna find dad as much as you do?"

"Yeah, I know you do, it's just—"

"I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past four years, while you've been off to college going to pep rallies" Dean interjected. "We will find dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there"

"Okay" I said cutting him off. "I think we get the picture. We all wanna find dad, now let's just drop it"

Sam rolled his eyes and the waitress walked past again with a smile at Dean. "All right, Lake Manitoc" Sam sighed. Dean just stared off at the waitress. "Hey!"

"Huh?" Dean said, as I slapped him on the arm.

"Let's keep it in your pants, Dean" I stated.

"How far?" Sam asked him.

He shrugged, "A couple hours, maybe"

"Then let's go" Sam said, standing up. I followed, and I thought Dean was behind me until I turned around and saw him flirting. "Dean…" Sam sighed.

I put my hand up. "I got this" I stated. I went back, pulling him by the arm out the door.

We drove up to the house of the dead girl a few hours later. Dean knocked on the door. "Will Carlton?" he asked.

"Yeah that's right" he stated, opening the door farther.

"I'm Agent Ford; this is Agent Hamlin and Becket, our intern. We're with the U.S. Wildlife Service." He said. "We need you to tell us everything you know about what happened"

"C'mon" he said. "I'll take you to the lake"

He led us out back to where there was a murky lake. A man who I presumed to be his father was sitting on a bench out on the dock. "She was about 100 yards out" Will stated, "That's where she got dragged down"

Dean looked skeptical. "Are you sure she didn't just drown?"

Will nodded. "Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as she was in her own bathtub"

"So no splashing? No signs of distress?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"No, that's what I'm telling you" he said, shaking his head.

"Did you see any shadows in the water?" Sam asked. "Maybe some dark shapes breach the surface?"

"No" he said. "Again, she was really far out there"

"You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean asked.

"No, never. Why?" Will asked, looking at the lake. "What do you thinks' out there?"

"We'll let you know as soon as we do" Dean nodded politely. He motioned for me to follow him.

"What about your father? Can we talk to him?" Sam asked.

Will turned, sighing as he eyed his dad, sitting on the dock. "Look, if you don't mind, I mean…he didn't see anything and he's kind of been through a lot"

Sam nodded, following me. "We understand" We got back into the Impala.

"Well that was a load of nothing" I stated unhelpfully. "We have no clue still"

"Let's go to the police" Sam said. "See if we can get a report or something" We headed to the police station right on the next road. Sam knocked on the door again. "Hi, we're here with the Wildlife Service, we would like to talk about Sophie?"

"Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?" said the man, leading us to his office.

"You sure it's accidental?" Sam said. "Will Carlton saw something grab his sister?"

"Like what?" he asked, opening up an office. He motioned to three chairs. "Here sit please" he said. I took the far left seat. "There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake. There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness monster"

"Yeah" Dean laughed. "…right"

"Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks" he said. "Still, we dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep just to be sure, and there was nothing down there"

"That's weird though I mean that's…that's the third missing body this year." Dean stated.

"I know. These are people from my town" the man said. "These are people I care about" Dean nodded. "Anyway" he sighed. "All this—it won't be a problem much longer"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well the dam, of course" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Of course…the dam. It's uh…sprung a leak" Dean said, making something up. I nodded, not knowing what to do either.

"It's falling apart" the man said. "And the feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so they've opened the spillway. In another six months there won't be much of a lake. There won't be much of a town either. But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that"

Dean nodded a little too enthusiastically. "Exactly"

A tap on the door made me jump. "Sorry, am I interrupting?" a young woman asked. "I can come back later"

"Gentlemen, this is my daughter" the man smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" Dean said, standing up and holding out his hand. "I'm Dean"

"Andrea Bar" she grinned. "Hi"

Dean was infatuated. "Hi" I looked to Sam and rolled my eyes.

"They're from the Wildlife Service about the lake" Mr. Bar said. Andrea nodded. A small boy, I would say like seven, walked in. He had longer hair that was a copper color.

"Oh hey there. What's your name?" Dean asked. He just wandered away. I wanted to laugh, but couldn't. Yeah, it's okay kid, Dean would scare me too.

"His name is Lucas" Mr. Bar replied.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked. The kid had a beaten expression on his face.

"My grandson's been through a lot" Mr. Bar replied. "We all have. Well if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know"

"Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced hotel?" Dean asked as we headed to the door.

"Lakefront motel, go around the corner, it's about two blocks south" Andrea smiled.

"Two—would you mind showing us?" Dean asked sheepishly.

Andrea laughed. "You want me to walk you two blocks?"

"Not if it's any trouble" Dean replied. I sighed and wanted to punch him. Way to go Dean.

"I'm headed that way anyway" she smiled. "I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three. We'll go to the park, okay sweetie?" She kissed Lucas on the head and headed out the door. Sam muttered thanks at Mr. Bar.

We walked two blocks out, and Dean tried to make conversation with Andrea. "So…cute kid" Dean smiled.

Andrea smiled back. "Thanks"

Dean grinned happily. "Kids are the best, huh?" Andrea didn't reply.

I looked up at Sam, amused. "Shoot me now"

"There it is" she pointed. "Like I said. Two blocks"

"Thanks" Sam said.

"Must be hard with your sense of direction" Andrea said to Dean before turning away. "Never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line…" she said with an evil smile. "Enjoy your stay!" she called over her shoulder.

I laughed. Sam did too. ""Kids are the best"?" he mocked him. "You don't even like kids."

Dean was defiant. "I love kids"

"Name three children that you even know" Sam said, folding his arms.

Dean pointed at me. "I don't count" I stated, "I'm your sister"

Dean tried to think. Sam rolled his eyes and walked away. Dean just scratched his head. I scoffed and followed Sam. "I'm thinking!" he called, annoyed.

Sam got us a room and went right to his laptop. "So there's the three drowning victims this year" Sam sighed.

"Any before that?" Dean asked.

"Uh yeah…six more spread out over the past 35 years" Sam said. "Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it's picking up its pace"

"So what, we got a lake monster on a binge?"

"This whole lake monster thing—It, It just bugs me" Sam stated/

"Why?"

"Loch Ness, uh Lake Champlain—There are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing" he said. "Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it"

"Maybe it's not a monster" I shrugged. "Maybe it's a spirit that drowns people?"

He pointed at the screen. "Wait, Bar, Christopher Bar" he said, "Where have I heard that name before?" I got up and leaned over Sam.

"Christopher Bar, the victim in May" he said, clicking around. "Oh…Christopher Bar was Andrea's husband. Lucas' father. Apparently, he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned, two hours before the kid got rescued. Maybe we have an eyewitness after all"

"No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over" Dean said.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it"

We headed to the park so that Dean could hit on Andrea more while Sam and I actually tried to figure things out. She was sitting on a bench, watching Lucas from afar.

"Can we join you?" Sam asked with a smile.

"I'm here with my son" she smiled.

"Oh…" Dean sighed. "Mind if we say hi?" he remarked. She shook her head. "C'mon Lex"

I followed him. "Why am I coming?" I asked as we made our way over.

"You're a kid" he said. "You know how kid's brains work" He kneeled down next to Lucas. "How's it going?" he asked. He grabbed one of Lucas' toy soldiers and smiled. "Oh I used to love these things" I just stood there. He made gun sounds and made the soldier fly over like he killed it.

"So crayons is more your thing? That's cool. Chicks dig artists" Dean remarked.

I sighed and sat down hoping he would shut up. "Hey these are pretty good" Dean said.

"Hi Lucas" I said, looking at him drawing. "You can ignore him, he's dumb. You mind if I sit and draw with you for a while?" I picked up a crayon. "I used to love drawing when I was your age" I drew some random lines. "You know, I'm thinking you can hear me; you just don't want to talk. I don't know exactly what happened to your dad, but I know it was something real bad. I think I know how you feel. When I was your age, I felt the same way. Anyway…Well maybe you don't think anyone will listen to you, or uh…or believe you. I want you to know that I will" I said. "You don't even have to say anything, you could draw me a picture about what you saw that day with your dad on the lake" He didn't say anything. "Okay, no problem" I sighed.

"This is for you" I handed him my picture. It was all five of us. "This is my family" I said. I pointed to the people. "That's my dad" I said, pointing to the biggest one. "He's cool. And that's my mom" I paused. I had nothing to say about her. "That's my annoying brother, Dean. And that's the geeky one, Sam" I stopped. "I drew them biggest, because they're cool, like super heroes. They know all this awesome stuff, and can like, protect you from monsters. For real, I swear. They taught me stuff too" He still didn't say anything. "All right, so I'm a sucky artist" I sighed, leaving my picture. "I'll see you around, Lucas"

I stood up, shrugging at Dean and then turning away. "I tried" He followed me away. "I told you I don't do well with little kids. I probably just scarred him for life. It's not like I was ever a normal kid, you know?"

Dean didn't say anything. "Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me—not since his dad's accident" Andrea said as Dean and I came back.

"Yeah we heard" Dean said, sympathetically. "Sorry"

"What are the doctors saying?" Sam asked,

"That it's a kind of post-traumatic stress" Andrea replied helplessly.

"That can't be easy, for either of you" Sam responded.

"We moved in with my dad" she said. "He helps out a lot. It's just…when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…"

"Kids are strong" Dean said, cutting her off. "You'd be surprised what they can deal with"

"You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth" she smiled. "Now he just sits there. Drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish…" Lucas walked up to me. "Hey sweetie" Andrea said.

He handed me a picture. "Thanks…" I said softly. "Thanks Lucas" He silently walked back to his table. I looked at Dean.

We headed back to the hotel room. Sam disappeared to do some research for awhile, and I couldn't help but think he was waiting to ambush me. When he stole the remote out of my hand, I knew I was right. "Hey" I objected, when he turned the TV off. "I was watching that"

"I'm a superhero?" he asked.

I sighed and leaned back. "Dean…no chick flick moments"

"So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie" Sam said, opening the door.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, turning to look at him.

"I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there" he said. "Will Carlton is dead"

"He drowned?" Dean asked.

"Yep, in the sink"

"In the sink?" I asked, in shock.

"What the hell?" Dean asked. "So you're right, this isn't a creature; we're dealing with something else"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, but what?"

"I don't know. A water wraith maybe? Some kind of demon?" Dean listed. "I mean something that controls water…water that comes from the same source"

"The lake" Sam stated. I nodded. "Which would explain why it's upping the body count. The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time"

"And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere" Dean said. "This is gonna happen again soon"

"And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton" Sam replied.

"Yeah, It took both his kids" Dean added.

Sam nodded. "And I've been asking around. Lucas' dad, Chris—Bill Carlton's godson."

"So do you think Bill is next?" I asked.

Dean stood up. "Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit"

We drove to the lake again, where Mr. Carlton was still sitting on the bench on the dock. "Mr. Carlton…we'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind" Sam said.

Dean stepped forward. "We're from the Department…"

Bill scoffed, cutting Dean short. "I don't care who you're with. I've answered enough questions today"

"Your son said he saw something in that lake" Sam said, pushing him for answers. "What about you? You ever see anything out there?" He said nothing. "Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death—we think there might be a connection to you or your family"

"My children are gone. It's…its worse than dying" he cried. "Go away…please"

We turned around and headed back to the car. "What do you think?" Sam asked.

"Aw, I think the poor guy's been through hell" Dean remarked "I also think he's not telling us something"

"We're missing something" I stated. I put my hands in my pockets and pulled out Lucas' picture. I stopped.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

I handed the picture to Dean. "Huh" he said. "Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something" The picture Lucas drew was of the Carlton house.

We went right to Andrea's house. We knocked on the door. "I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea" Andrea said after Dean said he wanted to see Lucas again.

"We just need to talk to him, just for a few minutes" he said.

"He won't say anything, what good's it gonna do?" she asked.

"Andrea, we think more people might get hurt" Sam persuaded her. "We think something's happening out there"

"My husband, the others—they just drowned" she said. "That's all"

"If that's what you really believe then we'll go" Dean stated. "But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let me talk to your son"

She thought for a second, and then opened the door. Dean led me to the back, where Lucas was sitting with his toys. I looked to Dean. "I don't know what to say" I said softly. "I don't want to"

Dean just nudged me forward. "Hey Lucas" I smiled. "You remember me?" I sat down. "You know, I, uh…" I looked at his drawings of a red bike. "I wanted to thank you for that last drawing…but the thing is, I need your help again" He was coloring a person in water. "You know" I sighed. "I really think you should talk to my superhero brother, okay?" I looked to Dean for support.

"How did you know to draw this?" Dean asked him. "Did you know something bad was gonna happen? Maybe you could nod yes or no for me." he said. Lucas just kept drawing. "You're scared. Its okay, I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too. I didn't feel like talking, just like you. But see, my mom—I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about that every day. And I do my best to be brave. I have to, to take care of Alexis here, and Sam. And maybe…your dad wants you to be brave, too" Lucas dropped his crayon and handed Dean a picture. "Thanks, Lucas" he said.

We drove around, trying to find the place in the picture that Lucas had drawn for us. IT was a white two story church and a yellow house with a red bike in front. "Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died" Dean remarked, as Sam stared at it.

"There are cases going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies" Sam said, with a shrug.

I looked out the window in silence. "Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow?" Dean went on. "I mean it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns. If you got a better lead, please"

"All right…" Sam sighed. "We got another house to find"

"The only problem is there's about a thousand yellow two-stories in this county alone" Dean scoffed, annoyed.

"See this church?" Sam pointed. "I bet there are less than a thousand of those around here"

Dean smirked. "Oh, college boy thinks he's so smart"

"You know, um…what you said about mom…" Sam said slowly. "You never told me that before"

"It's no big deal…" Dean said, and I could feel him blushing. He grimaced. "Oh God, we're not gonna have to hug or anything, are we?"

"And what's with you with the superhero thing?" Sam asked, looking at me with a cheesy smile on his face. I glanced at him, feeling stupid and annoyed. I have to learn to keep my mouth shut.

"Shut up, sasquatch" I remarked. "I ain't hugging you either" I glanced back out the window. "Stop" I said, pointing. Dean hit the brakes.

We got out of the car; walking up to a white church and I glanced on the other side of it. A yellow house. We went to the door. The woman opened the door. "Hey" Dean smiled. "Can we have a word?"

"Sure" she remarked. She was an older woman, probably middle fifties to sixties. She let us inside.

'We're sorry to bother you ma'am, but does a little boy live here, by chance?" Dean asked. "He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle"

"No sir" she shook her head. "Not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for 35 years now. The police never—I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared. Losing him—"she choked. Sam pointed to some toy soldiers. I glanced at Dean, then back at the lady. "You know, it's…its worse than dying" she finished.

"Did he disappear from here—I mean, from this house?" Dean asked.

She sighed. "He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up"

Dean nodded and picked up a photo. His face fell. "Thank you for your time" he remarked, and pushed me out the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked, as he quickly ran back to the Impala.

"I know who's next" he said. I hopped in the backseat, with Sam close behind me. He sped to the Carlton's house again.

"Okay this little boy, Peter Sweeney, vanishes, and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow?" Sam asked as we pulled around a corner.

"Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?" Dean remarked.

"And Bill—the people he loves—Are all getting punished" Sam stated.

"So what if Bill did something to Peter?" Dean asked.

"What if Bill killed him?" Sam went on, his eyes widening.

"Then Peter's spirit would be furious. It'd want revenge" Dean nodded. "It's possible"

We pulled up to the small house on the lake for the third time now, and I got out of the car. "Mister Carlton!" Sam yelled. I rounded to the rear.

"Hey, check it out" Dean pointed. Mr. Carlton was heading out into the lake on his boat. I glanced at Dean, and then went sprinting down the yard onto the dock.

"Mister Carlton! You need to come back!" I yelled.

"Come out of the water!" Dean yelled.

"Turn the boat around!"

The boat slowed, and Mr. Carlton was thrown from the boat. It capsized and Dean, Sammy, and I were left standing on the empty dock. He was dead. Sirens sounded from behind us as we three just stood there stupidly.

"Sam, Alex, Dean, I didn't expect to see you here" Andrea said, as we were escorted into the police station

"So now you're on a first-name basis" Mr. Bar nodded. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

She held up a paper bag. "I brought you dinner" She looked at us, searching for something that she wasn't going to find.

"I'm sorry sweetheart; I don't really have the time" Mr. Bar remarked, pushing me a little.

"I heard about Bill Carlton, is it true?" she asked. "Is something going on with the lake?"

"Right now we don't know what the truth is" Mr. Bar said, shooting death glares at us three. "But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home"

Lucas whimpered and grabbed Dean's arm. "Lucas, hey, what is it?" he asked, kneeling down. "Lucas, it's okay. It's okay" Lucas took his mother's hand and left, looking back at me. I felt bad for him.

"Okay, just so I'm clear, you see…something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill, who is a very good swimmer, by the way, into the drink, and you never see him again?" Mr. Bar asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Yeah, that about sums it up" Dean sighed.

"And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake, and what you're describing is impossible, and you're not really Wildlife Service?" he stated. I glanced at Sam. Dean just glared at him, surprised. "That's right, I checked. The department's never heard of you two" he explained.

Dean smirked. "See, now we can explain that"

"Enough please" he said, putting a hand up. "The only reason you're breathing free air, is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did" he went around his desk. "So we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again"

Dean glared at him, angrily. Sam cleared his throat. "Door number two sounds good".

"That's the one I'd pick" Mr. Bar remarked, opening the door for us to leave.

We got in the Impala, anger radiating off of Dean. I decided to just keep my mouth shut. We drove towards the highway. I didn't feel really bad until Dean was at the light to turn right onto the road to let us lead. The light turned green and I closed my eyes. Sam smacked Dean.

"What?" Dean remarked.

"Light's green" he pointed. Dean sighed, and turned left.

"Uh, the interstate's the other way" Sam said.

"I know" Dean said. He drove back towards town.

"But Dean, this job—" Sam sighed. "I think it's over"

Dean shook his head. "I'm not so sure"

"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed" Sam said "The spirit should be at rest"

Dean sighed in frustration. "All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done. You know, what if we missed something? What if more people get hurt?" he asked.

Sam looked confused. "But why would you think that?"

"Because Lucas was really scared"

Sam looked surprised. "That's what this is about?"

"I just don't want to leave town till I know the kid's okay" Dean explained.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?"

Dean rolled his eyes, glancing at me. "Shut up" We drove to Lucas' house. It was silent.

"Are you sure about this? It's pretty late man" Sam said as Dean went to ring the doorbell.

The door flung open. "Lucas!"I asked, as he grabbed my hand. "Lucas? What's wrong?" he pulled me, running to the bathroom. Murky brown water was pouring out of the crack between the door and the floor.

Sam and Dean were right behind me Lucas kicked and pounded on the door. Dean picked his up and handed him to Sam. With one fell kick, he slammed down the door and busted in. Sam handed Lucas to me, who was squeezing my hand so hard I thought it was going to break. I glanced in to see Sam trying to pry Andrea out of the bathtub. She was drowning. I held Lucas back, not wanting him to see this. He held Dean's hand too, looking terrified.

"It's okay" I said slowly. "Sam's gonna save her" He whimpered, and I silently prayed I wasn't lying. I heard a gasp and a thud as they fell onto the floor.

He saved her.

I hung out with Lucas while Sam and Andrea talked about what happened. Lucas was coloring, and I just watched and eavesdropped. "Can you tell me?" Sam asked.

"No" Andrea cried. "It doesn't make any sense. I'm going crazy"

"No, you're not" Sam remarked, with a comforting smile. "Tell me what happened—everything"

Andrea sighed. "I heard…I thought I heard…there was this voice. What did it say? It said…it said "Come play with me." What's happening?" she asked.

Dean smacked a picture in front of her. I stood up, giving Lucas a smile. "Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?"

"What?" she asked, looking at him like he was crazy. "Um…Um, no. I mean, except that's my dad right there. He must have been about 12 in these pictures" I glanced at the picture of the Boy Scout troop.

"Chris Bar's drowning-The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton" Dean stated. "It must have been to sheriff"

"Bill and the sheriff—they were both involved with Peter" Sam said.

"What about Chris?" she asked. I walked back to Lucas, who I noticed was staring out the window as though he was watching something.

"Lucas?" I asked, slowly, not wanting to scare him.

Dean came over quickly. "Lucas, what is it?" he asked.

Lucas took my hand and took me outside. Everyone followed behind us. He stopped and stared at the ground. "You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?" Dean said, looking at Andrea. She pulled him away. "Lexie, get the shovels"

I ran to the Impala and grabbed two shovels. Sam took one and Dean the other, so I just stood and watched. I heard and dull thud, and got down on my hands and knees. Dean pulled out a red bike. They dig until there is a thud, and then they get down on their knees and finish digging with their hands. "Peter's bike" Sam said.

"Who are you?" Mr. Bar said, coming from nowhere. He had a gun pointed at us.

"Put the gun down, Jake" Sam said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"How did you know that was there?" he asked, in shock. He stared at the bike in fear.

"What happened—you and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike?" Dean said. "You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried"

Mr. Bar shook his head. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about"

"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney 35 years ago" Dean said angrily. "That's what the hell I'm talking about"

"Dad!" Andrea said, running to us.

"And now you got one seriously pissed off spirit" Dean went on.

"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It's gonna drown them" Sam said, glaring at him. "And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does"

Mr. Bar scoffed. "Yeah, and how do you know that?"

"Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton"

"Listen to yourselves, both of you" he chuckled with no humor in his voice. "You're insane"

"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us" Dean said. "But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake" The look on Mr. Bar's face pretty much said it all. I thought I heard a noise, and went to see, but Mr. Bar followed me with his gun.

"Stop moving" he growled. Sam glanced at me. I stopped.

"Dad, is any of this true?" Andrea asked.

"No. Don't listen to them, they're liars and they're dangerous" he said. "Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake"

"Dad, look at me" she cried. "Tell me you—you didn't kill anyone" she pleaded. He looked away. "Oh my God"

"Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time…it got rough" he stated. "We were holding his head under the water, we didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go, and it sank. Oh Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drowning, with Chris, because of some ghost…it's not rational"

I heard the voice again, and looked around. What the hell?

"All right listen to me, all of you" Dean said. "We need to get you away from this lake as far as we can right now"

I looked to the lake, and gasped. Lucas was going towards it. "Lucas!" I ran away, not caring if Mr. Bar shot me anymore. I just ran. Lucas put his hand in the lake, reaching for something. Suddenly, he flipped over and disappeared under its dark surface.

"Come play with me" said a soft voice. I panicked and ran to the edge of the dock.

"Lucas!" I screamed, Dean shoved me behind him and dived into the water.

"Stay out of the water" Sam shouted, jumping in after Dean.

"Oh my God!" Andrea said, taking off her jacket.

"Andrea, stay here" I said, grabbing her arm.

Sam surfaced. "We'll get him just stay on the dock" he yelled. He dived again.

I kneeled as close to the water as I could get. "Please" I pleaded. I wasn't sure who I was asking. It wasn't God. I was sure I wasn't asking him. I guess I was calling to my superheroes.

"Lucas where are you" Andrea pleaded.

"Peter, if you can hear me" Mr. Bar said, starting to wade in the water. "Please Peter, I'm sorry. I'm so—I'm so sorry"

"Daddy, no" Andrea cried.

"Peter. Lucas—He's just a little boy" he went on. He was ignoring us. "Please, it's not his fault, it's mine. Please take me"

"Jake, no!" Dean shouted, coming up for air.

All the sudden I saw a little boy's head pop out of the water for a split second. Then he was gone and Mr. Bar was dragged down.

"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Andrea cried. I held her back as best as I could. Sam came up again empty-handed. Andrea just sort of fell limp. She had given up.

Dean came up, holding something in his hands. It was Lucas.

We had packed up the very next day. Dean had been upset. He wanted to save Mr. Bar, but Peter's spirit had killed him. "Look, we're not gonna save everybody" Sam sighed, shoving stuff into the trunk.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I know"

Andrea came walking up, and I felt arms close around my waist. "Hey Lucas" I smiled, hugging him back. He grinned up at me.

"Hi Lexis" Andrea smiled. "Sam, Dean"

"Hey" Dean replied.

"We're glad we caught you" she said. "We just um, we made you lunch for the road" She pointed to Lucas, who was now holding a tray. "Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself"

"Can I give it to them now?" he asked. He started talking the moment he woke up after almost drowning.

"Of course" Andrea smiled.

He went to hand me the tray. I smiled. "Come on Lucas; let's load this into the car" Dean said, pulling him. He looked at me, as though telling me to follow. I grabbed his hand.

Dean put the sandwiches in the car. "All right, if you're gonna be talking now, this is a very important phrase, so I want you to repeat it one more time" he said seriously.

"Zeppelin rules!" Lucas smiled.

"That's right" Dean grinned. "Up high" He high fived him. "You take care of your mom, okay?"

"Like you take care of Lexie?" he asked, looking at me.

"Yeah" he smiled. "Just like that"

"All right" he laughed.

Andrea came up and kissed Dean. "Thank you"

Dean thought for a second, and then got in the car. "Sam, move your ass" he said. "We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road" Sam rolled his eyes and got in the car, as did I. As we drove away, I waved to Lucas. He was a good kid.

Later that day, Sam was asleep and I was laying in the backseat, just thinking. I wondered if Lucas would be okay. I hoped he would. He deserved to have a happy childhood. Dean glanced back at me, but I didn't move. "Superhero" he scoffed lightly. "If anything, you're my superhero"

"I don't think so" I smiled, flipping over. "You're more of a superhero than I ever would be"

"I'm not even that great of a brother" he scoffed. I sat up, glaring at him. Was he serious? Did he really think I thought that or was he just fishing for compliments. The look of genuine sadness in his eyes answered that for me.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "You're a good brother Dean, always have been" I stated. "You basically raised me, and I think I turned out okay"

"I drag you around to fight monsters for a living" he said, giving me a look in the rearview mirror. "I and Sam went to school too, you don't even do that. I make you do home school"

"I like doing home school" I stressed. "It's easier than having to worry about up and leaving every month or so"

"Yeah…" he trailed off. "But seriously, don't you want to be…normal?" Dean asked. I thought about that. Yeah, I had wanted that every once in awhile. "I should've tried harder" he stated

"Remember when I was eight and you were eighteen?" I asked. "I knew about the hunting, and you taught me to shoot a gun"

"Yeah" he scoffed. "So?"

"And I couldn't hit anything" I smiled. "But you told me it was okay, because you wouldn't give up on me" He was silent. "I can shoot anything under the sun" I smiled. I thought about how vigorous the training with dad had been. Dean hadn't made it any easier. He had trained my ass until I could shoot a pistol, shotgun, rifle, and crossbow. I could climb and break into any house, pick any lock, speak almost fluent in Latin (actually that was Sam), and kill any son of a bitch that came to attack me. I was safe because of him. I was stronger. I hadn't thought so at the time, though.

_When I was younger, training sucked. All I did was get my ass whooped by either Sam or Dean the entire time. Dad refused to let them take it easy on me, and so most of the time I ended up flat on my back. I was only an eight year old girl for god's sake. Dean, at eighteen, had me on my ass in seconds. _

"_Try again" my dad demanded, as I landed on my back for the umpteenth time that night. _

"_Dad" Dean sighed, turning around. "I'm sick of fighting girls"_

"_Hey" Sammy and I said in unison. _

"_You'll do as I say" my father said coldly. "Now go again" _

_I stood up and waited for Dean to strike. Again, he simply was able to beat me down and take my gun from me. It was just a paintball gun, but good practice. The shots could knock me sideways, but hardly even touched Dean. _

_My father sighed and I could hear the frustration in his voice. "Again" _

_Dean rolled his eyes. "Dad" he said. "Seriously? She can't even keep her feet on the ground"_

"_I know" my dad said. "But she has to learn. She is weak, but I think in time…"_

_I had heard enough. I was pissed and annoyed and I just wanted to kill something. "Ugh" I yelled as I jumped on Dean. I ran at him hard enough that I made him stumble a little. I had a good grip on his neck, and took him down. I reached into my belt and took out my little knife, holding it at him. "Shut up!" I yelled. _

_He smirked and took it out of my hands. I kicked at his hand until he dropped it and then kicked it farther away from him. The gun was closer, so I closed in on that and shot him three times in the chest and abdomen. He, Sammy and my father stared at me in shock. I stood up, dusted myself off, and smiled. "I think I hit you" I said, pointing out the orange paint on his clothes. _

_The sound of clapping coming from my father made my heart swell in pride. "Good Job Alex" he said. "I think that's enough for one night" And with that he disappeared. _

"_So Dean" Sam smiled. "I think you just got beat by an eight year old girl" _

"_Shut up" Dean said, but he smirked at me like he was proud, even though he was embarrassed and didn't want to admit it. _

"You did a good job" I smiled, thinking of the memory.

"I did a decent job, at best. I'm no superhero" he remarked, looking at me in the backseat. "I made mistakes, I-"

"Dean" I sighed, cutting him off. "Shut up"

He was silent for a moment. "So am I like superman or batman?"

"Batman" I remarked, with a sleepy sigh. "You can't fly" I paused. "Actually, you don't have any powers other than being a pain in the ass"

"Thanks" he laughed. "I guess that's fair"

"If it counts for anything, you're really good at it"

"Lexie, don't make me come back there" I just laughed and went back to pretending to sleep. I was safe. Sam and Dean were safe. I wondered about dad, and then just fell asleep.

Because sometimes it's easier to just pretend everything's okay. At least for a little but anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I woke up to Sam pacing around the room. I glanced at the clock. It was five in the morning. "What are you doing?" I asked groggily, sitting up. We had been sharing a bed, so Dean was in the other one, fast asleep. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Uh…" he stuttered, not wanting to tell me the truth. I pulled some jeans on. "Yeah" he replied, seeing no way around it.

I pulled on a shirt and sighed. Sammy hadn't slept well in days. He was always up with nightmares. "Did you get any sleep?"

He nodded hesitantly. Liar. "I'm gonna go get some coffee" he said, grabbing his coat. I watched him, and quickly grabbed mine.

"I'm coming with you" I stated, putting my sweatshirt on.

"I'm fine" he stated, annoyed.

"Please" I muttered. He was anything but fine. "Don't flatter yourself, Sammy" I remarked, covering my concern. "I just don't want to stay here with Captain Snores a Lot" I walked past him, out the motel room door. He watched me walk out in silence. I stopped, putting my hood up. It was cold. "You coming?"

He sighed and followed me out the door. We got into the Impala, and I reached into the little compartment where Dean hid all the money. I grabbed a handful of cash, and Sammy drove. "So, how are you?" Sam asked stoically. "I mean, with dad gone…"

"Fine" I said with a shrug. "How are you?"

He laughed. "When did we start making small talk?" he asked.

I laughed back. "You started it" We sat in silence for a second. "You should really try to sleep when we got back, Sam. I and Dean can go hustle or something"

"No" he said. "I'm not tired. Can we stop talking about this now?" I sighed and looked out my window. "Sorry" he said, "I didn't mean to snap at you" I didn't say anything, but gave him a reassuring smile that I didn't hold it against him.

He smiled. "You've changed a lot, you know. Since I went to college" We pulled into the coffee place. "You want anything?" he asked.

"No" I replied, wrinkling my nose. "Coffee is disgusting"

He chuckled. "At least some things don't change" He picked up two coffees and a bunch of donuts. As he got back in the car, I stole one.

"What's changed?" I asked, looking at him. "Since you left, I mean"

"You're older" he said, matter-of-factly. "When I left, you were twelve, and dad wasn't even letting you on real hunts yet. Now you're carrying a gun. And killing things"

"Yeah" I said. "I forgot about that" I paused. "I wasn't allowed to carry a gun on me like you two, or do anything. I was always left behind"

"Dad babied you" Sam replied, with a smile.

"Yeah" I smiled. "He refused to let you two beat me up until the monster under the bed incident."

"Then we beat the crap outta you every time" he responded.

I slapped him on the arm. "Only because you cheated"

"How did we cheat?" he scoffed with a laugh.

I looked at him in shock. "When dad wasn't looking Dean tickled me to the floor and pinned me" I replied.

He laughed. "Oh yeah" he remarked. "Alright I guess we cheated"

"Can I ask you something?" I asked him. He nodded uneasily. "Why did you answer my phone calls and not Dean's?"

He sucked in a breath. "Well the first time was because I felt bad" he admitted. "The night I left, i…"

"Yeah" I interjected, not wanting him to finish that sentence. It was a night I preferred not to think about.

I thought about when Sam left. It was a bad night for us.

_I was twelve, in sixth grade, and utterly pissed at my math teacher for giving me extra homework. Just because I had to fight off a freaking poltergeist and couldn't finish my geometry problems. Stupid Mrs. Worthington. Dad was in the kitchen, polishing some of the guns. I watched him for a second, seeing the care he took to wash off all the grime and oils. "Alexis, if you want to help on the next hunt, your eyes should be on that math paper" my father remarked, looking down at me. _

"_Yes, sir" I replied, my robot response. I went back to triangles when Sam came out of his room holding what looked like a letter. I wanted to ask him what it was, but I knew he would just ignore me, and then I would get yelled at again. So I kept my trap shut. Because that was what a good daughter did, according to my dad. Pretended like everything was okay, and just did what I was told. _

"_Dad" Sam sighed, walking up to him. He held up the letter. "I got the full ride. To Stanford. And I'm going"_

_That caught my attention immediately. Stanford? I thought Sam wasn't allowed to go to college. I thought dad told him no way in hell. I looked up. Dad looked like he was ready to blow a gasket. "Sam…"_

"_No" Sam interjected. "Why don't you want me to go?"_

"_You know why" Dad scoffed. "We have a job to do. And you don't just get to leave your family like this"_

"_I'm not leaving you" Sam shouted at the top of his lungs. Dean walked in the door. Dad slammed the gun down on the table. "It's college, dad"_

_Dean looked at me, setting the groceries in his hands down. "Lex, go to your room"_

_Scared, I headed to the back. I didn't close the door. I wanted to hear what was going on. "Sam, you will not do this to me"_

"_I'm all packed, dad" Sam remarked, and I heard him drop a bag on the floor. "I'm going"_

_My heart stopped as I realized finally what was really going on. Sam was leaving us. Sam was going to go to Stanford and leave us here all alone. He couldn't do that could he? He couldn't just leave me here alone with dad and Dean? Right?_

_I ran back out into the living room. "Sam, if you walk out that door" my father warned, watching Sam open it. "Don't you ever come back" _

_Sam put one step out as I watched. He glanced at me, then Dean, and finally back to dad. "Don't worry, I won't"_

_I stared at Dad, then at Dean, and then ran out the door after him. "Don't go, Sam" I shouted. "Please" Dean came out after me. _

"_Just go back in Alexis" Sam said coldly. "I'm not staying just for you"_

_That hit me like a slap in the face. I turned around, to run right into Dean. "C'mon" he said, glaring at Sam as he led me back in. "Let him go"_

"I answered you because I wanted to apologize" he said. "I wanted to tell you I was sorry"

"And I accepted it" I stated. "But even after that. We talked like once a month. Why me?"

He was silent for a second. "Because I knew I could trust you" He replied. "You might still be more of dad's soldier than I am, but not as much as Dean is. I knew you wouldn't tell them things I didn't want you too. You have a brain"

"Oh" I sighed, "Thanks I guess"

We pulled back up to the hotel. I got out, and went to open the door. Sam went in first, and I slammed the door, seeing if it would wake Dean up. He jumped awake, startled. "Morning', sunshine" Sam chuckled, putting the coffee down.

Dean groggily moved around. "What time is it?"

"It's about 5:45" Sam responded.

Dean groaned. "In the morning?" Sam nodded. He flipped over and moaned. "Where does the day go?" he asked, sarcastically. He sat up, looking at both of us. I ate another donut. "Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked Sam.

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, I grabbed a couple hours"

Dean smiled. "Liar" he remarked. "'Cause I was up at three, and you were watching' the George Foreman infomercial"

I glared at Sam, accusation in my face. "Hey, what can I say?" he smirked. "It's riveting TV"

"When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. A little while, I guess" Sam shifted. "It's not a big deal."

Dean shook his head. "Yeah, it is"

Sam scoffed. "Look, I appreciate your concern—"

"Oh, I'm not concerned about you" Dean remarked. "It's your job to keep my ass alive, so I need you sharp" Sam just shrugged. "Seriously, are you still having' nightmares about Jess?" he asked.

I looked at him, and sat on the bed next to Dean. "Yeah" he sighed, sitting across from us. "But it's not just her. It's everything. I just forgot, you know? This job—man, it gets to you"

"Well, you can't let it. You can't bring it home like that" Dean replied, sipping the coffee Sam handed him.

"So, what?" Sam asked. "All this—it never keeps you up at night?" Dean shook his head. I rolled my eyes.

"Never? You're never afraid?" I asked Dean, not even believing him myself.

"No, not really" Dean shrugged. Sam sighed and reached under Dean's pillow. He pulled out his knife. Dean took it from him.

"You still keep a knife under your pillow?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"That's not fear. That is precaution" he said, defensively.

"All right, whatever" Sam said. "I'm too tired to argue"

Dean's cell phone rang. I grabbed it before him, wanting to be difficult. He tried to grab it from me, but I evaded him. I smiled as I answered it. "Hello?" I asked, looking at Dean.

"Lexie?" asked a voice. "This is Jerry Panowski, it your brother there?"

"Hold on one minute" I replied, as Dean shot me a death glare. I grinned as I handed him the phone. "It's for you" He took the phone, making sure to punch me.

"Dean, its Jerry Panowski. You and your dad helped me out a couple years back" I heard Jerry saying.

"Oh, right, yeah, up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the poltergeist thing" Dean said, recalling. "It's not back, is it?"

"No, no. Thank God, no" Jerry remarked. "But it's something else, and, well, I think it could be a lot worse"

Dean looked at me in confusion. "What is it?"

There was a pause on the phone. "Can we talk in person?"

We headed to where Jerry was, in Pennsylvania. It only took a few hours, since when he called we were right outside of Indiana. We met him at some airplane warehouse.

"Thanks for making' the trip so quick" Jerry said, as he led us to his office. "I ought to be doing you guys a favor, not the other way around" He looked to Sam. "Dean, Alexis and your dad really helped me out"

"Yeah, he told me" Sam remarked. "It was a poltergeist?"

""Poltergeist"?" asked a man walking by, "Man, I loved that movie!"

"Hey, nobody's talking' to you" Jerry shouted. "Keep walking'" I smirked at Dean. "Damn right, it was a poltergeist—practically tore our house apart" He looked to Dean and I. "I'll tell you something'—if it wasn't for you and your dad, I probably wouldn't be alive" He looked to me. "And Alexis, you've gotten big"

"Thanks" I remarked softly.

"Last time I saw you, you only had to be this high" he motioned with a laugh. He took us past some more planes. "Your dad said you were off at college. Is that right?" he asked Sam.

"Yeah, I was. I'm….taken' some time off"

"Well, he was real proud of you. I could tell" Jerry remarked. "He talked about you all the time"

Sammy looked confused. "He did?" He looked at Dean and me, not really asking Jerry, but asking us.

Jerry nodded vigorously "Yeah, you bet he did. Oh, hey, you know, I tried to get a hold of him, but I couldn't. How's he doing, anyway?"

Dean shifted uncomfortable. "He's, um….he's wrapped up in a job right now"

"Well, we're missing' the old man. We get Sam. Even trade, huh?" he asked. We all chuckled lightly.

"No, not by a long shot" Sam chuckled.

Jerry opened the door to his office. "I've got something' I want you guys to hear" He popped a CD into his player and motioned for us to sit. "I listened to this. Well, it sounded like it was up your alley. Normally, I wouldn't have access to this. It's the cockpit voice recorder for United Britannia Flight 2485. It was one of ours" He pressed play. There was a lot of static, and then voices. A lot of screaming, and then a very distinct demonic hiss. I looked at Sam confused.

"That doesn't sound good" I remarked.

"Took off from here—crashed about two hundred miles south. Now, they're saying mechanical failure. The cabin depressurized somehow. Nobody knows why. Over a hundred people on board—only seven got out alive. The pilot was one. His name is Chuck Lambert. He's a good friend of mine. Chuck is, uh….well, he's pretty broken up about it—like it was his fault"

"You don't think it was?" Sam asked.

Jerry shook his head. "No, I don't"

"Jerry, we're gonna need passenger manifests, a list of survivors—" Sam listed.

"Right" Dean nodded. "And any way we can take a look at the wreckage?"

"The other stuff is no problem, but the wreckage—" He paused. "Fella's, the NTSB has it locked down in an evidence warehouse. No way have I got that kind of clearance"

Dean shrugged and smirked. "No problem"

"What is taking him so long" I groaned, lying in the backseat. Dean went into the copy center to make some new IDs. He finally came out.

"You've been in there forever" Sam accused.

Dean grinned, holding up the fake IDs. "You can't rush perfection"

Sam read them. "Homeland Security?" he scoffed. "That's pretty illegal, even for us"

"Yeah, well, it's something' new, you know?" Dean said, getting in the car. "People haven't seen it a thousand times" He looked over at Sammy. "All right, so, what do you got?"

"Well, there's definitely EVP on the cockpit voice recorder" He replied. He opened his laptop, "Listen" I heard the same static again and then a very raspy voice saying no survivors.

""No survivors"?" Dean asked. "What's that supposed to mean? There were seven survivors"

"Got me" Sam shrugged.

"I guess there wasn't supposed to be" I shrugged, sitting up.

"So, what are you thinking'?" Dean asked Sam. "A haunted flight?"

"There's a long history of spirits and death omens on planes and ships, like phantom travelers" Sam replied. "Or, remember Flight 401?"

"Right—the one that crashed, then the airline salvaged some of its parts, put it in other planes, then the spirit of the pilot and co-pilot haunted those flights" Dean said.

"Where was I?" I asked, wondering when this happened.

"You were like eight, you were with Pastor Jim I think" Dean replied.

"Right" Sam nodded. "So, anyway, maybe we've got a similar deal"

Dean picked up the list of survivors. "All right, so, survivors—whom one do you wanna talk to first"

"Third on the list—Max Jaffrey" Sam pointed.

"Why him?" Dean asked.

"Well, for one, he's from around here" Sam explained. "And two, if anyone saw anything weird, he did."

"What makes you say that?" Dean asked.

Sam smirked. "Well, I spoke to his mother, and she told me where to find him"

"And where was that?" I asked.

Sam just smiled. "You're gonna love this"

"Oh god" I remarked, leaning back. "I don't like the wacky shack, guys" I had this weird fear of nut houses. They just creeped me out. Especially the old ones that had the really creepy people in it. Like ex-convicts and stuff. Going into one of those was just asking for trouble.

We pulled up to Riverfront Psychiatric Hospital. I got out of the car, and Sam stopped me. "Uh, Lex?" he said. I was confused until he motioned at my pants. I sighed and tossed the gun in the trunk.  
"No one is going to attack you, Alexis, calm down" he stated.

"I'm pretty sure that's what they say in like every scary movie ever right before something bad happens" I said anxiously. He just sighed. "Sam, don't make me bring up the clowns" He stiffened and shut up after that.

I walked with them, never far from Dean. We found Max outside, which gave me some comfort. "I don't understand" Max said. "I already spoke with Homeland Security"

"Right. Some new information has come up" Dean explained. "So if you could just answer a couple questions…."

"Just before the plane went down, did you notice anything unusual?" Sam asked, getting right to the point.

"Like what?" Max asked, looking nervous.

"Strange lights, weird noises, maybe….voices?" Dean suggested.

"No, nothing" Max said, a little too quickly. A woman walked behind me and I inwardly flinched.

"Hmm. Mr. Coffey—"

"Jaffrey" Max corrected.

"Jaffrey" Dean smiled. "You checked yourself in here, right?" Max nodded. "Can I ask why?"

"I was a little stressed" he said incredulously. "I survived a plane crash"

"Uh-huh" Dean nodded. "And that's what terrified you? That's what you were afraid of?"

"I-I don't wanna talk about this anymore" Max said.

Dean ignored him "See, I think maybe you _did_ see something' up there. We need to know what"

"No" Max stated. "No, I was delusional—seeing things"

He looked to Sam. "He was seeing things"

Sam shrugged. "It's okay. Then just tell us what you _thought_ you saw, please"

He hesitantly glanced back up. "There was….this….man. And, uh, he had these….eyes—these, uh…._black_ eyes. And I saw him—or I _thought_ I saw him…"

"What?" Dean asked, wanting him to continue.

"He opened the emergency exit. But that's….that's impossible, right? I mean, I looked it up. There's something' like two tons of pressure on that door" Max said.

"This man—did he seem to appear and disappear rapidly?" Sam asked. "It wouldn't look something like a mirage?"

"What are you, nuts?" Max asked. "He was a passenger. He was sitting right in front of me"

We stood up, ready to go. "Thanks for your time" Sam said, leading me out. I was so ready to get out of there. I was pretty much running to the exit. I turned. Sam and Dean had disappeared. My heart started pounding. As I made it to the door, I opened it to see Dean jump out at me. I screamed, and then hit him on the arm.

"I hate you" I remarked, going to the car. He just laughed, Sam shaking his head behind him.

We found out who had the seat in front of Max, and went to his house. "Here we are—George Phelps, seat 20C" Sam said, pulling up.

"Hmm. Man, I don't care how strong you are." Dean said as we exited the car. "Even yoked up on PCP or something', no way you can open up an emergency door during a flight"

"Not if you're human" Sam said. "But maybe this guy, George, was something' else—a creature maybe, in human form?"

Dean gave him a look and pointed at the small suburban home. "That look like a creature's lair to you?"

Sam shrugged. "Lex, you check the house, while we talk" he instructed. I nodded, grabbing the EMF reader. I walked around the outside of the house, getting no readings. There was nothing here. I glanced up in the back of the house, seeing a way inside. I climbed up on the terrace and opened a window.

The room was quiet. I was sure to move slowly, trying not to make noise. The room was empty. There was nothing even close to demonic activity in this house. I went back to the window and tried to find the little ledge I used to get up. I slipped, my foot falling off the edge of the house. I was holding on by my fingertips.

I slipped off the side of the house, landing in a bush. Sam and Dean were leaving, so I just ran to the front, pieces of twig still stuck in my hair. I also felt blood on my face. I must've cut it. Damn bush.

"I mean, it goes without saying" Sam said as I rounded to the Impala. "It just doesn't make any sense"

"Yeah, a middle-aged dentist with an ulcer is not exactly evil personified" Dean stated. "You know, what we need to do is get inside that NTSB warehouse, check out the wreckage"

"Okay. But if we're gonna go that route, we better look the part" Sam said. I came up to them, picking twigs out of my hair. "What happened? Did you find something?"

"I fell" I scoffed, wiping the blood. It was only a tiny cut.

"Whoa" Dean smiled. "She found a demonic bush, Sammy!" I punched him and got in the car.

"C'mon" I shouted. Dean and Sam got in the car and we drove to a suit shop. I went in with them, but just stayed in the front. There were a lot of things I didn't want to witness, one of those being my older brothers being fitted for suits. We exited not too long after. "Man, I look like one of the Blues Brothers" Dean scoffed, fixing his collar.

"No, you don't" Sammy smiled. "You look more like a seventh grader at his first dance"

I laughed, but immediately shut up when Dean glared at me. "I hate this thing" he said.

"Hey, you want into that warehouse or not?" Sam asked.

Dean just glared and got in the car. I had to wait outside the warehouse. They would never believe I was homeland security. People were stupid, but they were nowhere near that dumb. I messed with Dean's music, mixing up tapes while I waited. All the sudden, I heard an alarm. I glanced around and unlocked the doors. As Sam and Dean ran back to the car, I opened the doors and they squeezed in on either side of me. "What did you do?" I asked as we quickly drove off.

"We got a sample" Sam said, holding a baggie. "Go to Jerry's"

Jerry checked it out under his microscope. "Huh. This stuff is covered in sulfur." He said.

"You're sure?" Sam asked, looking at him in surprise.

"Take a look for you" Jerry motioned. An employee was yelling in the hallway. He grumbled. "If you fella's will excuse me, I have an idiot to fire"

Dean went to look through the microscope. "Dean, do you even know what you're looking at?" I asked, shaking my head. Dean had no idea how to use a microscope.

"Hmm. You know, there are not too many things that leave behind a sulfuric residue" he said, ignoring me.

"Demonic possession?" Sam suggested.

"It would explain how a mortal man would have the strength to open up an emergency hatch" Dean said.

Sam sighed. "If the guy was possessed, it's possible"

"Yeah, but this goes way beyond floating' over a bed or barfin' pea soup." Dean said. "I mean, it's one thing to possess a person, but to use 'em to take down an entire airplane?"

"You ever heard of something' like this before?" Sam asked.

"Never" Dean shook his head.

We went to a motel room. We needed to do some research. "So, every religion in every world culture has the concept of demons and demonic possession, right?" Sam said, sitting at his computer. "I mean Christian, Native American, Hindu—you name it"

"Yeah, but none of 'em describe anything like this" Dean remarked, coming up behind him.

"Yeah" I added. "I don't think I've ever heard of anything controlling plane crashes"

"Well, that's not exactly true" Sam stated. "See, according to Japanese beliefs, certain demons is behind certain disasters, both natural and man-made. One cause's earthquakes, another cause's disease"

"And this one causes plane crashes?" Dean asked. Sam shrugged. "All right, so, what? We've got a demon that's evolved with the times and found a way to ratchet up the body count?"

"Yeah" Sam sighed. "You know, who knows how many planes it's brought down before this one?" Dean turned away and looked like he was in deep thought. "What?"

"I don't know, man. This isn't our normal gig." He said. "I mean, demons—they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. This is big" he paused "You know, I wish Dad was here"

"Yeah" Sam stated, looking away. "Me, too"

Dean's cell rang again. "Hello?" I couldn't hear what they were saying. "Oh, hey, Jerry" he paused. "Jerry, I'm sorry. What happened?"

I stood up and looked at Sam. "Where'd this happen?" he listened, then smirked. "I'll try to ignore the irony in that… Nothing'. Jerry, hang in there, all right? We'll catch up with you soon" He hung up and looked at Sam and me.

"Another crash?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Let's go" Dean said, tossing me my jacket.

"Where?" I asked.

"Nazareth" Dean replied, smirking.

"Okay, if the demon didn't do that on purpose, I might be a little disappointed" I remarked, heading to the car.

We got another sample from the Nazareth plane. Not that there was much to look at. The little twin plane was so destroyed, I wouldn't have even known it was a plane. We took it back to Jerry again. Jetty sighed and looked up. "Sulfur?" Dean asked. Jerry nodded. "Well, that's great. All right, so, that's two plane crashes involving Chuck Lambert. This demon sounds like it was after him"

"With all due respect to Chuck, um….if that's the case, that would be the good news" Sam said.

"What's the bad news?" I asked.

"Chuck's plane went down exactly forty minutes into flight" Sam said. "And get this—so did Flight 2485"

I sighed and leaned back. Jerry glanced at us. "Forty minutes? What does that mean?"

"It's biblical numerology. On Noah's Ark, it rained for forty days" Dean explained. "The number means death"

"I went back, and there have been six plane crashes over the last decade that all went down exactly forty minutes in" Sam said, looking defeated.

"Any survivors?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "No. Or not until now, at least—not until Flight 2485, for some reason. And the cockpit voice recorder—remember what the EVP said?"

"No survivors" Dean replied.

Sam nodded. "its going' after all the survivors. It's trying' to finish the job"

We got in the car, while Sam tried to contact each of the seven survivors. "Really? Well, thank you for taking our survey, and if you do plan to fly, please don't forget your friends at United Britannia Airlines" he said. "Thanks" he hung up. "All right, that takes care of Blaine Sanderson and Dennis Holloway. They're not flying' anytime soon"

"So, our only wildcard is the flight attendant, Amanda Walker." Dean replied.

"Right. Her sister, Karen, said her flight leaves Indianapolis at 8 PM" Sam said. "It's her first night back on the job"

"That sounds like just our luck" Dean remarked.

"Dean, this is a five-hour drive, man" Sam sighed. "Even with you behind the wheel"

"Why don't you call Amanda's cell phone again—see if we can't head her off at the pass" Dean said.

Sam sighed, defeated. "I've already left her three voice messages. She must have turned her cell phone off" I moved up, putting my head on the seat. "God, we're never gonna make it"

Dean looked at him, determined. "Oh, we'll make it" He slammed on the gas.

I leaned back and sighed. "Buckle your seatbelts"

We got there just in the nick of time. We raced into the airport. Sam stopped at the board with all the flight numbers on it. "Right there" he said. "They're boarding in thirty minutes"

"Okay. We still have some cards to play" Dean said. "We need to find a phone" I pointed to the courtesy phone on the pillar. Dean picked it up and sighed. "Hi. Gate 13—I'm trying to contact an Amanda Walker. She's a flight attendant on Flight, um…."

"424" Sam said.

"Flight 424" Dean said. Over the loud speaker, the operator called for Amanda to pick up. "Come on…" Dean pleaded. "Miss Walker. Hi, this is Dr. James Headfield from St. Francis Memorial Hospital. We have a Karen Walker here" There was a pause. "Nothing serious—just a minor car accident. But she was injured, so—" There was an awkward pause in which Dean looked at me for help. "You what?"

"Uh, well….there must be some mistake" Dean Spoke.

"Is this one of Vince's friends?" I heard her yell angrily.

Dean smiled. "Guilty as charged" he chuckled. "He's really sorry" He paused. I looked at Sam. "Yes, but he really needs to see you tonight, so—don't be like that. Come on, the guy's a mess, really….it's pathetic" he paused again. "No, no, wait, Amanda" He hung up.

I patted Dean on the back. "You my friend, are a horrible liar" I stated.

"Damn it! So close" Dean remarked, loudly. He was pacing.

"All right, it's time for Plan B" Sam sighed. "We're getting on that plane"

Dean stopped pacing. He looked panicked. "Now, just hold on a second"

Sam scoffed. "Dean, that plane is leaving with over a hundred passengers on board, and if we're right, that plane is gonna crash"

"I know!" he exclaimed in frustration.

"We're getting on the plane, we need to find that demon, and exorcise it" Sam said. "Look, I'll get the tickets. You just go with Lexie and get whatever you can out of the trunk, whatever will make it through security. Meet me back here in five minutes"

I nodded and looked to Dean, but we wasn't moving. "Are you okay?" I asked.

Dean sighed. "No, not really."

"What?" Sam asked. "What's wrong?"

Dean looked scared. "Well, I kind of have this problem with, uh…" he sighed.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Flying?"

"It's never really been an issue until now" Dean remarked. I had never seen him this scared before.

Sam looked shocked. "You're joking, right?"

Dean was in all out panic mode now. "Do I look like I'm joking? Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?"

"All right. Uh, I'll go" Sam said.

I stared at him. "What?" I asked.

"I'll do this one on my own" he explained.

"What are you, nuts?" Dean asked him. "You said it yourself, the plane's gonna crash"

"Look, Dean, we can do it together, or I can do this one by myself." Sam said. "I'm not seeing a third option here"

"Come on…Really?" he sighed, defeated. "Man" he went on.

We got tickets and I was forced to take the window seat. Sam was next to me, and Dean was on the end. "Just try to relax" Sam said, whispering to Dean.

Dean glared at him. "Just try to shut up" he spat back. Sam laughed. The plane turned upward, and even though I was scared, I knew Dean was worse. I was reminded of the asylum.

"Payback's a bitch, huh Dean?" I asked, leaning over Sam. He went to hit me, but was too slow. I had leaned back and was laughing already.

We had been up in the air a few minutes now, and I was feeling more worried by the minute. I wasn't scared like Dean, but still felt a little nauseous that we were going to crash in like 33 minutes.

Sam nudged me, and pointed at Dean. He was humming. "Are you humming Metallica?" Sam asked amused.

Dean glared at him, but continued humming. "It calms me down" he insisted.

"Look, man, I get you're nervous, all right?" Sam said. "But you've got to stay focused"

"Okay" Dean nodded.

Sam leaned over, as I did too. I could tell that I should hear this. "I mean, we've got thirty-two minutes and counting to track this thing down, or whoever it's possessing, anyway, and perform a full-on exorcism" he said.

"Yeah, on a crowded plane, that's gonna be easy" Dean remarked, still gripping his seat.

"Just take it one step at a time, all right?" Sam said. I leaned back in my seat. Now he was just trying to keep Dean interested. "Now, who is it possessing?"

"Well, it's usually gonna be somebody with some sort of weakness, you know, a chink in the armor that the demon can worm through—somebody with an addiction or some sort of emotional distress"

"Well, this is Amanda's first flight after the crash" Sam suggested. "If I were her, I'd be pretty messed up" Dean nodded. He glanced into the aisle. A flight attendant passed.

"Excuse me" he asked. "Are you Amanda?"

"No, I'm not" she replied.

"Oh, my mistake" Dean said. The flight attendant nodded and walked off. Dean turned around. "All right, well, that's got to be Amanda back there, so….I'll go talk to her and, uh, I'll get a read on her mental state"

"What if she's already possessed?" Sam asked.

"There's ways to test that" he smirked, pulling out holy water.

I stared at him. "You're just going to go back there and splash water on her?"

Sam took the bottle from him. "Lex is right. I think we can go more subtle. If she's possessed, she'll flinch at the name of God"

"Oh. Nice" He said, getting up.

"Hey" Sam said, catching him.

"What?"

"Say it in Latin"

"I know" he remarked, starting to walk to her.

"Hey!" Sam called.

"What?" Dean asked coming back.

"In Latin, it's "Cristo"."

"Dude, I know, I'm not an idiot!" he said annoyed and walked to the back.

I looked back at Dean, who was casually looking around by Amanda. I sat back normally and sighed. "Are you worried?" I asked Sam.

He grimaced at me. "Yeah"

I sighed again, trying to calm my nerves. Dean sat down again, looking defeated. "All right, well, she's got to be the most well-adjusted person on the planet"

"You said "Cristo"?" Sam asked. Dean nodded.

"And?" I asked, wanting him to go on.

"There's no demon in her" he said. "There's no demon _getting_ in her"

"So, if it's on the plane, it can be anyone…." Sam said slowly. "Anywhere"

The plane hit some turbulence. "Come on!" Dean exclaimed, looking white as a….never mind. "That can't be normal!"

"Dean, calm down!" I exclaimed back.

"Don't tell me to calm down"

"Hey, hey, it's just a little turbulence" Sam remarked.

Dean looked at him in annoyance. "Sam, this plane is going to crash, okay? So quit treating' me like I'm friggin' four!"

Sam leaned over, talking him down. "You need to calm down"

"Well, I'm sorry, I can't!"

"Yes, you can"

Dean glared at him. "Dude, stow the touchy-feely, self-help yoga crap, it's not helping!"

"Listen, if you're panicked, you're wide open to demonic possession, so you need to calm yourself down right now" Sam stated calmly. Sam's calm voice freaked me out a little. Dean paused, and then slowly let out a breath. "Good" Sam remarked. He took out Dad's journal. I leaned in to see what he was reading. "Now, I found an exorcism in here that I think is gonna work—the ritual Romano"

"What do we have to do?" Dean asked.

"It's two parts. The first part expels the demon from the victim's body. It makes it manifest, which actually makes it more powerful"

"More powerful?" Dean asked.

"Yeah"

"How?"

"Well, it doesn't need to possess someone anymore" Sam explained. "It can just wreak havoc on its own"

"Okay" I said. "But why would we want to do that?"

"Well, because the second part sends the bastard back to hell, once and for all" Sam replied.

"First things first—we've got to find it" Dean said.

We walked up and down aisles with the EMF readers. I took the very back, and Dean was all the way in first class. I found Sam still in our seats. "Nothing" I remarked.

"C'mon, let's go get Dean" he said. We walked to the front of the plane and Sam hit Dean on the back.

"Oh! Don't do that!" Dean said, jumping a mile in the air.

"Anything?" Sam asked, ignoring him.

"No, nothing'" he sighed. "How much time we got?"

"Fifteen minutes" Sam said. He glanced around. "Maybe we missed somebody"

"Maybe the thing's just not on the plane" Dean suggested hopefully.

Sam looked at him. "You believe that?"

"Well, I will if you will"

Sam gave him a knowing look. Dean sighed. "Guys, we probably missed someone" I stated, looking behind me. My EMF reader suddenly spiked. I turned around. Dean's was too. A person opened the door to the bathroom. It was the co-pilot. He looked at us and smiled slightly. I looked to Dean. "You don't think-"

"What? What is it?" Sam asked, looking from me to Dean.

Dean stared at the co-pilot. "Cristo" he stated. The co-pilot turned around, his eyes a complete milky black. Even the whites of his eyes were covered. Then, he turned back, and closed the door behind him.

"Shit"

We needed a way to get to the co-pilot. Dean had the amazing idea to use Amanda, apparently his new best friend. "She's not gonna believe this" Sam sighed.

"Twelve minutes, dude" Dean remarked, opening the curtain to the back of the plane.

"Oh, hi" Amanda smiled. "Flight's not too bumpy for you, I hope"

"Actually, that's kind of what we need to talk to you about" Dean said.

Sam closed the curtain, and Amanda stared at us nervously. "Um, okay. What can I do for you?"

"All right, this is gonna sound nuts, but we just don't have time for the whole "The truth is out there" speech right now" Dean said.

"All right, look, we know you were on Flight 2485" Sam said.

"Who are you guys?" she asked, scared.

"We've spoken to some of the other survivors" Sam went on. "We know something brought down that plane, and it wasn't mechanical failure"

"And we need your help because we need to stop it from happening again, here, now" Dean said, motioning around him.

She nervously tried to leave. "I-I'm sorry, I'm very busy"

Dean put out an arm to stop her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? But listen to me—the pilot from 2485, Chuck Lambert—he's dead"

She stopped. "Wait, what? Chuck is dead?"

"He died in a plane crash" I said.

"Now, that's two plane crashes in two months" Dean added "That doesn't strike you as strange?"

"Look, there was something wrong with 2485" Sam said. "Now, maybe you sensed it, and maybe you didn't, but there's something wrong with this flight, too"

"Amanda, you have to believe us" Dean pleaded.

She stared at us, and sighed. "On….on 2485, there was this man. He….had these eyes."

Sam lit up in excitement. "Yes, that's exactly what we're talking about"

She glanced at us again. "But I don't understand. What are you asking me to do?"

"Get the co-pilot. We need you to bring him back here"

"Why? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Don't have time to explain. We just need to talk to him, okay?" Dean said

"But how am I supposed to go into the cockpit and get the co-pilot—"

Sam cut her off. "Whatever it takes. Do whatever it takes. Tell him there's something broken back here. Whatever will get him out of that cockpit"

"Do you know that I could lose my job if—"

"You're gonna lose a lot more than that if you don't help us out" Dean interjected.

She paused, and then went to the curtain. "Okay" We watched as she knocked on the door of the cockpit. The co-pilot came out, looking normal. She got him to come to the back of the plane. Sam handed me some Holy Water.

"Stay back, okay?" he remarked.

"Sam-"

"No, Sammy's right, Lex" Dean remarked. "Just wait to jump in on this one"

I reluctantly backed up. As soon as the co-pilot entered, Dean punched him out and threw him on the floor. He covered his mouth with duct tape. Andrea came through. "What are you doing? You said you were just gonna talk to him!"

"We _are_ gonna talk to him" Dean said, as Sam threw holy water on him, making the co-pilot writhe and shake.

"Oh, my God, what's wrong with him?" She asked, looking like she was going to cry. She tried to take a step forward, but I pushed her back.

"Its okay" I said, "Just stay calm"

"But—"

"We need you calm. We need you outside the curtain" Sam said. "Don't let anybody in, okay? Can you do that?" She just stood and stared. "Amanda?"

She looked panicked. "Okay. Okay" she said, going outside the curtain again.

"Hurry up, Sam. I don't know how much longer I can hold him" Dean said, struggling on the ground.

Sam went back to reading out of dad's journal. All the sudden, the co-pilot pushed off the ground and flung Dean and Sam into the wall. He went to grab at me, but I ducked, splashing my holy water on him. Sam was able to grab the book and read a couple more lines.

The co-pilot ripped the duct tape off his mouth and grabbed Sam's shirt. "I know what happened to your girlfriend!" he remarked. Sam stared at him in shock. "She must have died screaming! Even now, she's burning!"

Dean jumped on the co-pilot. Sam just stared. "Sam!" Quickly, Sam went back to reading the Latin.

The co-pilot was collapsing. Sam stopped reading and grabbed the co-pilot's other arm. "I got him!" Sam called. The co-pilot kicked and screamed. The journal was kicked all the way out of the curtained area. I went to grab it, but couldn't get through. He opened his mouth, and the demon left in a cloud of black mist. It went into the air vent, and then I couldn't see it anymore. The co-pilot's body collapsed on the ground.

"Where'd it go?" Sam asked, looking for the journal.

"It's in the plane" Dean replied. "Hurry up, we've got to finish it"

Sam left to go get the journal, as the plane took a nosedive. I flew up and hit the ceiling with the impact of the fall. Dean was forced against a wall. He was screaming and as I tried to get up, he grabbed my arm, holding me on the wall as well. "Dean!" I screamed. "We have to get the journal!"

He was too scared to even answer me. He just hugged the wall and screamed. We fell steadily towards the ground, and the pressure soon stopped me from being able to move. Papers and things were flying everywhere, out of control. I closed my eyes. All the sudden, we stopped falling, and we were moving normal again. I sighed; looking at Dean's shocked face. We were okay. Sam had sent the demon back to hell.

I stepped out of the curtained area, looking at Sam knowingly. He glanced behind me curiously looking for Dean. Dean stepped out, looking like he had been through the ringer. I put my head in my hands as soon as we had sat down. "Dude, I can't hear anything" I said accusingly, looking at Dean. He just grimaced at me.

Instead of going to where the flight was supposed to, the pilot turned around, going back. It was quicker and safer, and since he didn't know what happened, he didn't want to take the risk of flying for another two hours. We got off the plane and were immediately ambushed by police and paramedics. I had a large cut on my forehead, which Sam made me get checked, but they just put a nice bandage on it. We waited to make sure that walking away wouldn't look weird or anything. "Let's get out of here" Dean remarked, glancing around. Sam was silent. "You okay?"

"Dean…." He sighed. "It knew about Jessica"

"Sam, these things—they read minds. They lie, all right?" Dean responded. "That's all it was" Sam nodded, but I could tell he was unconvinced. "Come on" he said, putting an arm around my shoulder.

We got outside the airport, and jerry met us with a huge grin on his face. "You did it" he sighed. "You guys did it" He walked with us to the Impala. "Nobody knows what you guys did, but I do. A lot of people could have been killed" He shook Dean's hand. "Your dad's gonna be real proud"

"We'll see you around, Jerry" Sam said, going to the car.

"You know, Jerry?" Dean started. "I meant to ask you—how did you get my cell phone number, anyway? I've only had it for, like, six months"

Jerry shrugged. "Your dad gave it to me"

Sam stopped. "What?"

"When did you talk to him?" Dean asked.

"Well, I didn't exactly talk to him, but I called his number, and his voice message said to give you a call" he said. "Thanks again, guys" And with that, he walked off.

I watched as Dean took his phone out of his pocket. "Dean, I thought you said you called dad"

"I did"

"This doesn't make any sense, man" Sam remarked. "I've called Dad's number, like, fifty times. It's been out of service"

Dean put it on speaker and we listened to it ring. Finally, it went to voicemail. "This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean at 866-907-3235. He can help" Dean flipped the phone closed, and silently got in the car. I followed, getting into the backseat and laying down. Sam came in the car a few seconds later. He turned, probably making sure I was okay. I just glared at him and kept my mouth shut.

The tears didn't come until we were driving down the road with Metallica blaring out the speakers. Crying was easier when no one could hear you.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I love hearing what you guys think! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, no matter how much I love it….that is all. **

**Chapter Five**

I was woken up by a shoe flying at my head. In case you have never experienced this before, let me be the one to tell you that it is not that pleasant. It is even more unpleasant when it is you older brother Dean's shoe which smells like something died. "Lexie, wake up" he stated. I sat up, throwing the shoe back to the front seat and glared.

"You could've woke me up nicely, you know"

"That would be too easy" he smiled. Sam jerked in his seat. "He's still having nightmares"

"Should we wake him up?" I asked.

Dean sighed and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Sam, wake up" He said, shoving him. "Sam"

He woke up with a jerk and glanced around. "I take it I was having a nightmare?" he sighed.

"Yeah, another one" Dean said.

"Hey, at least I got some sleep" he said.

"Was it about-"

"Yeah" he replied to my question.

"You know, sooner or later we're gonna have to talk about this" Dean stated.

Sam ignored him, looking out the window. "Are we here?"

"Yup, welcome to Toledo, Ohio" he said.

"So what do you think really happened to him?" Sam said, looking at the newspaper. A guy had been found dead in his bathroom his eyes completely clawed out. They said it was a stroke.

"That's what we're gonna find out" he said. "Let's go" We went into the morgue. We found the technician sitting at a desk.

"Hey" He greeted us. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. We're the uh...med students" Dean smiled, looking at me and Sam.

"Sorry?"

"Oh Doctor Figlavitch didn't tell you? We talked to him on the phone. We uh…We're from Ohio State. He's supposed to show us the Shoemaker corpse. It's for our paper"

The tech shook his head. "Well I'm sorry, he's at lunch"

"Oh well he said uh…Oh well, you know, it doesn't matter. You don't mind showing us the body do you?"

"Sorry, I can't. Doc will be back in an hour, you can wait for him if you want"

"An hour? Ooh. We gotta be heading back to Columbus by then" Dean said, looking worriedly at Sam. Sam nodded in agreement. "Uh look man, this paper's like half hour grade, so if you don't mind helping us out…"

"Oh look man," he said. "No"

"I'm gonna hit him in his face I swear" Dean said, turning to me. I smirked. Sam hit him on the arm and stepped in front of him. He took out his wallet and placed a few twenty's on the table.

"Follow me" he smiled.

"Dude I earned that money" Dean complained as we were led back.

"You won it in a poker game" Sam said rolling his eyes and following the tech.

"Yeah" Dean stressed, pulling me along. We were led into the morgue. It smelled like Lysol and death. The tech opened the body's coverings.

"Now the newspaper said his daughter found him" Sam stated. "She said his eyes were bleeding"

The tech pulled back the blanket. "More than that. They practically liquefied"

"Any sign of a struggle?" Dean asked. "Maybe somebody did it to him?"

"Nope. Besides the daughter, he was all alone"

"What's the official cause of death?" Sam asked.

The tech shook his head. "Doc's not sure. Massive stroke, maybe an aneurysm? Something burst up in there, that's for sure"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Intense cerebral bleeding. This guy had more blood in his skull than anyone I've ever seen"

"The eyes—what would cause something like that?" Sam asked.

"Capillaries can burst" he explained. "See a lot of bloodshot eyes with stroke victims"

"Yeah?" Dean asked. "You ever see exploding eyeballs?"

"That's a first for me, but hey, I'm not the doctor"

"Think we could take a look at that police report?" Dean asked. "You know for, uh…our paper"

"I'm not really supposed to show you that" he said, looking at Sam. Sam sighed and pulled out his wallet again. We got a copy, and left. Dean didn't want to spend anymore of his hard earned cash.

"Might not be one of ours" Sam said. "Might just be some freak medical thing"

"How many times in dad's long and varied career has it actually been a freak medical thing and not some sign of an awful supernatural death?"

At the mention of dad's named, I smiled. "Uh, almost never" Sam replied.

"Exactly"

Sam pocketed the papers and we got into the Impala. "All right, let's go talk to the daughter"

When we got there, we realized that the funeral was going on. We walked in to see a bunch of men in suits and women in fancy dresses. "Feel like we're underdressed" Dean said, looking at his button down and jacket with jeans. I glanced at myself. I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a jean jacket. We may have been slightly underdressed.

"You must be Donna right?" Sam asked, going up to a girl probably not much older than him. She was one of the dead guy's daughters.

"Yeah" she said, turning to us. She was upset, you could tell.

"Hi uh—we're really sorry" Sam went on.

"Thank you" She sighed, glancing around.

"I'm Sam, this is Dean and Lexis. We worked with your dad."

"You did?" she asked.

"Yeah. This whole thing. I mean, a stroke" Dean sighed.

"I don't think she really wants to talk about this right now" her friend next to her said, narrowing her eyes at Dean.

"Its okay" she smiled. "I'm okay"

"Were there any symptoms?" Dean asked. "Dizziness? Migraines?" Donna shook her head.

"How does something like this happen with no warning signs?" I asked, trying to sound sad. "I mean a stroke, out of nowhere?"

"That's because it wasn't a stroke" said a younger girl probably like eleven.

"Lily don't say that" Donna sighed, sounding frustrated. I was guessing that this wasn't the first time Lily had brought this up.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I'm sorry, she's just upset" Donna sighed.

"No, it happened because of me" Lily insisted.

"Sweetie, it didn't"

"Lily," Sam said, bending down to her height. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Right before he died, I said it" she said, looking guilty.

Sam stared at her. "You said what?"

"Bloody Mary- Three times in the bathroom mirror. She took his eyes, that's what she does" she cried.

"That's not why dad died" Donna said. "This isn't your fault"

"I think your sister's right, Lily" Dean said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "There's no way it could have been Bloody Mary. Your dad didn't say it, did he?"

Lily shook her head. "No I don't think so"

"Well then it wasn't Bloody Mary" Dean said with finality.

"Why don't you go talk to grandma, Lily" Donna suggested. Lily stalked off, not looking very comforted.

Dean led me away, back into the house. We slowly made our way up the steps into the hallway. Rounding into the bathroom, I grimaced at the dried blood on the floor. "The Bloody Mary legend- Dad ever find any evidence that it was a real thing?"Sam asked, kneeling to look at the blood.

"Not that I know of" Dean sighed.

"I mean, everywhere else all over the country, kids will play Bloody Mary, and as far as we know, no one dies from it" Sam stated.

"Yeah" I said. "I mean, I played Bloody Mary once"

Dean looked at me. "Why would you do that?"

I smiled sheepishly. "It was at some stupid sleepover thing" I stated. "We were bored. Besides, it's only a story"

"Yeah well maybe everywhere it's just a story but here it's actually happening" Dean said.

"The place where the legend began?" Sam asked. Dean shrugged. "But according to the legend, the person who says—" He shut the medicine cabinet. "The person who says you know what, gets it. But here—"

"Shoemaker gets it instead, yeah" Dean agreed. "Never heard anything like that before. Still, the guy did die right in front of the mirror, and the daughter's right. The way the legend goes, "you know who" scratches your eyes out"

"It's worth checking in to" Sam sighed.

I glanced at the mirror and sighed. Footsteps in the hallway made me jump and I looked to Dean. He quickly shoved me and Sammy into the hallway.

"What are you doing up here?"The girl's friend from before asked.

"We—we, had to go to the bathroom" Dean choked out.

She narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"Like we said downstairs, we worked with Donnas' dad" He said.

"He was a day trader or something, he worked by himself"

"No, I know, I meant—"

She just went on. "And all those weird questions downstairs, what was that? So you tell me what's going on, or I start screaming"

"All right, all right" Sam said, putting a hand up. "We think something happened to Donnas' dad"

"Yeah, a stroke" she urged.

"That's not a sign of a typical stroke" Sam explained. "We think it might be something else"

She folded her arms. "Like what?"

"Honestly? We don't know yet. But we don't want it to happen to anyone else" Sam said. "That's the truth"

"So… If you're gonna scream, go right ahead" Dean said.

"Who are you, cops?" She asked.

"Something like that" Dean scoffed.

"I'll tell you what. Here" Sam reached into his pocket and wrote down his cell number down. "If you think of anything, you or your friends notice anything strange, out of the ordinary…just give us a call"

We left after that and headed right for Sam's favorite place. The library.

"Say Bloody Mary really is haunting this town" Dean said. "There's gonna be some sort of proof—Like a local woman who died nasty."

"Yeah but a legend this widespread it's hard" Sam said. "I mean, there's like 50 versions of who she actually is. One story says she's a witch, another says she's a mutilated bride, there's a lot more"

"All right so what are we supposed to be looking for?" Dean asked.

"Every version's got a few things in common. It's always a woman named Mary, and she always dies right in front of a mirror. So we've gotta search local newspapers—public records as far back as they go" he said. "See if we can find a Mary who fits the bill"

"So we have to look through millions of newspapers for someone with their eyes scratched out?" I asked.

"Well that sounds annoying" Dean sighed.

"No it won't be so bad, as long as we…" he stopped as he saw the computers. Every single one said out of order. He chuckled. "I take it back. This will be very annoying"

We searched for what felt like days on end before giving up and heading back t to the motel to search on Sam's laptop. Sam lies down on the bed and fell asleep almost right away. I was jealous of him. Dean actually gave a shit about him. Dean could've cared less about me sometimes. That might sound needy, but the sad part was that it was true. Sam would be upset, and Dean would prod him until he got an answer and they resolved it. I was left alone. Whatever.

I sat next to Dean, trying to concentrate on the research. "Hey" he said suddenly. "How are you doing in school?"

"What?" I asked, confused. I hadn't been listening.

"School" he said. "I haven't seen you work on it in awhile"

"That's because I'm on break" I stated. "I start again in a week"

"Oh" he remarked. "And you're grades are…?"

"Fine" I stated. "They sent them a week ago" I said, reaching into my bag and tossing him my report card for the second semester. He glanced them over, but didn't say anything. I got mostly A's and a few B's. Nothing bad.

"Are you alright?" he asked all the sudden. I thought about the rant I just had in my head.

"Yeah" I said. "I'm fine"

He nodded. Sam jerked awake. "Why'd you let me fall asleep?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Cause I'm an awesome brother" Dean smirked. "So what did you dream about?"

"Lollipops and candy canes" he remarked groggily.

"Yeah, sure" Dean laughed. I just gave him a weak smile.

"Did you find anything?" Sam asked.

"Oh besides a whole new level of frustration?" Dean asked. "No. I've looked at everything. A few local women, a Laura and a Catherine committed suicide in front of a mirror, and a giant mirror fell on a guy named Dave, but uh, no Mary"

"Poor Dave" I smiled.

"Maybe we just haven't found it yet" Sam said, leaning back on the bed.

"I've also been searching for strange deaths in the area, you know…eyeball bleeding, that sort of thing. There's nothing" he said. "Whatever's happening here, maybe it just ain't Mary"

Sam's cell rang. "Hello?" he asked. A look of concern came over his face. He said okay and hung up.

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Charlie" he said. "C'mon. Time to go"

Charlie, Donnas' friend, was sitting on a bench in the park, just like she said she was going to be. She was incredibly freaked out. Not that I blamed her. Her friend had just died like the other guy. "And they found her on the bathroom floor" She said, telling us the story. "And her—her eyes. They were gone"

"I'm sorry" Sam sighed.

"And she said it" Charlie remarked. Dean glanced up at that. "I heard her say it. But it couldn't be because of that. I'm insane, right?"

"No, you're not insane" Dean stated.

"Oh God, that makes me feel so much worse" She cried.

"Look" Sam said. "We think something's happening here. Something that can't be explained"

"And we're gonna stop it but we could use your help" Dean added.

"Will you take us to your friends house?" I asked. She slowly nodded.

We waited outside the window until Charlie opened the window and we came in. Sam boosted me up. I climbed in, then grabbed his hand to help pull him in. He turned to hand me the duffel. "What did you tell Jill's mom?" he asked Charlie.

"Just that I needed some time alone with Jill's pictures and things" she said, looking uncomfortable. "I hate lying to her"

"Trust us, this is for the greater good" Dean said. He looked to me. "Hit the lights" I turned them off.

"What are you guys looking for?" she asked.

"We'll let you know as soon as we find it" Dean remarked.

Sam took out a digital camera. "Hey, night vision" he said, handing it to Dean. Dean turned it on for him, and handed it back. "Perfect" he remarked, pointing it at Dean.

"Do I look like Paris Hilton?" Dean asked, with a smile.

"Put some of these on and I'll let you know" I remarked, pointing to the bra on the bed. His smile fell into a scowl.

Sam started to move around the room and film. "So I don't get it. I mean…the first victim didn't summon Mary, and the second victim did. How's she choosing them?" he asked.

I shrugged, looking at the stuff on the nightstand. "Beats me" Dean sighed. "I want to know why Jill said it in the first place"

"It's just a joke" Charlie said sadly.

"Yeah well somebody's gonna say it again, it's just a matter of time"

I picked up a picture of Charlie and the dead girl, Jill. I smiled. They were smiling and laughing and making dumb faces. I wished I had that sometimes. "Hey" Sam said suddenly. "There's a black light in the trunk, right?"

Dean nodded and went to get it while Sam took the mirror off the wall and carried it to the bed. Dean threw the light at him. Sam peeled off the paper, and I wondered what he was doing. He sighed, and shined the light on it. A handprint appeared with the name Gary Bryman next to it.

"Gary Bryman?" Charlie asked, confused.

"You know who that is?" Sam asked. Charlie shook her head.

We headed right for the dumb library again, and Sam went in while the rest of us stayed outside. Dean was trying to comfort Charlie the best he could. She was crying. "Hey" I said, sitting next to her. "We're gonna stop this"

"So" Sam said, coming back. "Gary Bryman was an 8-year-old boy. Two years ago he was killed in a hit and run. The car was described as a black Toyota Camry. But nobody got the plates or saw the driver"

"Oh my God" Charlie said, standing up.

"What?" Sam asked.

She closed her eyes for a second. "Jill drove that car"

"We need to get back to your friend Donnas' house" Dean said.

We immediately went to check the mirror in the Shoemakers house. "Linda Shoemaker" Sam said, looking at me. There was a handprint and that name just like the last one. I ran out of the bathroom and downstairs to find Donna.

"Who is Linda Shoemaker?" I asked, as Sam raced behind me.

"Why are you asking me this?" she asked, sounding more annoyed with us than ever.

"Look, we're sorry, but it's important" Sam stated.

"Yeah" She scoffed. "Linda's my mom okay? She overdosed on sleeping pills, it was an accident, and that's it. I think you should leave"

"Now Donna, just listen" Dean sighed, trying to reason with her.

She glared at us. "Get out of my house!" she cried. She turned and ran up the stairs out of sight.

Charlie just stared. "Oh my God. Do you really think her dad could've killed her mom?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe"

"I think I should stick around" She sighed, looking up the stairs.

"All right. Whatever you do, don't—"

"Believe me, I won't say it" she said with a shudder.

The library was really starting to drive me nuts. I had been in here too much over the last couple of days. At least the computers were fixed. Dean was on when while Sam and I waited. "Wait, wait, wait, you're doing a nationwide search?" Sam asked.

"Yep. The NCIC, the FBI database—" Dean sighed. "At this point any Mary who died in front of a mirror is good enough for me"

"But if she's haunting the town, she should have died in the town" Sam said.

"Maybe she was just buried here" I suggested.

"I'm telling you there's nothing local, I've checked" he said, frustrated. "So unless you got a better idea—"

"The way Mary's choosing her victims, it seems like there's a pattern" Sam said

"I know, I was thinking the same thing" Dean said.

"With mister Shoemaker and Jill's hit and run" Sam sighed.

"Both had secrets where people died" Dean finished for him.

"Right. I mean there's a lot of folklore about mirrors-that they reveal all your lies, all your secrets, that they're a true reflection of your soul, which is why it's bad luck to break them"

"Right, right. So maybe if you've got a secret, I mean like a really nasty one where someone died, then Mary sees it, and punishes you for it"

"Whether you're the one that summoned her or not"

"Take a look at this" Dean said, looking at the computer. I glanced at the computer screen. There was a picture of a women lying by a pool of blood. There was a handprint and a couple of letters visible.

"Looks like the same handprint" Sam sighed.

"Her name was Mary Worthington—" he said. "An unsolved murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana"

"I guess we're going to Fort Wayne Indiana" I sighed. Sam looked at me with a smirk on his face. "What, we're not?"

"No" he said. "We are, you're not"

I stood up. "What?"

"You're staying behind with Charlie" he said. "C'mon. We'll see if she'll stay at the motel with you while we're gone"

"What?" I screeched, a little too loud for the library. "Sam you can't just leave me behind"

"Yeah" Dean said. "We kinda can. C'mon Lexis, it's just in case something else happens while we're gone. You have you cell, and you can call us"

I sighed, mulling this over. "Fine" I stated. "Whatever"

We headed back to the motel, and Sam and Dean packed up while I sulked. I wanted to be in on the action, not spend the night with some freaked out teenage girl. I already was one. I didn't want to spend the night with one. She came not much later, as Sam and Dean were walking out the door. I just stayed quiet for a minute. "Hey" I said finally, as Dean shot me a look. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay" she sighed. "This has been nuts"

I heard the Impala roar away. I winced. "Yeah" I sighed. "I'll bet"

"I don't know how you do it" she said after a moment. "Fight this thing. It's _killed _people Lexis" she paused. "I wouldn't be able to do it"

"I don't have much of a choice" I smiled. "I mean, it's go with Sam and Dean everywhere, or be left with some friend not knowing if they're dead or alive. I tried that, I couldn't deal with it. I would rather be scared out of my mind and still know they were okay"

"I guess that makes me a bad person" she sighed. "I can't even convince donna"

"Don't worry about it" I sighed. "You'll be surprised what you can deal with after awhile"

"What have you seen?" she asked.

I hesitantly answered that question. "A lot" I said finally. "I've seen more than you could even imagine"

"Like what?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Well" I sighed. I listed a long list. "…demons, ghosts, vengeful spirits, voodoo thing, haunted houses, haunted amulets, a haunted lake, a Wendigo…"

"What's a Wendigo?" she asked.

I chuckled. "It used to be a person, but it ate too much human meat. Some people believes that gives you powers. They're not nice"

She stared at me like I was nuts. "Oh" Then, out of nowhere, she laughed "We sound crazy"

"Yeah" I sighed, starting to laugh as well. "I guess we do"

"So, enough about monsters" she said. "What's it like traveling around with two smoking hot older brothers?"

"WHAT?" I laughed. "That is disgusting" I choked out. "You wanna know the truth? They leave the toilet seat up, walk in while you're peeing, use all the hot water, leave stuff all over the place, eat all the food, and Dean freaking snores"

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm an only child" she said. "But I wouldn't mind all that stuff"

"I probably wouldn't either if I had parents around to get them in trouble" I sighed. "Or at least a room I could escape too, you know?"

"So you never get any privacy?"

"Not really" I sighed. "Wow, when you say it all like that, my life sucks" I laughed. "It's really not that bad. I guess the worst part is being the youngest and a girl. I'm all alone with stuff. They never listen to me much. Sometimes I feel like a liability"

"You're not though" she said. "Trust me, I know. I mean look at Donna, her younger sister is a lot younger than her, but she wouldn't trade her for anything. And I've seen you with Sam and Dean. They love you a lot"

"Yeah" I said, with a slight laugh. "I guess I just forget that sometimes" There was an awkward pause. "So tell me about being normal"

"What do you want to know?" she laughed.

I thought about that. "What's it like to have a home? Like a real one? And parents? Do you have like the white picket fence thing?"

She laughed. "Slow down" she paused for a second. "There's no such thing as a white picket fence. Things aren't so easy. For anyone"

"But what's it_ like_" I urged. "To have chores, and go to high school and stuff like that?"

"It's not all it's cracked up to be" she sighed. "Lemme tell ya. Sometimes I wish I could have a more adventurous life. Like you"

"No you don't" I laughed. "Monster killer? Remember?" We both laughed. Insert another awkward pause. "You wanna watch a movie? We can go get one"

"Sure" she sighed. "Except I don't have any cash"

I reached into Dean's bag. "No problem" I smiled. She gave me a surprised look. "Hey, he said it was for food and emergencies. This is an emergency"

We headed to the store and bought a movie I had never heard of and a bunch of food I never thought I would ever consume all in one sitting. Later I did. I was so stuffed and we even ordered pizza too. All in all, this was one of the best nights of my young life. If my brothers found out, I was so screwed. We couldn't stay up too late since Charlie had school in the morning. She woke me up before she left and went to school without me.

I slept in late, only to have my cell phone ring to wake me up. I grimaced and answered it. "Hello?" I asked groggily. Who dared to disturb my one day to sleep in, in like forever?

"Lexie?" Charlie cried.

I sat up in shock. She sounded like she had been crying and screaming. "Charlie?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's happening to me" she whispered. I felt my heart stop.

"You _said_ it?" I asked, in shock. Why would she say it? Why would she be so stupid?"

"No" she replied. "I'll explain later. I need you to get me out of school"

"Okay" I said, pulling on my jeans and zipping them up in a hurry. "I'll be there in a few. Stay put and stay away from mirrors"

"Okay" she said, choking on her words. "How are you going to get me out?"

"Don't worry' I said, and then hung up. I rushed to the school and then felt really stupid. How was I going to get her out?_ What would Dean do? _I entered the school, to be bombarded by a hall monitor.

"What are you doing?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

"I was late" I smiled. "I'm going to the office" I hoped he would believe me.

"Right" he said, as though he should've known that. "Go on then or I'll write you up" I turned left, and he stopped me. "The office is that way"

"Oh yeah" I smiled. "Sorry I'm new" I turned around and quickly walked away. I rounded the corner, and once I was sure I was alone, I said a silent prayer, and pulled a fire alarm. People started piling into the hallway. I ran outside with the rest of them, and found Charlie in the front, looking around. I pulled her back towards me and smiled. "C'mon"

"You pulled the fire alarm?" she asked, keeping her head down. She was too scared to look up.

"Yeah" I said, as we sped away from the building. "Don't look around, okay?" she only nodded. We made it back to the motel, and I pulled out my cell. I called Sam. "Hello?" he asked, sounding annoyed. I was guessing it was at Dean.

"Sam, we have a problem" I stated.

They came back a few hours later. I had already taken down most of the reflective surfaces. They drew the curtains and took down a few pictures. Sam was trying to get her to open her eyes and stop crying. "Hey, hey it's ok. Hey, you can open up your eyes Charlie. It's okay, all right?" he coaxed. She finally looked up. "Now listen. You're gonna stay right here on this bed, and you're not gonna look at glass, or anything else that has a reflection, okay? And as long as you do that, she cannot get you" he was a really good comforter.

"But I can't keep that up forever" she sniffed. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

"No" I said, sitting down on the bed opposite her. "Not anytime soon"

Dean sat down. "All right Charlie. We need to know what happened"

"We were in the bathroom" She sighed. "Donna said it"

"That's not what we're talking about" Dean said, staring at her. "Something happened, didn't it? In your life…a secret…where someone got hurt. Can you tell us about it?"

"Dean" I said, warningly. Why not just ask her freaking life secrets?"

"No it's okay" she said, looking at me. "I had this boyfriend. I loved him. But he kind of scared me too, you know? And one night, at his house, we got in this fight. Then I broke up with him, and he got upset, and he said he needed me and he loved me, and he said "Charlie, if you walk out that door right now, I'm gonna kill myself." And you know what I said? I said "Go ahead." And I left" She shuddered slightly "How could I say that? How could I leave him like that? I just…I didn't believe him, you know? I should have" She went back to hiding her head in her knees and cried again.

"We've got to find that mirror" Sam sighed.

"What mirror?" I asked.

He looked at me. "When we went to Indiana, the detective there told us that she had died in front of a mirror and it's held in a shop not too far from here"

"So we need to get to the mirror" I said, standing.

"Charlie, will you be alright here by yourself?" Dean asked, looking at me for support. He wanted me to stay behind. I could tell. Charlie nodded. She was staying in the motel. I wanted to stay with her, but I also wanted to go with Sam and Dean and end this. I had to end this before Charlie got hurt. "Okay" he sighed. "Let's go"

We got in the Impala and drove off quickly. "You know her boyfriend killing himself, that's not really Charlie's fault" Dean stated, looking at Sam.

Sam sighed. "You know as well as I do spirits don't exactly see shades of gray, Dean. Charlie had a secret, someone died, that's good enough for Mary"

Dean made a left turn and gave a little grimace. He knew Sam was right. "I guess"

"You know, I've been thinking. It might not be enough to just smash that mirror" Sam stated.

"Why, what do you mean?" I asked, leaning into the front seat.

"Well Mary's hard to pin down, right?" Sam said. "I mean she moves around from mirror to mirror so who's to say that she's not just gonna keep hiding in them forever? So maybe we should try to pin her down, you know, summon her to her mirror and then smash it"

"Well how do you know that's going to work?" Dean asked.

"I don't, not for sure" Sam replied.

"Well who's gonna summon her?" Dean asked. He already knew the answer. I knew iit too, but I needed to hear this stupid idea right out of Sam's mouth.

"I will" he said. "She'll come after me"

"You know what, that's it" Dean said, pulling over. The tires screeched in the rain. "This is about Jessica, isn't it? You think that's your dirty little secret that you killed her somehow?" he asked.

"Dean" I said, warningly. This wasn't the time for this.

"Shut it" he growled. I leaned back and kept my mouth shut. "Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna kill you. Now listen to me—It wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place"

"I don't blame you" Sam stated, looking at Dean like he was crazy for suggesting such a thing.

"Well you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done" Dean added.

"I could've warned her" he said softly.

"About what?" Dean demanded, hitting the steering wheel. "You didn't know what was gonna happen! And besides, all of this isn't a secret, I mean I know all about it. It's not gonna work with Mary anyway"

"No you don't" Sam responded.

"I don't what?" Dean asked. I would stop if I was Sammy. Dean was annoyed.

"You don't know all about it. I haven't told you everything" Sam added.

Dean glared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Well it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?" Sam said shrugging.

Dean looked surprised for a moment. If anyone, it was me who kept secrets from Dean. Sam was the one who loved to talk about it. "No. I don't like it" he said, shaking his head. "It's not gonna happen, forget it"

"Dean that girl back there is going to die unless we do something about it. And you know what? Who knows how many more people are gonna die after that?" Sam asked. "Now we're doing this. You've got to let me do this"

"Sam" I said, when Dean said nothing. "What if something goes wrong? What if you die?"

"It won't" he said with finality. I knew that meant to shut up. Dean silently started driving again. The rest of the half an hour trip was in silence. We picked the lock to the shop. There were mirrors everywhere.

'Well…that's just great" Dean sighed. He pulled out a picture of Mary lying next to the mirror. "Alright let's start looking" he sighed. I glanced at the photo. The mirror was ornate, with tons of designs on the sides. It was old style.

I walked around, shining my flashlight at the different mirrors. I swear to god, if something popped out….

"Maybe they've already sold it" Dean called from the other side of the shop.

"I don't think so" Sam said, stopping in front of a mirror. Dean came over and compared with the picture.

"That's it" he confirmed with a sigh. "You sure about this?"

Sam handed him his flashlight. He stared at the mirror for a second and sighed. "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary" He glanced at me, and giving me an unsure look. I just stared back, scared. He picked up the crowbar. "Bloody Mary"

A light shone into the store, giving me a heart attack. Dean turned around. "I'll go check that out" he said. He looked to me. "Stay here, be careful" Sam held his crowbar. Sam, smash anything that moves" He crawled towards the front of the store.

"Crap" I heard him sigh. He put his crowbar down, and stood up. I followed slightly, not seeing Sam anymore. Sam was still focused on the mirror.

I turned back to him. "I'm going to go make sure he's okay" I turned off my flashlight, and made my way to the front. Dean went outside. There was cops surrounding the place.

"Hold it" The police said, pointing his gun at Dean.

"Whoa guys, false alarm, I tripped the system" Dean smiled.

"Who are you?" the police demanded.

Dean looked smug. "I'm the boss's kid"

"You're Mister Yamashiro's kid?" he asked. Dean was suddenly at a loss for words.

I heard a loud smash of a mirror. I whipped around, running back towards Sam. Another smash made me jump. I looked back at Dean, and saw him punch out the two cops. I rolled my eyes, and ran to the back where Sam was bleeding from his eyes and falling to the ground.

"You never told her the truth—who you really were" the mirror Sam said. "But it's more than that, isn't it? Those nightmares you've been having of Jessica dying, screaming, burning—You had them for days before she died. Didn't you!" it asked. I jumped into action, reaching for Dean's crowbar. "You were so desperate to ignore them, to believe they were just dreams. How could you ignore them like that? How could you leave her alone to die! You dreamt it would happen!" It said. Dean came running back as I smashed the mirror to smithereens.

"Sam, Sammy!" he called, trying to get Sam to wake up.

"It's Sam" he grimaced with a small smile.

Dean looked at the blood on his face. "God, are you okay?" He nodded. "Come on," Dean sighed. He pulled Sam up, half carrying half dragging him out of the store. I helped slightly.

A small noise behind me made me glance around. I turned to see Mary crawling out of the mirror. She crawled on the broken glass, not seeming to care much. I reached up and felt my eyes. Blood. "Dean" I whimpered. Dean stopped walking and turned around.

She walked towards us. A wrenching pain in my heart made me fall to the ground. I looked at Sam in pain and agony. I wanted it to stop. It hurt so badly. Dean reached for a mirror. He pointed it at her, and she stopped moving. She stared at it, and started choking. She fell to the floor, shattering and melting into a pool of blood. The pain ended.

"Hey guys?" Dean asked, looking at me and Sammy.

"Yeah?" Sam replied. I was still too out of breath.

He glanced around at all the broken mirrors. "This has got to be like…what? 600 years of bad luck?"

We drove Charlie home the next day. "So this is really over?"She asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, it's over"

She smiled and sighed in peace. "Thank you" she said, squeezing my hand.

"Charlie?" Sam said, as she got out of the car. "Your boyfriend's death…you really should try to forgive yourself. No matter what you did, you probably couldn't have stopped it. Sometimes bad things just happen"

She smiled faintly, and then turned around. We waited until she was safely inside her house. Before she went in, she turned and waved. I waved back, sadly. I was going to miss her.

"That's good advice" Dean smirked, hitting Sam on the chest. We drove off. "Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?" he said, looking at Dean.

"Now that this is all over, I want you to tell me what that secret is" Dean responded, looking interested.

"Look…you're my brother and I'd die for you," he said. "But there are some things I need to keep to myself" Dean just sort of dropped it after that. I just stared at Sam's head. I wondered if he knew I knew. I looked from Sam to Dean, noting the insane amount of tension. What a fun drive this was going to be.

Four hours later, I thought the tension was going to kill me. Like seriously, I thought I was going to explode. We stopped at some random rest stop, and I got out merely taking a break from pretending that I wasn't panicking. They couldn't do this forever, right?

Sam was following me. "Hey" he said, as I walked around aimlessly. "You've been pretty quiet in the backseat. You okay?"

I thought about that question. I shouldn't tell him I knew. It would only make things worse. "I know your secret" I stated quickly. Wow, I was stupid.

Sam tensed up. "What?"

"I heard Mary, in the mirror. You knew Jess was going to die" I said, wanting to cry. "I'm sorry" He wasn't saying anything. "Sam?"

"Just don't tell Dean" he said, walking back to the car.

Seriously, if these are the best years of my life, kill me now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight" Dean said, getting out of the car to get some more gas. I was in the backseat, trying to work on my math homework for homeschooled. The break was over, and I was already behind. Dean looked at me, and I shrugged. Why should I know why Sam was so out of it? I mean, I totally did know. He had a real nasty secret that I wasn't allowed to say a word about on threat of death, but I was too concerned with functions. "Sam wears women's underwear" Dean remarked.

"I've been listening'" Sam sighed, sounding annoyed. "I'm just busy"

"Busy doin' what?"

"Reading e-mails"

Dean started adding gas. "E-mails from who?"

"From my friends at Stanford" he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?" he asked.

Sam glared at him. "Why not?" he asked. Dean just shrugged. "Do you think it's weird?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't have friends" I remarked. "What's the square root of 400?"

"20" Dean replied. He looked back to Sam. "Well, what exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?"

"I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother" he said. "I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess"

Dean smirked. "Oh, so you lie to 'em"

"No. I just don't tell 'em….everything" he said.

"Yeah, that's called lying" Dean replied. "I mean, hey, man, I get it, telling' the truth is far worse"

"So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?" Sam asked. Dean just shrugged. "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people" Dean said. "Period"

"You're kind of anti-social, you know that?" Sam smirked, looking up at him amused.

"Yeah, whatever" Dean replied, finishing the gas.

"What is the square of 3x-4?" I asked, looking at Dean for help. He leaned into the window, and closed my laptop. "Hey" I remarked, looking at him confused.

"Stop asking me math" he said.

"Dean, you're supposed to help me, not ruin my grades" I scoffed.

"God…." Sam said suddenly.

"What?" Dean asked, now looking at Sam.

"In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine" he started.

"Is she hot?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack" he replied, ignoring his question. "She says Zack's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case"

"Dude, what kind of people are you hangin' out with?" Dean chuckled.

"No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer" Sam sighed.

"Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you" Dean remarked.

"They're in St. Louis. We're goin'." Sam said.

Dean just chuckled. "Look, sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem"

Sam glared at him. "It is our problem. They're my friends"

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam" Dean said. Sam stared at him, giving him the puppy eyes he knew Dean couldn't resist. I decided to help. I didn't have very many friends, but I knew that Dean and Sam and I should help Zack.

"C'mon, Dean" I sighed, "This is really important to him"

"Yeah" he scoffed, now looking at me. I gave him my sad look too. Both Sam and I were kill fire. He sighed, got into the car, and we drove towards St. Louis. "You two suck" he remarked.

"This is your murderer's house?" I asked as we pulled up to a nice suburban home.

"This is Rebecca's home" he said, getting out of the car. "And Zack isn't a murderer" He knocked on the door and a nice looking girl answered the door. She was blond and probably younger than Sam.

"Oh my God, Sam!" She exclaimed, surprised.

"Well, if it isn't little Becky"

She scoffed with a smile. "You know what you can do with that little Becky crap" she pulled him into a hug.

"I got your e-mail" Sam said.

"I didn't think that you would come here" she said sadly.

Dean stepped in front of Sam and extended his hand. "Dean. Older brother" he smiled. I pulled him back, shooting him and annoyed look.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot" I remarked. "I'm Lexie"

"We're here to help. Whatever we can do" Sam said.

"Come in" she smiled. I followed Sammy into the house.

"What was that?" Dean asked, pulling my arm.

"Dean, you don't have to whip it out for every girl you see" I spat.

"I can't help it if most women think I'm adorable" he countered with a smile. He stepped in front of me. "Nice place" he remarked.

"It's my parents'." Rebecca sighed. "I was just crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I'm gonna stay until Zack's free"

"Where are your folks?" Sam asked.

"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial" she replied. We were led into a big open kitchen. "Do you guys want a beer or something?"

Dean smiled, but Sam cut him off. "No, thanks" he said, shooting a look at Dean. "So, tell us what happened"

"Well, um, Zack came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair" she started. "And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn't breathing" She started to tear up a little bit. "So, he called 911, and the police—they showed up, and they arrested him. But, the thing is, the only way that Zack could've killed Emily is if he was in two places at the same time. The police—they have a video. It's from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zack coming home at 10:30. Now, Emily was killed just after that, but I swear, he was here with me, having a few beers until at least after midnight"

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene" Sam suggested. "Zack's house"

"We could" Dean nodded.

"Why? I mean, what could you do?" she asked.

Sam shook his head. "Well, me and Lexie, not much. But Dean's a cop"

Dean laughed and then sighed. "Detective, actually" I snorted, trying to stop myself from laughing. The closest to detective that Dean would ever get would be playing the clue board game.

"Really?" Rebecca asked, as Dean nodded. "Where?"

"Bisbee, Arizona" he replied. "But I'm off-duty now"

"You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just—I don't know" She sighed.

"Beck, look, I know Zack didn't do this" Sam said. "Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent"

"Okay. I'm gonna go get the keys" she said, walking away.

"Oh, yeah, man, you're a real straight shooter with your friends" Dean chuckled.

"Oh yeah, because you're so much better, _detective_" I smiled.

"Look, Zack and Becky need our help" Sam sighed.

"I just don't think this is our kind of problem" Dean said, looking at me for support. I had nothing to say.

"Two places at once? We've looked into less" Sam remarked, looking hopeful.

"Fine" Dean said, defeated. "But we're only checking. If we don't find anything, we leave"

We waited for the keys, and Rebecca got into the backseat of the Impala with me. Zack's house wasn't too far away.

"You're sure this is okay?" she sighed as we got out of the car.

"Yeah" Dean replied, confidently. "I am an officer of the law"

The house was smeared with blood. There was literally blood all over the place. I felt slightly nauseas. "Tell us what else the police said" Sam asked Rebecca.

She had tears in her eyes. "Well, there's no sign of a break-in. They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers—they're already talking about plea bargain" she looked around at all the blood. "Oh, God…."

"Look, Bec, if Zack didn't do this, it means someone else did. Any idea who?" Sam asked.

She shook her head. Then she lit up. "Um, there was something, about a week before. Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes—Zack's clothes. The police—they don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed" I shot Dean a look.

I followed Sam down the hallway. "So someone stole his clothes and a week later, he's killing his girlfriend" I sighed. "You think someone is impersonating people?" He shrugged.

"So, the neighbor's dog went psycho right around the time Zack's girlfriend was killed" Dean said, coming up behind me.

"Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal" Sam responded, looking at a picture.

"Yeah, maybe Fido saw something'" Dean said.

"So, you think maybe this _is_ our kind of problem?" Sam smirked.

"No. Probably not" Dean said, not wanting to give in. "But we should look at the security tape, you know, just to make sure"

"Yeah" Sam sighed, looking amused.

"So, the tape. The security footage—you think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it, 'cause I just don't have that kind of jurisdiction" Dean said, sounding important and looking at Rebecca.

"I've already got it" she said. Sam looked at her surprised. "I didn't wanna say something in front of the cop" Dean laughed. "I stole it off the lawyer's desk. I just had to see it for myself"

"All right" Dean sighed. "Let's go"

We went back to Rebecca's to watch the video. "Here he comes" she pointed, looking at the tape. Zack entered his house.

"22:04, that's just after ten" Dean said, pointing to the time stamp. "You said time of death was about 10:30"

"Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert. He says the tape's authentic" she said. "It wasn't tampered with"

"Hey, Bec, can we take those beers now?" Sam asked.

"Oh, sure" she said. She got up to leave.

"Hey" Sam called, stopping her. "Maybe some sandwiches, too?" he asked with a sheepish smile.

"What do you think this is, Hooters?" she chuckled.

"I wish" Dean remarked. "What is it?"

"Check this out" Sam said, rewinding the tape. He paused when Zack was looking directly at the screen. His eyes were silver and lit up.

"Well, maybe it's just a camera flare" Dean suggested.

"That's not like any camera flare I've ever seen" Sam sighed. "You know, a lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul"

"Right" Dean nodded.

"Remember that dog that was freaking' out? Maybe he saw this thing. Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zack's, something that looks like him but isn't him" Sam said.

"Like a Doppelganger" Dean said.

"Yeah. It'd sure explain how he was two places at once" Sam said.

"So this guy has an evil twin" I said, looking at them. "How in the hell do you prove that to the cops?" I got no answer.

Sam had woke me up at 5 this morning. I wasn't in the best mood. He dragged Dean and I to Zack's house. "Alright, so what are we doin' here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean asked.

"I realized something" he said. "The videotape shows the killer goin' in, but not comin' out"

"So, he came out the back door?" Dean said with a nod. I sat on the hood of the Impala, too tired to care.

"Right. So, there should be a trail to follow" Sam said. "A trail the police would never pursue"

" 'Cause they think the killer never left" Dean said. "And they caught your friend Zack inside" he paused. "I still don't know what we're doin' here at 5:30 in the morning"

"Seriously" I agreed. "Why couldn't this wait until I get my ten hours of much needed sleep?" Sam ignored both of us, looking at a pole.

"Blood" Sam spoke. "Somebody came this way."

"Yeah, but the trail ends. I don't see anything over here" Dean said. It was true, the ground was clean.

"Maybe it can fly" I said unhelpfully. An ambulance siren made me wince. I turned to see it speeding past. We all sort of looked at each other, and got back in the Impala.

An Asian man was being pushed into a police car. He looked scared and confused. "What happened?" Dean asked a women, standing and watching.

"He tried to kill his wife" she stated. "Tied her up and beat her"

Sam looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"I used to see him going to work in the morning" she said, watching him in the car. "He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy" The police drove off.

Sam pulled on my arm. I turned and followed him into the back of the house. Dean stayed behind to talk to people. We checked garbage cans and the telephone poles. There was some signs of blood, but then it just vanished, just like at Zack's house.

"Hey" Dean said, coming back. "Remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem?"

"Yeah" Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Definitely our kind of problem" Dean nodded.

"What'd you find out?" Sam asked.

"Well, I just talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene, heard this guy, Alex's story. Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked"

"So, he was two places at once"

"Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house, police think he's a nutjob." Dean smirked.

"Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way" Sam sighed.

I continued to look around. There had to be something we were missing.

"Could be the same thing doin' it, too" Dean said/

"Shape shifter?" Sam asked. Dean shrugged. "Something that can make itself look like anyone?"

"Every culture in the world has shape shifter lore" Dean remarked. "You know, legends of creatures who can transform themselves into animals or other men"

"Right, skin walkers, werewolves" Sam listed.

"We've got two attacks within blocks of each other. I'm guessing' we've got a shape shifter prowling' the neighborhood"

"Let me ask you this—in all this shape shifter lore, can any of them fly?" I asked.

Dean looked at me like I was crazy. "Not that I know of"

"I picked up a trail here" Sam said. "Someone ran out the back of this building and headed off this way"

"Just like your friend's house" Dean nodded.

"Yeah. And, just like at Zack's house, the trail suddenly ends. I mean, whatever it is just disappeared" Sam sighed.

"Guys" I said, looking down. "I don't think he can fly. I think he went down" There was a manhole under my feet. Dean kneeled down and started opening it.

"C'mon" he said, pulling out a small flashlight.

"Ew" I said. "Dude, I'm not going in there"

"Fine" he remarked, as Sam went down first. "Stay out here and explain why you're looking into an open sewer behind a murder's house" he pointed to where cops were coming.

I sighed and jumped in. I hated him sometimes. "I bet this runs right by Zack's house, too" Sam said as we headed down a tunnel. "The shape shifter could be using the sewer system to get around."

"I think you're right. Look at this" Dean said, bending down. I walked over and immediately grimaced.

"What is that?" I asked. There was a pile of what looked like skin and blood.

"Is this from his victims?" Sam asked.

Dean took out his pocket knife and held up some of the skin. "You know, I just had a sick thought. When the shape shifter changes shape—maybe it sheds" he said.

Sam grimaced. "That is sick" Dean flung it back on the ground. "Maybe we should go back for the guns" Sam suggested. Dean nodded in agreement.

"Well, one thing I learned from Dad, is that no matter what kind of shapeshifter it is, there's one sure way to kill it" Dean sighed, as he ravaged through the trunk.

"Silver bullet to the heart" Sam nodded.

"That's right" Dean smiled, handing me a gun. I smiled and stuffed it in the back of my pants. Time to kick some ass.

Sam's phone rang. "This is Sam" he said. "We're near Zack's, we're just checkin' some things out" I guessed it was Rebecca. His face fell. "What are you talkin' about? Why would you do that?" He looked worried. "Bec—We're tryin' to help. Bec, I'm sorry, but—" He put the phone down and sighed.

"I hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talkin' about" Dean said as he walked closer to Sam. "You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked. It's just—it'd be easier if"

"If I was like you" Sam finished.

"Hey, man, like it or not, we are not like other people" Dean said. "But I'll tell you one thing. This whole gig—it ain't without perks" He held up a gun to Sam. Sam didn't smile, but just took the gun and shoved it in his pants.

We headed back to the sewer. I held my gun out now, keeping it in front of me. my heart was pounding. As much as I wanted this SOB dead, I was still scared to hunt it down. I held my flashlight in front of me, looking for any sign of movement.

"I think we're close to its lair" Dean remarked, stopping.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked.

"Because there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face" Dean smirked, pointing with his flashlight.

I grimaced and moved behind Sam. Sam pointed to a pile of clothes.

"Looks like it's lived here for a while" Dean stated, looking at the clothes pile.

"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with?" Sam sighed. I kneeled down to look at the clothes better. "Dean!" Sam screamed. I looked up. Dean was punched to the ground by the shape-shifter, who was in the form of the Asian man who we saw in the police car earlier. I took a few shots, but he was running away too fast.

Dean spit out blood. "Get the son of a bitch!" he said angrily, getting up. He ran right after him, Sam and I right behind him. We got out of the hole and looked around. There was no sign of anyone.

"All right, let's split up" Sam said as we came out of the sewer.

"All right, I'll meet you around the other side" Dean said, looking behind him. "Lexie, you stay to make sure he doesn't double around and come back"

"All right" I nodded. They walked off in separate directions. I waited anxiously, praying that it would show up so we could finish this, and yet that it wouldn't because I didn't think I could shoot it.

"Hey" Sam said, looking at me standing with my arms crossed. "Any sign of him"

"Nope" I sighed. "Dean's not back yet"

"So" Sam said, "he's coming"

"Sam" I said, pointing down the block. "It's shorter his way. He should've been back before you"

"Well maybe he got him" Sam said. We waited in silence after that.

"hey" said Dean, coming up behind Sam. "Anything?"

"No" Sam sighed. "He's gone"

"All right, let's get back to the car" Dean nodded. Sam and I crossed together. I turned around, slightly, wanting to ask why Dean took so long, but noticed something weird about him. He was standing funny. He was too stiff? I couldn't figure it out. Then, suddenly, it occurred to me.

That wasn't Dean.

Dean didn't act like that. Dean wouldn't head back to the car so nonchalantly. Dean would be pissed. Dean would want to keep going.

That totally wasn't Dean.

I looked at Sam as we made it across the street. "Sam" I whispered. "Something's not right"

"About what?" he asked. I nodded my head backwards a little. He gave me a curious glance. "What are you talking about?"

"Sam, that's not Dean" I stated, as the Dean Shape shifter caught up to us. I cleared my throat and walked to the Impala. "You think he found another way underground?"

"Yeah, probably. You got the keys?" Dean asked.

Sam paused, giving me a glance, and then sighed. "Hey, didn't Dad once face a shape shifter in San Antonio?" he asked. I knew that was a trick question.

"Oh, that was Austin" Dean replied. "It turned out not to be a shape shifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?"

"Oh, right" Sam nodded, giving me a see-I-told-you-that-you-were-crazy look. "Here ya go" he said tossing him the keys. He caught it with his left hand. I followed Sam to the front of the Impala.

"Did you see that?" I asked. "He caught it with his left hand. His shoulder was hurt"

"Don't move!" Sam said, pointing his gun at Dean, who was looking in the trunk. "What have you done with him?"

Dean chuckled. "Dude, chill. It's me, all right?"

"No, I don't think so" Sam shook his head. "Where's my brother?"

"You're about to shoot him" The imposture said, looking incredulously at us. "Sam, calm down" He looked to me and scoffed. "Can you believe him, Lexie?"

"Yeah" I nodded. "You caught those keys with your left. Your shoulder was hurt" I accused. I pointed my gun too.

"Yeah, it's better" he stated, as though I was crazy. "What do you want me to do, cry?"

"You're not my brother" Sam said.

"Why don't you pull the trigger, then? Hum?" it asked, putting his hands up. "'Cause you're not sure. Dude, you know me"

"Don't" Sam remarked.

Dean sighed and whipped around, hitting Sam with a crowbar from the trunk. I ducked when he swung it at me trying to pull Sam out of the way. I took a shot, but he had it out of my hands in seconds. I was pinned to the car, the handle hitting me in the back. I groaned, trying to push him off. "Sorry Lexie" he grinned, hitting me. Everything went black.

I woke up to the shape shifter tying me to a pole of some sort. I struggled against him, doing anything could to get him off of me. "I would stop" he grinned. "I can just kill you, you know" I hesitated, but stopped. There was no need to get myself killed.

"Where's Dean and Sam?" I demanded.

"He likes Sam more, you know" he stated. That felt like a knife cutting through my skin. "What?" he asked, laughing at my expression? "You know you think about it all the time. I swear, you three are the most screwed up people ever"

"Shut up" I exclaimed, annoyed. I wasn't going to let this ass get to me.

"I know all about you ankle biter" he nodded. I grimaced at Dean's nickname for me. "Yeah, I know everything. And it's true. You're his responsibility. That's it. That's all" I was silent. "Sorry to burst your little, Dean loves me and Sammy the same bubble. But that's life"

I ignored him, glancing to my right, where Sam was tied to a pole as well. He was squirming around. It stood up from where he had been kneeling. "Here" he said, tying a cloth over me mouth so that I couldn't talk. "Keep your mouth shut"

"Where is he? Where's Dean?" Sam groaned. "Lexie?"

"I wouldn't worry about them" it said. "I'd worry about you"

Sam looked at me, and I nodded to show him that I was okay. "Where is he?" Sam demanded again.

"You don't really wanna know" it chuckled. "I swear, the more I learn about you and your family—I thought I came from a bad background"

"What do you mean, learn?" Sam asked. The shape shifter stopped, and grabbed his head in pain. I was really confused. What the hell was he doing?

"He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to stay home" he said, shaking his head at Sam. "I mean, I had to stay home. With Dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? But Dad needed me. Where the hell were you?"

"Where is my brother?" Sam asked, clenching his jaw.

"I am your brother" he grinned, leaning close to Sam. "See, deep down, I'm just jealous. You got friends. You could have a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. And sooner or later, everybody's gonna leave me"

"What are you talking' about?" Sam asked, looking more annoyed than anything.

"You left" he said with a shrug. "Hell, I did everything Dad asked me to, and he ditched me, too. No explanation, nothing', just poof. Left me with your sorry ass. And she just wanted you back. Never gave a rats ass about me" he said, looking at me. "Not that I cared, but, still, this life? It's not without its perks" he laughed. "I meet the nicest people. Like little Becky. You know, Dean would bang her if he had the chance" he paused, putting a sheet over Sam. He nodded at me. "Let's see what happens"

He left moments later. I immediately tried to get to my pocket, where I knew I still had a knife. It was small, but it would have to work. I struggled to reach into my pocket. "Lex" Sam spoke. "You okay?"I nodded. "Damn it" he remarked.

Movement from the other side of the room made me stop for a second. There was coughing. I looked to Sam. "That better be you, Sam, and not that freak of nature" said a voice.

Sam laughed, looking relieved. "Yeah, it's me"

"Is Lex here?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" Sam replied for me. "She's tied up by me"

"Why isn't she talking?" Dean asked worriedly.

"Her mouth is tied" Sam remarked.

"Yeah" I heard Dean sigh. "I would duct tape that thing shut too" I rolled my eyes.

"He went to Rebecca's, lookin' like you" Sam said.

"Well, he's not stupid" Dean said. "He picked the handsome one"

I grabbed my knife and cut my ropes, immediately pulling my mouth thing off. "Dean, you're an idiot" I remarked. I got out and walked over to him. He gave me a surprised look. I showed him my knife, feeling accomplished, and cut him out.

"Thanks, ankle biter" Dean smiled trying to make up for his stupid joke. I started to cut him loose. "So he's out there with my face right now?"

"Yeah, that's the thing. He didn't just look like you, he _was_ you" Sam said. "Or he was becoming you."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I don't know it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories" Sam explained.

"You mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows. I finished his hands and pulled the neck one off. He stood up, giving me shoulder a little squeeze.

"Yeah, something' like that" Sam remarked."I mean maybe that's why he doesn't just kill us"

"Maybe he needs to keep us alive" Dean added. "Psychic connection"

I handed Dean my knife so he could cut out Sammy. "Come on, we gotta go. He's probably at Rebecca's already" Sam said, standing up right away.

We headed out of the sewers. "Hey" Sam said, stopping me. "I heard what he said to you in their"

"Yeah" I stated. "What about it?"

"It didn't bother you?" he asked, looking at me. He knew me too well.

"No" I scoffed, trying to play it off. "He was just trying to get to us. Let it go" Sam just sort of shrugged.

"Come on" Sam said, as we made it to the alley. "We gotta find a phone, call the police"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa" Dean said, stopping him. "You're gonna put an APB out on me?" He looked offended.

Sam shrugged. "Sorry"

"This way" Dean sighed. We ran down the street. Dean looked at me. "You alright?" he asked raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah" I nodded. "Why?"

He pointed to my head. "You're bleeding" I felt my forehead. It was true.

"I'm okay" I remarked, walking ahead of him. Sam called the police on a pay phone while Dean and I stopped in front of a store. Within minutes, it was all over the news. "An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End, where an S.W.A.T team discovered a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered hiding in her home" a reporter said. A sketch of Dean came on the screen.

"Man! That's not even a good picture" Dean scoffed, looking at the screen angrily.

"It's good enough" Sam said, starting to pull me down the street with him. Dean scoffed again as he followed. "Get into the alley" Sam said, pushing me. I did so, waiting for him to get Dean in too. "Come on" he said. "They said attempted murder. At least we know—"

"I didn't kill her" Dean interjected.

"We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's all right" Sam nodded.

"How are we going to get him into the house?" I asked. "She'll still think he tried to kill her. And there'll be cops everywhere"

"We'll find a way" Sam shrugged.

"All right, but first I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him" Dean growled. Sam stopped walking, turning on Dean.

"We have no weapons. No silver bullets" Sam said, looking at Dean like he was crazy.

Dean scoffed. "Sam, the guy's walkin' around with my face, okay, it's a little personal, I wanna find him"

Sam thought for a second. "Sam, we can't let this guy run around with Dean's face anyway" I said.

"Okay" Sam nodded, defeated. "Where do we look?"

"Well, we could start with the sewers" Dean suggested.

"We have no weapons. He stole our guns, we need more" Sam thought. He paused. "The car?"

"I'm bettin' he drove over to Rebecca's" Dean said with an annoyed nod.

"The news said he fled on foot" Sam replied. "I bet it's still parked there"

Dean looked upset. "The thought of him drivin' my car…"

"All right, come on" Sam said, shaking his head. He started to walk away.

"It's killin' me" Dean went on.

I smirked and laughed a little only to be shoved. "Let it go" Sam sighed.

"Oh, there she is!" Dean sighed in relief as we made it around to Rebecca's. We went around back to evade the cops. Dean was a wanted criminal after all. "Finally, something went right tonight"

A police car stopped in front of the house right next to Dean's car. I sighed, looking at Dean. "Or not"

"Oh, crap" Dean remarked. He turned around. "We're surrounded." He moved to the fence. "This way,"

"You two go" Sam said, eyeing the police. "I'll hold 'em off"

"What are you talking about? They'll catch you" Dean said.

Sam glanced at him anxiously. "Look, they can't hold me. Just go, keep out of sight. Meet me at Rebecca's" Dean moved to the fence, but I didn't move. "Stay out of the sewers alone" Sam called to him. "I mean it!"

"Yeah, yeah!" he sighed.

"Sam, this is stupid" I sighed.

"Just go, you don't need a record at fifteen" Sam said, pointing to the fence. I hesitated, but hopped the fence anyway.

"Don't move! Keep your hands where I can see 'em" a police officer said. I ran to where Dean was waiting for me.

"C'mon" he said, leading me to the Impala. I glanced around to make sure no one was going to come arrest us. He opened the trunk to get weapons. "I'm sorry, Sam. But you know me—I just can't wait" he sighed, handing me a pistol.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, stuffing it away. "Sam said to wait"

"What can I say?" he smirked, patting me on the back. "I'm impatient"

"Dean—" He ignored me, going into the nearest manhole. I paused, and then followed him down. He was waiting for me at the bottom. "You totally suck, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know" he smiled. "C'mon" We headed into a chamber filled with candles, chains, and to top it all off, there was another pile of skin on the floor.

"Dean" I grimaced, wrinkling my nose in disgust. "I think that's your handsome face on the floor"

He looked over and frowned. "That's nasty" A small noise made me jump. A figure was covered with a sheet in the corner. Dean motioned for me to go around. I nodded, and slowly made my way behind it, gun at the ready. He pulled the sheet off, and frowned. "Rebecca?"

Dean untied her. "What happened?" he demanded.

She started crying. "I was walking home, and everything just went white. Someone hit me over the head, and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me" She shuddered. "I don't know how is that even possible?"

"Okay," Dean sighed. "It's okay" He helped her up. "Come on. Can you walk?" She nodded.

"Dean, Sammy's with that thing" I said, suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"He went to Rebecca's house" I sighed, agitated with how stupid he was being. "We've got to get to him.

He put Rebecca's arm over his shoulder to help her walk. "Okay, we've gotta hurry. Sam went to see you" he explained to her. I literally was running out of the sewer. Sam could be dead. We made it to the house in minimal time. I could see shadows moving around. Dean stopped me. "We can't just bust in there" he remarked. "We've gotta make a plan"

"Okay" I sighed. "I'll go in a distract him. You take the gun" Dean looked at me like I was crazy. "What?" I demanded. "It's all we got" He opened his mouth like he was going to protest, but with one look, shut him up. He wasn't going to win this one. "Wait like five minutes" I instructed, going into the house.

I headed around back to see Sam jump on the guy, pinning down the shape shifter. I was impressed. The shape shifter was in the shape of Dean again. I took this as my chance to go in. "Sam!" I exclaimed, as the shape shifter threw him into the bookshelf.

"Even when we were kids, I always kicked your ass" it smirked. It turned to see me. "Lex?" he grabbed a pool cue off the table and swung it at me, missing.

I punched him in the gut, and then in the face before he was able to grab me by my middle and toss me into the wall. I groaned as Sam took over again. I was bleeding again. He had Sam pinned to the floor, choking him. I tried to get up, but stopped when I saw Dean Come in. "Hey!" he yelled. The shape shifter turned, saw him and grinned, getting off Sam. Dean held up his gun and shot him twice in the heart. He fell dead. I collapsed back, sighing.

"Sam!" Rebecca said, running to him.

"I'm fine, thanks" I mumbled. I sat up, and Dean helped me stand. He walked over to the shapeshifter and took the necklace off him. He nodded at me and I gave him a small smile back.

I was sitting on the back of the Impala, Dean looking at the map. "What do you think about Florida?" he asked.

"Why?" I asked, watching Sam and Rebecca say goodbye. I looked at the map. "Is there a case down there?"

"Probably" he smiled. "I'm sure we could find one if we tried hard enough"

I nodded, a knowing smile on my face. "I bet we could even find one on the beach, right?"

"You said it, not me" he smirked. "You know, you did pretty good back there"

"Thanks" I said, feeling a little uncomfortable. I usually got yelled at for these kinds of things, not rewarded.

"You punched me pretty hard"

I rolled my eyes. "That wasn't actually you, Dean"

"Yeah" he nodded. "But still. You seemed angry"

"Oh, shut up" I said, shaking my head. I paused. "Well okay, I totally always wanted to punch you one"

He paused. "Sam told me about what the shapeshifter said"

I squirmed, really uncomfortable. "Okay" He glared at me, basically telling me to talk. "Dean, it's not a problem, I swear"

"No, Lexie, it's not" he scoffed. "I don't like Sam more, he was lying"

"Dean, he fucking downloaded your memories" I said, rolling my eyes. "Vulcan mind meld, remember?"

He stared at me for a second. "Yeah" he sighed. "Alright, listen. He was probably tapping into the time when we were arguing about this before, remember, before we got Sammy?" I nodded. "I swear on mom's grave, I would never play favorites with you and Sam. I take care of both of you. He was just saying that to get to you, got it?"

"Yeah" I said. "I got it" I knew it was a lie. The stupid thing didn't pull that out of some fight. I gave him a small smile. It was okay, I told myself, and he didn't have to care.

He looked behind me to where Sam was walking to the car. "So, what about your friend, Zack?" he asked.

"Cops are blaming' this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder" he shrugged. "They found the murder weapon in the guy's lair, Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape _was_ tampered with" he smiled, amused. "Yeah, Becca says Zack will be released soon"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Let's go" he sighed. We drove in silence for awhile. "Sorry, man" Dean said, suddenly.

"About what?" Sam asked.

"I really wish things could be different, you know?" he sighed. "I wish you could just be….Joe College"

"No, that's okay" Sam sighed. "You know, the truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in"

"Well, that's 'cause you're a freak" Dean remarked.

"Yeah, thanks" Sam scoffed, looking out the window.

"Well, I'm a freak, too. I'm right there with ya, all the way" Dean added, patting him on the shoulder. Sam laughed. "Yeah, I know you are"

"One big car of freaky love" I added, leaning forward.

"Oh yeah" Sam sighed. "You're probably the worst"

I hit him on the arm, a big smile on my face. "You know, I gotta say—I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it" Dean said suddenly.

Sam looked at him. "Miss what?"

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own supernatural, no matter how much I love it….that is all. **

**Chapter Seven**

"Your, uh, half-caf, double vanilla latte is gettin' cold over here, Francis" Dean smiled as Sam came back to the café table.

"Bite me" he scoffed, sitting down.

"So, anything?" Dean asked. Every couple of days we would stop to get coffee or eat some actual food, and Sam would immediately head to the nearest phone to check for any sign of dad. It was becoming a ritual. I would order, Dean would look for a hunt and check women out, and Sam would be on the phone.

Sam shook his head. "I had 'em checks the FBI's Missing Persons Data Bank. No John Doe's fitting Dad's description. I even ran his plates for traffic violations"

"Sam, I'm tellin' ya, I don't think Dad wants to be found" Dean said slowly. Sam looked disappointed. I put my hand on his arm and smiled a little.

"I'm sure he's okay though" I stated. "I mean, its dad"

"Check this out" Dean said, turning the computer around. "It's a news item out of _Planes Courier_. Ankeny, Iowa. It's only about a hundred miles from here"

"The mutilated body was found near the victim's car, parked on 9 Mile Road." Sam said, reading off the screen.

"Keep reading" Dean nodded.

Sam looked at him and then back to the screen. "Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer. The sole eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible."

"Could be something interesting" Dean remarked.

"Or it could be nothing at all" Sam sighed. "One freaked out witness who didn't see anything? Doesn't mean it's the Invisible Man"

"But what if it is?" he asked. Sam seemed hesitant. "Dad would check it out."

We got in the car and drove to Ankeny

"Lexie" Dean said, as opened the car door for me. "I have a job for you"

"What?" I asked, confused. We had pulled up to a frat house with about a couple dozen hot college guys in it.

"One more time, why are we here?" Sam asked, looking at the building in annoyance.

"Victim lived here" Dean replied. He turned back to me. "You go find out stuff about 9 mile road. And what happened. And do anything else far away from boy's frat houses"

"Dean" I whined, annoyed. He shut me up with his stupid stern look. I sighed and turned to leave. "Have fun, moron"

"Goodbye, Twerp"

I stalked off, not really knowing where to start. I spotted a small shop that looked like it had enough people in it that I could get someone to talk about what happened. I entered, trying not to look too lost and young. I bent down to look at the newspaper. "Hey" said a voice next to me. "You go here? I haven't seen you around"

I stood up and turned around. "Yeah, I just got here" I smiled. He was nice looking, with dark hair and an olive toned perfection. "I transferred"

"Oh really?" he asked, standing close to me. "From where?"

"Ohio State" I replied, thinking of anywhere. "I'm Lexie" I shook his hand.

"Carter" he grinned. He just sort of stared at me for a second, and I was growing uncomfortable. I looked back down at the paper. "So did you hear about what happened?" he asked, pointing to the story that Dean had found earlier. "Pretty scary"

"Yeah" I nodded. "That really sucks"

"Totally" he added. "I mean, Lori is a really nice girl. She didn't deserve this. And on nine mile road too…"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "What's so special about the road?"

"Wow" he laughed. "You really are new"

"Gee thanks" I laughed, "But seriously, 9 mile road?"

He leaned in close. "It's the place a nice guy takes his girl" he smiled.

I realized what he was getting at now. "Ah" I giggled. I looked back at the paper. "Well I suppose your nice guy dying isn't exactly adding to the mood though"

"I could show you the road" he said, taking the paper out of my hands. "It's not that scary"

I laughed, taking his hand. "Here" I replied, writing my cell number down. "You can show me some other time. I have to get home"

"Okay" he smiled, watching me. "See ya later" he called, as I waltzed out of the store.

Dean and Sam were waiting by the Impala as I got back. Dean was glaring at me. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

"I was getting information" I scoffed. "Like you told me to"

"I told you to stay away from boys" he glared.

"You told me to stay away from frat houses" I stated, reminding him. "Relax, I didn't even give him my real number" (I was sooo lying) "Now listen, the girl is Lori Sorenson, and 9 mile road, local make out point"

"We know" Sam said, rolling his eyes at Dean's angered expression. "C'mon we're going to her church. She's the Reverend's daughter"

"Our hearts go out to the family of a young man who perished" said Reverend Sorenson safly. "And my personal prayers of thanks go out as well because I believe he died trying to protect my daughter" He smiled at a girl in the front pew. "And now, as time heals all our wounds, we should reflect on what this tragedy means. To us, as a church"

Sam and Dean moved into the pew with me in the back. "What took you so long to pee?" I asked. Everybody was staring at us.

"The loss of a young person is particularly tragic" the reverend went on. "A life unlived is the saddest of passings"

Dean smirked, sitting next to me. "Why?" he asked. "You miss me?"

"No, I just hate sitting in church by myself" I stated.

"So, please, let us pray. For peace, for guidance, and for the power to protect our children" The reverend finished. Everyone bowed their heads, including me and Sammy. Sam nudged Dean to do the same. He finished up the prayer, and I was so ready to leave.

"hallelujah" I sighed, getting out of the pew as fast as I could.

"What, you don't like church?" Sam asked me, curiously.

"No" I replied. "I can't sit there and listen to how much of a sinner I am when there are worse things out there than my sin of saying oh my God"

"That's not what he's saying" Sam accused.

"Hey" Dean said, pointing to Lori.

"Are you Lori?" Sam asked, walking up to her.

"Yeah" she nodded.

"My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean. And this is Lexie" I waved a hello. "We just transferred here to the university"

"I saw you inside" she nodded.

"We don't wanna bother you" Sam started. "We just heard about what happened and.."

"We wanted to say how sorry we were" Dean interrupted.

"I kind of know what you're going through" Sam said, "I-I saw someone...get hurt once. It's something you don't forget"

She gave a slight nod and noticed her dad coming up behind her. "Dad, um, this is Sam, Lexie and Dean. They're new students" she smiled.

Dean shook the reverend's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I must say, that was an inspiring sermon"

"Thank you very much" he smiled in return. "It's so nice to find young people who are open to the Lord's message"

Dean sort of chuckled, motioning me to follow behind him. "Listen, uh, we're new in town, actually" he started, leading the reverend away. "And, uh, we were looking for a, um, a church group"

I followed. The reverend looked at me. "Well, we are always looking for new members" he stated. "There is no power like the one of Christ"

I nodded, trying to look enthusiastic. "Yeah" I smiled. "I really loved the service. I would love to be a part of your congregation"

"Well" he smiled. "We would love to have you"

Dean looked back at Sam. "Well I think we should get going" he nodded, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We'll see you next Sunday"

"That was fun" I remarked, as we headed to the Impala. "Now what?" I asked. Sam came back, looking concerned.

"She says that she didn't see anything, but was sure something was there" he said. "I think it's research time"

"So you believe her?" Dean asked, sitting at a table, a pile of library books in front of him.

"I do" Sam nodded.

Dean smirked. "Yeah, I think she's hot, too"

"No, man, there's something in her eyes" Sam shook his head. "And listen to this: she heard scratching on the roof. Found the bloody body suspended upside down over the car"

"Wait, the body suspended?" Dean said. "That sounds like the—"

"Yeah, I know, the Hook Man legend" Sam sighed, cutting him off.

"Hook Man?" I asked. "Like a pirate?"

"It's one of the most famous urban legends ever" Dean said. "You don't think that we're dealing with _the_ Hook Man"

"Every urban legend has a source" Sam sighed. "A place where it all began"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but what about the phantom scratches and the tire punctures and the invisible killer?"

"Well, maybe the Hook Man isn't a man at all. What if it's some kind of spirit?" Sam asked.

"Wait, you mean the hook man story where they hear scratch noises and then the guy goes out to look and gets killed?" I asked. "That's so dumb"

"Well I think it's what we're dealing with" Sam nodded. "Dumb as it may be"

"Here you go. Arrest records going back to 1851" the librarian said, placing a large box in front of Dean.

He blew the dust off and coughed."Thanks" She walked away. He opened it and frowned at the amount of stuff. "So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh?" he asked Sam.

"Welcome to higher education" Sam smiled, pulling some out to begin reading. I did the same, wanting to kill myself. I hated my own homework, and now I had to do more? Wonderful.

"Hey, check this out" Sam said after awhile. "1862. A preacher named Jacob Karns was arrested for murder. Looks like he was so angry over the red light district in town that one night he killed 13 prostitutes. Uh, right here," He read from the paper now. "Some of the deceased were found in their bed, sheets soaked with blood. Others suspended upside down from the limbs of trees as a warning against sins of the flesh." He handed it to Dean. "Get this, the murder weapon?" Sam said, as he handed the paper to Dean, "Looks like the preacher lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook" He smiled, satisfied. "Look where all this happened" he added.

"9 Mile Road" Dean sighed.

"Same place where the frat boy was killed" Sam smiled.

Dean looked impressed. "Nice job, Dr. Venkmen. Let's check it out"

We headed to the car, and Dean drove up to Lori's frat house. "What are we doing?" I asked. "I thought we were going to 9 mile road?"

"We are" Dean smirked. "You're staying at the frat house for the night. I got you an in earlier"

"What?" I asked. "Why do you want me to stay at the frat house?"

"Keep an eye on Lori" Sam said, as I was practically forced out of the car. "Look, she's going in right now"

"Why?" I asked, annoyed. "I wanna kill this thing too, you know"

"I know" Sam said, "But we need someone to watch her, and you're the only girl, here"

"At least as far as we know" Dean smirked, looking at Sam. "Call us if you need anything"

He drove off, leaving me alone in front of the frat house. I rolled my eyes and walked up. I opened the door to a girl walking into the kitchen. "Oh, hey, you're the new girl I take it?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm Tessa, welcome to Beta house. I'm your new roomy"

"Thanks" I smiled. "I'm Lexie"

"C'mon, I'm starving" she said, pulling me to the kitchen. "You want anything? Beer?"

I was taken aback until I realized I was supposed to be in college. "No thanks, I can't drink" I said. "I mean, I don't like too. This late. I get…loopy"

"I think that's the point" she smiled, handing me the beer anyway. "So where you from?"

"Ohio" I laughed. I took a sip of the beer when she did. It burned my throat. "I just wanted something different, you know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean" she smiled. "Here, Lemme show you to your room"

She took me upstairs and I set my single bag on the bed. "Nice" I remarked, looking at her poster of Justin Timberlake.

"Yeah" she laughed, looking at his abs. "He really is bringing sexy back, isn't he?" I laughed. "Not even close to my boyfriend, though" She handed me a picture. "That's Greg"

"You two look good together" I laughed. "And your right, he is cute"

"Hey" she said, taking it back with a laugh. "Hands off, he's mine"

"Don't worry" I smiled. "My bro…never mind"

"What?" she asked.

"My brothers" I said, with an eye roll. "They don't let me close enough to a guy for me to even ask his name half the time"

"Well they aren't here, are they?" she asked. "This is Iowa, not Ohio, so do what you want" She stood up. "I'm heading to a party, you wanna come?"

I thought about Lori, upstairs. "Nah" I shook my head. "I gotta get settled"

"Suite yourself" she shrugged, grabbing her jacket. "There's another party tomorrow here though, so expect that one" She paused. "Oh, and help yourself to the food in my fridge there, but you gotta replace what you take, them's the rules" I nodded, and she left.

I flopped back on the bed. I couldn't even drive yet, and here I was in college. I heard a small scuffle upstairs. I made my way out of my room and up the stairs. Lori was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. I could see her from the hallway. I didn't want her to recognize me, so I kept to myself. I watched her get into bed, and flip onto her side, already half asleep.

I headed back downstairs and into my room. I was so tired, but I had to stay up, I had to. I contemplated calling Sam and Dean, but changed my mind. They were probably killing the stupid thing as I laid there. I hated being left out of these things. What if one of them got hurt? I dialed. No answer. There was still no noise at all when Tessa came back around dawn smelling of beer. I tried Sam again, figuring they had to be out by now. I still got no answer. Tessa collapsed and I took the opportunity to close my eyes.

I didn't know I fell asleep until I woke up to screams. It was Lori.

I ran upstairs to see her screaming and pointing to her roommate. She as completely mutilated and blood was all over. That was scary enough, but there was also a message, written in blood.

"Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" it asked.

"Come on" I said, as more girl's came in. "We have to call the police" I led her into the hall. "Okay, what happened?"

"I woke up to…" she was in shock. "Weren't you at church yesterday?"

"Yeah" I nodded. "I was with Sam and Dean, remember we're new?" She nodded.

"Lexie" she said, still shaking. I handed her the phone from her room.

"Call the police" I said. I took out my cell. I dialed Sam, praying he would answer this time.

"Hello?"

"Sam? What the hell, I called you like three times last night?" I said, annoyed.

"We were in jail" he stated, sounding guilty.

"Why?" I asked, then stopped him from answering. "Never mind. Something happened"

"What?" he asked.

I looked back at Lori, who was on the phone with the police. "He got her roommate" I stated. "I swear, there was no noise though"

"We'll be there in ten" he said. "Can you get us in the house?"

"I think so. Head around back" I said. "Bye"

I waited inside the house, evading the cops as they tried to get everyone out. Soon, after they took pictures and everyone, including the dead girl, was gone, they left. I headed into the room. I had told Sam the back. I knew Lori's walk in closet faced that way. I walked in, closing the door behind me. I pried the window open and saw Sam and Dean walking. I whistled to Sam, motioning to him. He smiled and began to climb up the side of the house.

"Dude, sorority girls! Think we'll see a naked pillow fight?" Dean asked. He turned and helped Sam up. I helped Sam in, and Dean fell in on top of him. "Oh, sorry!" he said, getting up.

"Be quiet" Sam whispered, peeking for cops in the room.

"You be quiet!" he smirked.

"You be quiet!" Sam responded.

"Both of you, shut it" I whispered urgently. I watched out the door, waiting for the cop to leave. He did so, and I waited until he was downstairs. "Alright" I said, opening the door. "Right there. She was mutilated.

"Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" Sam said, reading the wall "That's right out of the legend"

"Yeah, that's classic Hook Man all right" Dean smiled. He tapped his nose at the smell in the room. "It's definitely a spirit"

"Yeah, I've never smelled ozone this strong before" Sam remarked. "Hey, come here" Sam said, looking at the weird symbol. "Does that look familiar to you?" I leaned in. It was familiar, but I didn't know where from. "How come you didn't mention the symbol?"

"I didn't notice" I shrugged. "I was a little busy trying not to step in blood"

"So what happened last night?" Sam asked. "Anything weird?"

"No" I sighed. "The cops said she died between one am and three. I was fully awake then, right below the room. No flickering lights, no smell, no noise, nothing" I paused. "So why were you in jail?"

"Cops found us with the gun" Dean replied. "I got us out"

"How?" I asked. "They don't just let you go for carrying a gun"

"I told them Sammy here was a pledge" he smiled, smacking Sam on the back. "And that we were ghost hunting" I rolled my eyes. "I thought I was pretty smart"

"Oh yeah" I laughed. "Genius"

We got out the back way, away from the cops, and headed to the car. Sam brought out the research from the other day. "It's the same symbol" he pointed. "Seems like it is the spirit of Jacob Karns"

"All right, let's find the dude's grave, salt and burn the bones, and put him down" Dean said, clapping his hands in excitement.

Sam read to find out where he was. "After execution, Jacob Karns was laid to rest in an Old North Cemetery. In an unmarked grave." He said. I gave him an annoyed look.

"Super" Dean remarked.

"Ok. So we know it's Jacob Karns. But we still don't know where he'll manifest next. Or why" Sam sighed.

"I'll take a wild guess about why. I think your little friend Lori has something to do with this" Dean said. We got in the car. "Where would she be?" he asked me.

"I don't know" I said, shaking my head. "There's some sort of party tonight—"

"Let's go" Dean smiled. He drove down the block to where the frat house the party was relocated to be at. We headed inside, and I made it to the back. I wanted to take a minute to breath. I had been dealing with the picture of that dead girl in my head all day. I got a drink, not alcoholic, and soon saw Sam talking to Dean. I headed over.

"Hey" I said. Sam nodded at me. "Reverend Sorensen" Dean said, in realization, not even noting my presence. "You think he's summoning the spirit?"

"Maybe" Sam nodded. "Or, you know how a poltergeist can haunt a person instead of a place?"

"Yeah, the spirit latches onto the reverend's repressed emotions, feeds off them, yeah, okay" Dean nodded.

"Without the reverend ever even knowing it"

"Either way, you should keep an eye on Lori tonight" Dean sighed, as Sam nodded in agreement.

"What about you?" Sam asked.

He looked behind him to the party. "Me and Lex, are gonna go see if we can find that unmarked grave" he said, reluctantly shaking his head. I rolled my eyes and we headed out. "So where did you go?" Dean asked me as we got into the Impala to go to the cemetery. "You disappeared"

"I don't do parties" I said. "I went outside" He nodded. I was such a good liar. We got to the cemetery, and I go out of the Impala. I grabbed the stuff out of the trunk and we headed in. My flashlight lit up the ground, but I wasn't seeing any headstones with no name on it. I searched right beside Dean. I wasn't going to wander around a cemetery at night alone. "Here we go" Dean said, pointing with his flashlight.

I dropped the shovels and we began digging. I had dug so many graves over the past three years, my hands were callused to the shovel. It took around three hours to get close to the coffin. "That's it. Next time, I get to watch the cute girl's house" Dean said, as he hit wood.

"Let's just get this over with" I sighed, hopping out as he broke through. It smelled so bad, but at least he wasn't newly buried. That was so much worse.

"Hello, preacher" Dean smiled. I helped him out and started salting. He poured lighter fluid on and threw in a match. "Goodbye, preacher"

The bones were almost gone, and we left, the sun already coming up. I got in the passenger seat. "So it's over now" I sighed. "What do we do now?"

"I guess we should leave" Dean sighed, pulling away. "Find a new case"

"I feel weird about this Dean" I stated. "It doesn't feel over" My cell phone rang. "Sam?" I asked. Dean looked at me.

"He got someone else" Sam said. "The reverend, I'm at the hospital"

"Be right there" I said. I looked at Dean. "Remind me to keep my mouth shut next time"

"No, it's alright, I'm with him. He's our brother" Dean said as we tried to get to Sam at the end of the hallway. "Hey! Brother!" he called to Sam. They let us back. "Thanks" Dean smiled.

"Sam" I sighed, in relief. "You ok?"

"Yeah" he said, returning my smile.

Dean looked on the room where the reverend was lying. "What the hell happened?"

"Hook Man" Sam whispered.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "You saw him?"

"Damn right" Sam sighed. "Why didn't you torch the bones?"

"We did" I stated, staring at the reverend's body. He looked so beat up.

"You sure it's the spirit of Jacob Karns?" Dean asked him.

Sam nodded. "It sure as hell looked like him. And that's not all. I don't think the spirit is latching on to the reverend"

"Well, yeah, the guy wouldn't send the Hook Man after himself." Dean scoffed.

"I think it's latching onto Lori. Last night she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman

"So what?" Dean asked.

"So she's upset about it. She's upset about the immorality of it" Sam explained. "She told me she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished"

"Ok, so she's conflicted. And the spirit of Preacher Karns is latching on to repress the emotions and maybe he's doing the punishing for her, huh?" Dean asked.

"Right. Rich comes on too strong, Taylor tries to make her into a party girl, Dad has an affair" Sam listed.

Dean sighed. "Remind me not to piss this girl off." He paused. "But I burned those bones, I buried them in salt, why didn't that stop him?"

"You must have missed something" Sam shrugged.

"No" I said. "We burned everything in that coffin"

"Did you get the hook?" he asked.

"The hook?" Dean asked confused.

"There wasn't a hook with the body" I sighed. "But so?"

"Well, it was the murder weapon, and in a way, it was part of him" Sam said.

"So, like the bones, the hook is a source of his power" Dean said.

"So if we find the hook..." Sam trailed off.

"We stop the Hook Man" We said together.

We headed to the library, to figure out where the hook went to. More books, and more research. This was not my kind of case. "Here's something, I think" Dean said, pointing to a spot in a book. "Log book, Iowa State Penitentiary. Karns, Jacob. Personal affects: disposition thereof"

"Does it mention the hook?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, maybe" Dean said, reading. "Upon execution, all earthly items shall be remanded to the prisoner's house of worship, St. Barnabas Church"

"Isn't that where Lori's father preaches?" Sam asked. Dean nodded. "Where Lori lives?"

"Maybe that's why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and reverends' daughters for the past 200 years" Dean suggested.

"Yeah, but if the hook were at the church or Lori's house, don't you think someone might've seen it?" Sam asked. "I mean a bloodstained, silver-handled hook?"

Dean shrugged. "Check the church records"

Sam flipped a book open and searched for a minute. "St. Barnabas donations, 1862. Received silver-handled hook from state penitentiary. Reforged" He sighed. "They melted it down. Made it into something else"

"We better get to the church" I sighed. "Look around"

We headed out, going straight to the church. "Alright, we can't take any chances. Anything silver goes in the fire" Dean remarked, getting out of the car.

"I agree" Sam sighed. "So, Lori's still at the hospital. We'll have to break in"

"Alright, take your pick" Dean said, looking at me and Sam.

"I call church" I said, pointing to it.

Sam looked at the house, and then the church. "I'll take the house then"

"Ok" Dean said, as Sam walked away. "Hey" he called. "Stay out of her underwear drawer" Sam rolled his eyes and walked away.

We threw everything silver, or close to silver, we could find into the incinerator downstairs in the church basement. I handed it to him, and Dean shoved it in.

"I got everything that even looked silver" Sam said, lugging a bag down.

"Better safe than sorry" Dean sighed, throwing his stuff in too. Footsteps from above made me jump. I looked to Dean. "Move, move" he said, pushing ahead of me.

We made it upstairs, and saw Lori sitting in the front pew, crying. Dean was still pointing his gun. I scoffed, and pushed the barrel down. He lowered it, and looked to Sam. Sam nodded, and headed towards her. Dean and I headed back downstairs. I watched the fire burn. "I think we got it all" I stated, checking the fire. From upstairs there was a loud crash and a couple thuds. "Or not" I said to Dean, as we ran up the stairs.

I was right behind Dean, searching for Sam. The door to the basement was smashed. Dean stopped as he saw Sam standing between Lori and the Hook Man. "Sam, drop!" he yelled. Sam crouched and Dean shot the Hook Man. He disappeared, for now.

"I thought we got all the silver?" Sam asked.

"So did I" Dean remarked, looking to me. I just nodded.

"Then why is he still here?" Sam demanded.

"Well, maybe we missed something!" Dean shouted, frustrated. I looked around a little. We had searched the entire church.

"Lori, where did you get that chain?" Sam asked, pointing to her chest.

"My father gave it to me" she replied, scared.

"Where'd your dad get it?" Dean asked.

"He said it was a church heirloom, he gave it to me when I started school"

"Is it silver?" Sam asked.

"Yes!" she yelled.

Sam ripped it off her neck. Long scratches appeared on the wall. Dean whipped around. "Sam!" he said, tossing him the gun. I took the necklace from Sam and Dean covered my back while we headed back to the incinerator. I ran down the steps and tossed the necklace into the fire. Then I turned and ran back upstairs, not even caring that I hadn't watched it burn. Dean was staying. I ran back just in time to see the Hook Man burst into flame and disappear for good this time.

I sighed, leaning on the wall, shooting Sam and knowing look. Dean ran up seconds later, doing the exact same.

This was why I didn't like church.

"And you saw him, too? The man with the hook?" a police officer asked Dean.

"Yes, I told you, we all saw him" Dean stated. "We fought him off and then he ran"

"And that's all?" he asked, looking at me.

"Yeah, that's all" I said, trying to look genuine.

He nodded, narrowing his eyes. He looked back up at Dean."Listen. You and your siblings—"

"Oh, don't worry, we're leaving town" he scoffed, leading me back to the car.

He was watching Sam in the mirror. I didn't stop him. Sam just walked away from Lori and sat next to me. "We could stay" he said slowly. Sam just looked at his hand, where his was bandaged. He slowly shook his head. I did too.

Without another word, Dean drove off. He wasn't going to argue. I think all three of us knew the truth.

Sometimes it was easier to just say goodbye.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews! I tried to add more brother sister bonding, but don't worry, there's plenty more to come! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sam or Dean or anyone else from supernatural. I just like to kidnap them and make them do what I want. I only own Alexis. **

**Chapter Eight**

Sam and I waited outside of the bar while we waited for Dean. He said he would only be a minute almost ten minutes ago. "Where is he?" I asked, sitting on the Impala. "He's taking forever"

"Patience" Sam sighed. "He's coming"

"I swear to god, if he's just hitting on some girl…"

At that moment, Dean came out, smiling and waving his wad of cash. "You know, we could get day jobs once in a while" Sam remarked.

"Hunting's our day job. And the pay is crap" Dean replied, stuffing the money in his pocket.

"Yeah, but hustling pool? Credit card scams? It's not the most honest thing in the world, Dean" Sam sighed,

"Relax, Sammy" I smiled, amused. "It's easy and keeps him happy. Who cares if it's honest?"

"You should always try to be honest" he said, glaring at me.

"Well, let's see honest" Dean said, holding out one hand, "Fun and easy" He held out the other, making the fun and easy side go up. "It's no contest. Besides, we're good at it. It's what we were raised to do"

"Yeah, well, how we were raised was jacked" Sam stated.

"Yeah, says you" Dean scoffed. "We got a new gig or what?"

"You would know if it didn't take you an hour to hustle pool" I stated, smiling a little.

"Yeah, get your ass off my car" he said, shoving me off. I hopped down and glared at him. "So?" he asked, ignoring me and looking to Sammy.

"Maybe" he nodded. "Oasis Plains, Oklahoma –- not far from here. A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob."

"Huh?" Dean and I said together.

"Human mad cow disease" Sam replied.

"Mad cow" Dean said in thought. "Wasn't that on Oprah?"

Sam stared at him for a second. "You watch Oprah?"

Dean looked at a loss for words. "So this guy eats a bad burger. Why is it our kind of thing?"

"Mad cow disease causes massive brain degeneration. It takes months, even years, for the damage to appear" Sam explained, mostly for me I think. "But this guy, Dustin? Sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour. Maybe less"

"Okay, that's weird" Dean nodded.

"Yeah. Now, it could be a disease. Or it could be somethin' much nastier" Sam grimaced.

"All right. Oklahoma" Dean sighed, as we got in the car. "Man. Work, work, work. No time to spend my money" he mumbled.

"It's okay Dean" I remarked. "Maybe Oprah can help you with your problems"

Sam laughed, and he shot me a death glare in the rearview mirror. I just gave him a cheesy smile, and put my headphones in. Oklahoma was a little ways off. He would have to wait to kill me then.

We made it in record time, when the sun was coming up, so we waited outside the Gas and Electric Company for someone to come out. Once someone did, Sam got out of the car. "Travis Weaver?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's right" he stated, loading his van.

"Are you the Travis who worked with Uncle Dusty?" Dean asked.

"Dustin never mentioned nephews or a niece" Travis said, narrowing his eyes a little. He seemed to suspect that we were lying. Which we were.

"Really? Well, he sure mentioned you" Dean smiled. "He said you were the greatest"

"Yeah" Sam and I said together, with a smile. I swear, the lies we told surprised even me sometimes.

"Oh, he did?" Travis asked, looking pleasantly surprised. "Huh"

"Listen, we wanted to ask you…what exactly happened out there?" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure" he stated. "He fell in a sinkhole, I went to the truck to get some rope, and, uh…by the time I got back…"

"What did you see?" Dean asked.

"Nothing', Just Dustin" he shrugged.

"No wounds or anything?" Sam asked.

"Well, he was bleeding…from his eyes and his ears, his nose" he said. "But that's it"

"That's it?" I asked, kind of sarcastically. He only nodded. When did bleeding out become "it?"

"So you think it could be this whole mad cow thing?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. That's what the doctors are sayin'" he sighed.

"But if it was, he would've acted strange beforehand, like dementia, loss of motor control" Sam sighed. "You ever notice anything like that?"

"No. No way" he stated. "But then again, if it wasn't some disease, what the hell was it?"

Dean looked at me. "That's a good question"

"You know, can you tell us where this happened?" Sam asked. Travis nodded and gave us directions to the sinkhole where old' Uncle Dusty fell. I had a feeling this was going to be a long case.

The sinkhole was surrounded by yellow police tape, which we promptly ignored. We didn't care much for authority figures. "Huh" Dean sighed, peering in. He kicked some dirt in. "What do you think?"

"I don't know" Sam sighed. "But if that guy, Travis, was right, it happened pretty damn fast"

I ducked under the police tape and shined a flashlight down, "I'm not seeing anything" I stated. It seemed like it was just an empty hole in the ground. There was no claw marks, no sign of struggle. No nothing. Just a hole.

"So, what? Some sort of creature chewed on his brain?" Dean asked.

"No, there'd be an entry wound" Sam said. "Sounds like this thing worked from the inside"

"It's a pretty small hole" Dean stated, looking at me. I glanced at him in confusion. He didn't mean….

"No, no way. I am not going in the hole of death" I stated. I folded my arms over my chest to make my point.

"Well there's only room for one. You wanna flip a coin?" he asked Sam.

"Dean, we have no idea what's down there" Sam said, looking at him like he was nuts.

Dean picked up the hole. "All right, I'll go if you're scared" Dean smiled. "You scared?" I had to admit, this man was definitely my brother. He knew Sam would want to do it now.

Sam clenched his jaw. "Flip the damn coin"

Dean chuckled and took out a coin. "All right, call it in the air…chicken" he said. He threw it up, but Sam caught it in midair.

"I'm going" he said, angrily.

"I said I'd go" Dean said, with a sigh.

Sam was adamant. "I'm going"

"All right" Dean sighed trying to sound defeated, but on the inside, he was smiling. Like I said, definitely my brother.

Sam tied the rope around his waist and sighed. "Don't drop me" he warned, sending him a glance. Sam was lowered down and he sort of crouched in the hole, not moving. "I don't see anything" he stated. I could only see the flashlight shining. He was just a distant shadow. I leaned closer.

"Oh no, what's that?" Dean shouted, giving me a little shove.

"Dean"! I cried, grabbing onto him. I almost fell into the hole, sending a chunk of dirt falling onto Sam. I steadied myself and glared at him. "Asshole" I shouted, punching him as hard as I could.

"Ow" he laughed, shoving me back. "Don't be so touchy"

"Guys" Sam said, "Stop fighting and get me out"

"Did you find something?" I asked, tossing down the rope. He put it back around his waist and I helped Dean pull him up.

"There's like ten of these down there" he stated, showing me a dead beetle. He flipped it over a little and inspected it. I was just too busy staring at him like he was nuts.

"Sam, it's a hole in the ground, why wouldn't there be bugs?" I asked. He ignored me and headed for the car. "Dean, I think Sammy had gone off the deep end"

Dean just sighed, leading me back to the car. I sat in the middle of the front seat. Sam was still inspecting his beetle as we walked away. "So you found some beetles. In a hole, in the ground. That's shocking, Sam" Dean said, as he glanced at the bug.

Sam sighed, "There were no tunnels, no tracks. No evidence of any other kind of creature down there" he urged. "You know, some beetles do eat meat. Now, it's usually dead meat, but—"

"How many did you find down there?" Dean interjected.

"Ten" Sam said sheepishly. I snorted.

"It'd take a whole lot more than that to eat out some dude's brain" Dean smirked.

"Well, maybe there were more" Sam acknowledged.

"I don't know, it sounds like a stretch to me" Dean sighed.

"Sam, I'm not saying you're wrong, because we've experienced weirder" I sighed. "But you really don't have much evidence"

"Well, we need more information on the area, the neighborhood" Sam listed. "Whether something like this has ever happened before" Dean suddenly slowed the car and leaned over me as though he was looking at something. Sam stared at him. "What?"

"I know a good place to start" he smiled. I glanced to where he had been looking. A sign was sticking out of the ground. "New Buyers BBQ Today!" it read. "I'm kinda hungry for a little barbeque, how 'bout you?" Dean asked. I smiled and shook my head. Sam just gave Dean a knowing look. "What, we can't talk to the locals?" he asked, innocently.

"And the free food's got nothin' to do with it?" Sam asked, amused.

"Of course not" Dean scoffed, sounding offended. "I'm a professional"

Sam chuckled. "Right"

We walked up to the new suburban home that probably cost more than we could ever afford with our hustling. "Growin' up in a place like this would freak me out" Dean said, eyeing the perfectly manicured plants.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Well, manicured lawns, "How was your day, honey?" –- I'd blow my brains out" Dean scoffed.

Sam looked a little hurt. "There's nothing wrong with "normal"" he said sadly.

Dean shook his head. "I'd take our family over normal any day" I just looked at Sam and shrugged. I hadn't known anything other than our life. How the hell should I know?

"Welcome" said an older man as we knocked on the door.

"This the barbeque?" Dean asked, smiling.

"Yeah, not the best weather, but…I'm Larry Pike, the developer here" he said, looking at us in slight surprise. "And you are…?"

"Dean" he said, shaking his hand. "This is my little sister Lexie, and this is Sam" I shook his hand too.

"Sam, Dean, Lexie good to meet you" he smiled. "So, you two are interested in Oasis Plains?" he said looking up at just Sam and Dean.

"Yes, sir" Sam nodded.

"Let me just say –- we accept homeowners of any race, religion, color, or…sexual orientation" he grinned. I was confused for like two seconds before I realized what he was getting at. I burst out laughing, and Dean had to pretty much cover my mouth. I calmed myself down as fast as I could. I think this man just made my life.

"We're brothers" Dean explained, lightly.

Larry looked embarrassed. Sam spoke up, trying to help. "Our father is getting on in years, and we're just lookin' for a place for him" he lied.

"Great, great. Well, seniors are welcome, too. Come on in." he said. He led us out to the backyard.

"You said you were the developer?" Sam asked.

"Eighteen months ago, I was walking this valley with my survey team. There was nothing here but scrub brush and squirrels. And you know what, we built such a nice place to live that I actually bought into it myself" he grinned. "This is our house. We're the first family in Oasis Plains" He showed us off the deck and over to a nice lady. "This is my wife, Joanie"

"Hi there" she smiled. "Hi, nice to meet you"

"Sam, Dean, and sister Lexie" he said, pointing to each of us. We all shook hands again. "Tell them how much you love the place, honey. And lie if you have to because I need to sell some houses" he added with a laugh. She just laughed and shook her head. "Boys, ladies, will you excuse me?" he asked, and walked off.

"Don't let his salesman routine scare you" Joanie said with a laugh. "This really is a great place to live"

"Hi, I'm Lynda Bloome, head of sales" said a very energetic woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"And Lynda was second to move in. She's a very noisy neighbor, though" she smiled.

"She's kidding, of course" she laughed. "I take it you two are interested in becoming homeowners?"

"Well…" Dean sighed.

"Y-yeah, well…" Sam smiled, looking uneasy.

"Of course they are" I said smiling. I was so going to pay for that.

"Well, let me just say that we accept homeowners of any race, religion, color, or…sexual orientation" she ginned.

Dean chuckled, putting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing. I winced in pain. "Right. Um…I'm gonna go talk to Larry" he said. He looked to Sam, "Okay, honey?" he smacked Sam on the ass and led me away.

I started laughing, and got smacked upside the head. "Ow" I laughed. "C'mon, it's funny" I said as he stalked off. I just sort of stood around before watching Sam take a tarantula off the table. More bugs? I walked over to him talking to a boy about my age who took the spider from him.

"Matthew" Larry said sternly, walking over, Dean in tow. He put a hand on Matthew's shoulder. "I am so sorry about my son and his…pet" he scoffed.

"It's no bother" Sam smiled.

He nodded, but I could tell he was super pissed. "Excuse us" he took Matt and walked away.

"Remind you of somebody?" Sam asked. I glanced at Matt, who was being yelled at by his dad. I nodded slightly. Dean just looked confused. "Dad?" Sam asked, trying to help him.

Dean scoffed. "Dad never treated us like that"

"Well, Dad never treated you like that. You were perfect" Sam scoffed. "He was all over my case. You don't remember?"

"Well, maybe he had to raise his voice, but sometimes, you were out of line" Dean said, eyeing him.

Sam scoffed. "Right. Right, like when I said I'd rather play soccer than learn bow hunting"

"Bow hunting's an important skill" Dean remarked. "Dad wasn't that harsh, anyway. The kid looks like he's gonna cry"

"Dad made me cry a few times" I sighed, remembering Dad screaming at me because I couldn't take down Dean when he was about ten years older and about a hundred pounds heavier.

"You're a girl" he scoffed, as though that wrapped it all up.

"Whatever" Sam said as I stepped forward to argue with him. I relaxed. "How was your tour?" Sam asked him.

"Oh, it was excellent. I'm ready to buy" Dean remarked. I smiled. "So you might be onto somethin'. Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here"

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job" he explained. "Get this—severe allergic reaction to bee stings"

"More bugs" Sam sighed.

Dean nodded. "More Bugs" He glanced at the food. "Okay, research over. Time for some food" He walked off.

"You coming?" Sam asked, starting to follow. I was still watching Matt.

"Nah" I stated. "I'll meet up with you in a minute" Larry finally let Matt alone, and he stalked into the house looking pissed. Matt just sort of stood there for a minute, looking dumbfounded. "Hey" I said. "You okay?"

"Fine" he said abruptly, trying to down play it for me. He still had his tarantula in his hands. I eyed it cautiously. I didn't particularly like bugs, but I was nowhere near scared of them.

"Is that a Chilean Rose Tarantula?" I asked, with a smile. Yes, I know I'm weird, but I knew a lot about bugs. Stupid zoology class.

"Yeah" he stated, looking surprised. "You like tarantulas?"

"I took a zoology class a few years ago" I explained. "I know a lot about bugs"

He let the spider run over his hand. "Wanna hold him?" he asked. He had a devilish smile on his face, like he was testing me. He wanted to see if I was bluffing.

"Sure" I smiled, taking it right from him. Asylums and ghosts might scare the shit outta me, but spiders did not. Take that sexists. It was small, like most tarantulas, and climbed over my hands a little. "He's cute"

"Matthew, didn't I tell you to stop—" Larry paused. "Oh, hi Lexie. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah" I smiled. "My brothers are totally interested, I can tell. I can't wait to tell them about how I already like our new neighbors" I smiled at Larry, and handed Matt his bug back.

"Well" he smiled, putting a hand on Matt. "I'm glad you and Matt have bonded already" he quickly left.

"You didn't have to do that" Matt scoffed, watching his dad go.

"I wasn't going to let him yell again" I laughed. "It would scare the spider" He laughed too. I glanced to where Dean was motioning me over, his mouth bulging with food. He was ready to go. I rolled my eyes. "I've gotta go" I smiled. "See you later"

We got into the car, Sam driving with Dean and I in the front seat. I wanted to be in the conversation. "You know, I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles?" Dean asked. "What is it that could make different bugs attack?"

"Well, haunting sometimes include bug manifestations" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, but I didn't see any evidence of ghost activity" Dean remarked.

"Yeah, me neither" I added.

Dean nodded. "Maybe they're being controlled somehow. You know, by something or someone"

"You mean, like Willard?" Sam grinned, with a laugh.

"Yeah, bugs instead of rats" Dean smiled.

"That's gross" I sighed.

"There are cases of psychic connections between people and animals –- elementals, telepaths" Sam listed.

"Yeah, that whole Timmy-Lassie thing" Dean explained.

"Okay, Lassie is one thing, but who would want to have a psychic connection with bugs?" I grimaced. Sam just shrugged.

"Larry's kid –- he's got bugs for pets" Dean said suddenly.

"Matt?" I asked. Dean nodded.

"He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula" Sam sighed.

"You think he's our Willard?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess" Sam stated.

"I don't know. He doesn't seem like the vengeful type" I added, uneasily.

"Aw," Dean taunted. "Lexie's got a boyfriend"

I punched him. "Shut up"

Dean just laughed. "Don't get any ideas" he stated seriously. "You're too young to date"

"I'm not dating him, Dean" I scoffed.

"Yeah well" he said. "Ooh, hey. Pull over here" Dean said suddenly. Sam pulled into an empty houses driveway. I knew Dean's plan before we even slowed down.

"What are we doing here?" Sam asked, too oblivious for his own good.

Dean and I were already half way out of the car. "It's too late to talk to anybody else" he stated as I opened the garage door.

"We're gonna squat in an empty house?" Sam asked, sounding surprised.

"I wanna try the steam shower" Dean urged. "Come on" Sam just stared at us. "Come on!" he called. Reluctantly, Sam pulled the car in and Dean closed the garage door behind him.

The house was beautiful. The inside was all new, with a modern décor. I plopped myself on the one lonely chair. "I like this place" I stated. Sam came in with our bags. One for each of us and one for random arsenal that either didn't fit in the trunk or that Dean liked to keep on him. Dean lay down on the floor next to me. Sam plopped down too, using his bag as a pillow. I woke up the next morning, all of us in the same position.

I was all cramped up from not moving all night. I got up and changed into some new clothes. A pair of my favorite jeans and a v-neck top. I looked okay, and brushed my hair out. It was blonde like my moms. I wondered if it was true that I looked like her. I was only six months old when she died.

Yep, only six months. She died pinned to the ceiling with her stomach slashed open. Then the room erupted in Demon fire. Great story, right? Turns out it gets even better. It had already happened once before. When Sam was six months, my mom found an intruder in the house right in his nursery. He tried to kill her, but my dad warded him off. We never figured out who he was. Then, I came along, and this time, he did my mom in.

A tear fell down my face. I picked up my cell phone and dialed the number I was never supposed to call unless it was an emergency. But dad could kiss my ass right now. "This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean at 866-907-3235. He can help" it said. I paused, not knowing what to say.

"Dad, it's me" I said. "If you get this, please just let us know that you're alive. That's all I ask. Please. I'm scared" Then I hung up. It sounded like a baby talking on the phone, since I had been holding back tears, but hey, if it got him to call us.

"You okay?" Sam asked, coming up behind me. I just slowly nodded. "It's going to be okay" he urged, even though I knew he had no idea. "We'll find him"

"What if we don't?" I asked. "Dad doesn't want to be found Sam. Why would he just…." I trailed off, wiping more tears. "I just want to know he's alive"

"He's alive" Sam said sternly. "We would've heard if he died. Someone would know" I didn't reply. He gave me an awkward hug. "You remember when you were little and all I had to do was give you a hug and everything was okay again?"

"I'm not little anymore Sam" I smiled, hugging him back. "But thanks anyway"

"Sometimes you're so much like dad and Dean I forget that you can be like me too" he laughed.

I knew what he meant by that. Dean wouldn't let anyone know how screwed up he was inside. He would pack it away until he exploded. Sam however, let it go a little at a time. A nightmare here, a good heart to heart there. Dad was just….dad. He didn't want to talk about it at all. I was a mix. And as much as I hated to admit it, sometimes I needed to talk. No matter how incredibly vulnerable that made me.

"You are such a loser" I giggled, letting go and wiping my eyes. I grabbed my bag off the floor and glared at him. "You tell anyone you saw me crying and I'll have to kill you" I said seriously, staring him down.

"Okay," he sighed. "Squirt"

I punched him lightly on the arm. "Don't call me that, Sasquatch"

Dean woke up later, like he always did, and hopped right into the amazing steam shower. Now, almost two hours later, I was wondering if he had drowned in there. I was really really wondering after I realized I really had to pee. I banged on the door. "Dean, I gotta pee!"

"Then go outside!" he yelled back.

"I'm a girl; it's not as easy as it is for you!" I screamed. I seriously had to go.

"I don't need to know about your anatomy, Lex" he stated. "Now go away, this is my me time"

I groaned and walked away. Stupid older brothers. Sam came running up the steps. "Don't even bother" I stated. "He won't even let me pee"

"You ever comin' out of there?" Sam asked, knocking on the door anyway.

"What?" Dean called.

"Dean, a police call came in on the scanner" Sam yelled. The water stopped.

"Hold on" he groaned.

"Someone was found dead three blocks from here" Sam called. "Come on"

The door opened. Dean had a towel wrapped around his body and his head. "This shower is awesome" he laughed, a big goofy smile on his face.

"Come on" Sam sighed.

After I finally was able to pee, we headed out to where the police call said the death was. We got out of the car, where none other than Larry was on his cell phone looking upset.

"Hello" he greeted us. "You're, uh, back early"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, we just drove in, wanted to take another look at the neighborhood"

"What's goin' on?" Sam asked.

"You guys met, uh…Lynda Bloome at the barbeque?" Larry asked. He glanced half-heartedly back at the house.

"The realtor" I nodded.

"Well, she, uh…passed away last night" Larry said.

I was in shock. If the psychic dude was Matt, why would he kill her? "What happened?" Dean asked.

"I'm still tryin' to find out. Identified the body for the police" he sighed. "Look, I-I'm sorry, this isn't a good time now" he glanced behind him again. "Excuse me"

"You know what we have to do, right?" Dean sighed, looking at Sam and me.

"Yeah. Get in that house" Sam replied.

"See if we got a bug problem" I added.

We sneaked around the police and headed to the back of the house. A fence was placed next to the house, which actually just made the job of getting in the second story window easier. Dean gave me a boost and I was pulled into the window by Sam. He helped Dean in. The outline of the body was still on the floor. "This looks like the place" Dean sighed.

"I bet it was spiders" I remarked. Sam gave me a curious glance. "What?" I laughed. "Beetles? Bees? Spiders are some serious shit"

"Language" Dean said, knocking me on the head.

"C'mon" I said, holding out my hand. "Twenty bucks says it spiders" Sam eyed me hand uneasily, and finally shook it. I smiled.

"Spiders" Dean said from the other room. He dropped the towel he had been holding. I smiled at Sam. "From Spider Boy?"

"Matt –- maybe" Sam replied. I was holding out my hand to him. He groaned and took out his wallet, handing me my twenty bucks. I smiled and stuffed it in my back pocket.

"Thanks Sammy" I smiled.

"Shut it, squirt" he growled.

"Is there a reason why we're sitting here?" I asked. "Can't we just go to his house?"

"You really think Larry's gonna let us talk to Matt about his bugs?" Sam asked. I shook my head and sighed. I leaned back on the seat.

The bus pulled up a little later. Matt got out and walked down the street a little. "Isn't his house that way?" Dean asked, pointing the opposite way that Matt was walking.

"Yup" I nodded.

"So where's he goin'?" Dean asked. We got out of the car and followed him into the woods. He was leaning over a leaf, looking at some kind of grasshopper.

"Hey, Matt. Remember me?" I asked, walking up to him.

"What are you doin' out here?" he asked, with a small smile.

"Well, we wanna talk to you" Dean nodded, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You're not here to buy a house, are you?" he asked, his smile falling. I shook my head. "W-wait. You're not serial killers?" he asked.

I snorted. "No, no. No, I think you're safe" Sam laughed.

"So, Matt…you sure know a lot about insects" Dean began.

Matt put the grasshopper down. "So?"

"Did you hear what happened to Lynda, the realtor?" Dean asked.

"I hear she died this morning" he stated.

"Mm, that's right" Dean nodded. "Spider bites"

"Matt…you tried to scare her with a spider" Sam explained.

"Wait. You think I had something to do with that?" Matt asked, confused.

"You tell us" Dean remarked.

"What my brother means is, are you sure you didn't do anything to possibly cause it?" I asked, glaring at Dean. He didn't have to be so mean. I had a really strong feeling that even if Matt had a psychic connection with bugs, he wasn't exactly aware of it.

"That tarantula was a joke" he urged. "Anyway, that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas company guy" he added.

"You know about those?" Sam asked.

"There is something' going on here. I don't know what…but something's happening with the insects" Matt insisted. "Let me show you something" He picked up his backpack and led us to a little clearing.

"So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why not tell your dad?" I asked. "Maybe he could clear everybody out. You could get out of harm's way"

"Believe me, I've tried" Matt remarked. "But, uh, Larry doesn't listen to me"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Mostly? He's too disappointed in his freak son" Matt said, giving me a small smile.

Sam scoffed with a nod. "I hear you"

"You do?" Dean asked.

Sam turned and gave him an are-you-kidding-me-are-you-really-that-stupid look. "Matt, how old are you?" Sam asked.

"Sixteen" he replied.

"Well, don't sweat it, because in two years, something great's gonna happen" Sam said. Matt looked at him curiously. "College" Sam smiled. "You'll be able to get out of that house and away from your dad"

Dean scoffed. "What kind of advice is that? Kid should stick with his family"

Sam sighed and glared at him. I rolled my eyes. "Matt, do me a favor" I sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"Ignore the retards I call my family" I stated, pointing to my brothers.

"How much further, Matt?" Sam asked, walked closer to me and farther from Dean.

"We're close" he replied, smiling. Sam gave Dean one last death glare and walked ahead of me. We reached a clearing. Insect noises filled the air like nothing I had ever really heard before. Think about the noise of bees buzzing in your ear mixed with the noise of a million cicadas at once. It was almost deafening. Matt turned around. "I've been keeping track of insect populations. It's, um, part of an AP science class"

"You two are like peas in a pod" Dean stated, pointing at Sam and Matt.

"What's been happening?" Sam asked.

"A lot. I mean, from bees to earthworms, beetles…you name it" Matt sighed. "It's like they're congregating here"

"Why?" I asked.

Matt shook his head. "I don't know"

"What's that?" Sam asked. He pointed to a dark patch of grass. We walked over, only to see a big patch of earth worms covering the ground. I grimaced. Dean kicked some, and a hole broke. He shrugged and picked up a stick, poking at the hole a little. He frowned. "There's somethin' down there" he said. He handed me the stick, and stuck his hand in the hole. His face contorted into disgust. He brought something out. I gasped. In his hand, covered in dirt and maggots, was a skull.

I sat in the backseat with the box of bones. "Are we at the university yet?" I asked, eyeing it uneasily. "This is a little uncomfortable"

"You wanted to sit back there" Dean remarked.

"I said I didn't want to sit up front with you two" I scoffed. "Not with Skeletor"

"Relax" Sam sighed, "We're here"

I made Dean take the bones. "So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave" Sam sighed, looking at Dean.

"Yeah. Maybe this is a haunting" Dean replied. "Pissed off spirits? Some unfinished business?"

"Yeah, maybe. Question is, why bugs? And why now?" Sam asked.

"That's two questions" Dean smirked. Sam ignored him. "Yeah, so with that kid back there…why'd you tell him to just ditch his family like that?"

"Just, uh…I know what the kid's goin' through" Sam said.

"Guys, can we not do this right now?" I asked, hoping that they would stop.

"How 'bout tellin' him to respect his old man, how's that for advice?" Dean scoffed. I guess not.

"Dean, come on" Sam sighed. They stopped walking. "This isn't about his old man. You think I didn't respect Dad. That's what this is about"

"Just forget it, all right?" Dean said, shaking his head. "Sorry I brought it up"

"I respected him. But no matter what I did, it was never good enough" Sam responded.

"So what are you saying'?" Dean asked. "That Dad was disappointed in you?"

"Was?" Sam asked, surprised. "Is. Always has been"

"Why would you think that?" Dean asked.

"Because I didn't wanna bow hunt or hustle pool –- because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which, to our whacked-out family, made me the freak" Sam sighed.

"Yeah, you were kind of like the blonde chick in The Munsters" Dean smirked.

"Dean, you know what most dads are when their kids score a full ride?" Sam asked. "Proud. Most dads don't toss their kids out of the house"

"I remember that fight. In fact, I seem to recall a few choice phrases coming' out of your mouth" Dean said.

"You know, truth is, when we finally do find Dad…I don't know if he's even gonna wanna see me" Sam remarked.

"He'll want to see you" I stated.

"Sam, Dad was never disappointed in you. Never" Dean said. "He was scared"

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asked Dean.

"He was afraid of what could've happened to you if he wasn't around. But even when you two weren't talkin'…he used to swing by Stanford whenever he could" Dean revealed. I was surprised. I thought we had agreed that we would never tell Sam about that. Sam's smirk faded. Dean nodded. "Keep an eye on you. Make sure you were safe"

"What?" he asked confused.

"We stopped every couple months" I added.

"Why didn't you tell me any of that?" Sam asked. "You might've mentioned it"

"Well, it's a two-way street, dude" Dean sighed. "You could've picked up the phone" Sam stared at him sadly. He never did talk to anyone but me. Dean readjusted the bones. "Come on, we're gonna be late for our appointment"

We went into the college classroom to meet the professor. According to Sam, we were all college students of his. "So, you three are students?" he asked us, looking suspicious.

"Yeah. Yeah, uh, we're in your class –- Anthro 101?" Sam asked.

Recognition lit up in his eyes. We must've been right. "Oh, yeah" he remarked.

"So, what about the bones, Professor?" Dean asked, handing him the bags.

"This is quite an interesting find you've made" he replied. "I'd say they're 170 years old, give or take. The timeframe and the geography heavily suggest Native American"

"Were there any tribes or reservations on that land?" Sam asked.

"Not according to the historical record. But the, uh, relocation of native peoples was quite common at that time"

"Right. Well, are there any local legends? Oral histories about the area?" Sam kept on asking. From what this professor was handing us, I thought it was safe to say this guy didn't know much of anything.

"Well…you know, there's a Euchee tribe in Sapulpa" he shrugged. "It's about sixty miles from here. Someone out there might know the truth"

"All right" Dean nodded. "Thanks"

"Joe White Tree?" Sam asked, walking up to an Indian man in a diner. We were instructed to talk to him. The man nodded at the sound of his name. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's all right"

"We're students from the university" Dean said.

Joe shook his head. "No, you're not. You're lying"

Dean looked taken aback. No one ever really questioned our lies like that. "Well, truth is—" he was cut off.

"You know who starts sentence with "truth is"?" Joe asked. "Liars"

Dean looked at me, looking slightly offended. "Have you heard of Oasis Plains? It's a housing development near the Atoka Valley" Sam said, trying a new approach.

"I like him" Joe said, looking at Dean. "He's not a liar" Dean glared at him angrily. I smirked a little. Joe looked back at Sam "I know the area"

"What can you tell us about the history there?" I asked.

He gave me a curious glance, but didn't call me a liar. "Why do you wanna know?"

"Something…something bad is happening in Oasis Plains" Sam replied. "We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there –- Native American bones"

Joe sighed. "I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him" he started. "Two hundred years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American cavalry came to relocate them. They were resistant, the cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, on the night the moon and the sun share the sky as equals, the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next, and the next. And on the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time. And by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley. And it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry had brought upon his people"

"Insects" Dean sighed. "Sounds like nature to me. Six days"

"And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive" Joe added.

I glanced at Sam, uneasily. Oh crap. "Thank you for your time" I said to Joe, pulling Sam out with me. Dean followed.

"When did the gas company man die?" Sam asked.

"Uh, let's see, we got here Tuesday, so, Friday the twentieth" Dean replied, counting on his fingers.

"March twentieth?" Sam asked. Dean nodded. "That's the spring equinox"

"The night the sun and the moon share the sky as equals" Dean added, looking worried.

"So, every year about this time, anybody in Oasis Plains is in danger" Sam said. "Larry built this neighborhood on cursed land"

"Well then we have to break the curse before the sixth night" I said.

"And on the sixth night –-" Dean stopped. "That's tonight" Dean said, snapping his fingers.

"If we don't do something, Larry's family will be dead by sunrise. So how do we break the curse?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "You don't break a curse. You get out of its way. We've gotta get those people out now" We all got in the car.

Dean talked on the phone while he drove. "Yes, Mr. Pike, there's a mainline gas leak in your neighborhood" Dean said, coming up with a quick lie to get Larry out of the house. There was a pause. "Well, it's fairly extensive. I don't want to alarm you, but we need your family out of the vicinity for at least twelve hours or so, just to be safe" Another pause. "Travis Weaver. I work for Oklahoma Gas and Power" Dean's smirk fell. "Uh…" He panicked and hung up the phone.

"Nice" I remarked.

Sam sighed. "Give me the phone" he took the phone and dialed. "Matt, it's Sam" he said. "Matt, just listen. You have to get your family out of that house right now, okay?" he said.

"Because something's coming" he went on. "Yeah, a lot more"

I leaned forward. "My dad doesn't listen in the best of circumstances, what am I supposed to tell him?" Matt asked.

"You've gotta make him listen, okay?" Sam coaxed.

I took the phone from him. "Matt, its Lex, under no circumstances are you to tell the truth, they'll just think you're nuts" I sighed.

"But he's my—"

"Look, just tell him you have a sharp pain in your right side and you've gotta go to the hospital, okay?" I said.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay" He remarked. I hung up.

"Make him listen? What are you thinking'?" I scoffed.

We pulled up to the house. The lights were still on. "Damn it, they're still here. Come on" Dean said, getting out of the car.

"Get off my property before I call the cops" Larry shouted, running out of the house, Matt on his heels.

"Mr. Pike, listen" Sam said.

"Dad, they're just tryin' to help" Matt sighed.

Larry glared at him. "Get in the house!"

"I'm sorry. I told him the truth" Matt said to me.

"It's okay" I said, small smile. I probably wouldn't have been able to lie to my father either.

"We had a plan, Matt, what happened to the plan?" Dean demanded.

"Look, it's 12:00 AM. They are coming any minute now. You need to get your family and go, before it's too late" Sam urged.

"Yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm" Larry scoffed.

"Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy? You don't think somethin' weird's goin' on here?" Sam asked.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy. You come near my boy or my family again, and we're gonna have a problem"

"Well, I hate to be a downer, but we've got a problem right now" Dean remarked.

"Dad, they're right, okay? We're in danger" Matt spoke up.

"Matt, get inside! Now!"

Matt took a step in front of him. "No! Why won't you listen to me?"

"Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Look, this land is cursed! People have died here. Now, are you gonna really take that risk with your family?" Sam asked.

"Guys" I said listening. "You hear it?" A loud buzzing noise was coming from not too far off.

"What the hell?" Larry asked. The bug light began to go into overtime, overheating from killing so many bugs.

"All right, it's time to go. Larry, get your wife" Dean instructed.

"Guys" Matt pointed. I looked up. Millions of bugs started to make themselves known, covering the sky like a cloud.

"We'll never make it" Sam exclaimed.

"Everybody in the house" Dean said, pushing me. "Everybody in the house, go!" we ran inside and locked the door.

"Okay, is there anybody else in the neighborhood?" Sam asked.

Larry shook his head, turning white as a sheet. "No, it's just us"

His wife came out of the kitchen. "Honey, what's happening? What's that noise?" she asked

"Call 911" Larry shouted. She didn't move. "Joanie!"

She picked up the phone and dialed. "I need towels" Dean said.

"Uh, in the closet" he pointed. I ran with Dean to go and get them. He handed me a bunch, and I started pushing them under the doorway.

"Okay, we've gotta lock this place up, come on –- doors, windows, fireplace, everything, okay?" Sam said to Matt. They ran upstairs.

Joanie looked up, scared. "Phones are dead"

"They must have chewed through the phone lines" Dean said, kneeling next to me. The power went out. "And the power lines"

"I need my cell" Larry cried, trying to dial. "No signal"

"You won't get one." Dean said. "They're blanketing the house"

"These are some smart bugs" I stated. Millions upon millions of bugs started to hit windows and doors. It was gross and creepy. We couldn't do anything but wait.

"So what do we do now?" Larry asked as we just sort of stood there. Sam and Matt had closed up everything, and were waiting with us.

"We try to outlast it. Hopefully, the curse will end at sunrise" Sam said.

Larry shot him a frightened look. "Hopefully?"

I leaned into Sam, scared out of my mind. "This is the worst case ever" I stated.

Dean came back from the kitchen holding a can. "Bug spray?" Joanie asked.

"Trust me" Dean stated, looking confident. I really didn't think that one little can of bug spray was going to help, but hey, whatever. A loud creaking noise came from the fireplace.

"What is that?" Matt asked.

Sam looked scared. "The flue"

"All right, I think everybody needs to get upstairs" Dean said, pulling me off the couch. Thousands of bugs came pouring into the living room. I screamed and flailed my arms like a mad man. "All right, everybody upstairs! Now! Go, go, go!" he yelled. We ran up, going all the way to the attic, Sam closing the doors behind us.

"Now we're tapped up here" I shouted, looking at Dean. He let the fire he had been using the bug spray can for go out. Sawdust fell from the ceiling. The buzz was getting louder.

"Oh, God, what's that?" Joanie cried.

"Something's eating through the wood" Dean said, inspecting it.

"Termites" Matt stated.

"All right, everybody get back. Get back, get back, get back!" Dean shouted. The Pikes headed back, but I stayed with Dean and Sam. I wasn't going to just hide while they got eaten. Dean probably would have argued, but the bugs broke through.

I tried to help Sam patch the hole, by using some piece of board to close it up. This hardly worked at all. More holes began forming, and more bugs swarmed in. Dean tried to ward them off with the bug spray, but nothing seemed to be working. Dean grabbed me, making a shield between me and the bugs, forcing me into the corner with the Pikes. He swatted while I tried to help. We were so going to die. We were screwed.

All the sudden, the bugs stopped. They flew off, leaving us alone in the attic. Dean got off of me, and headed to the hole in the ceiling. I followed. Just over the edge of the trees, the sun was rising. We were saved.

The sun was almost up now, a day later. We rested in the car for awhile, as Larry was already packing to leave the house.

"What, no goodbye?" Dean smirked.

"Good timing" Larry smiled. "Another hour and we'd have been gone."

"For good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. The development's been put on hold while the government investigates those bones you found. But I'm gonna make damn sure no one lives here again." Larry sighed.

"You don't seem too upset about it" Sam said.

"Well, this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career, but…" he paused and looked at Matt. "…somehow, I really don't care" Sam smiled and walked over to Matt. I hung back for a moment.

"Hey" I said, approaching a few minutes later. Sam left, giving me a smile. "Throwing out your bugs"

"Yeah" he sighed. "I don't think bugs are my thing anymore"

I laughed. "For some reason, that actually makes me feel that you're less insane"

He smiled at me, and then frowned. "How come you weren't mad?" he asked.

I shot him a confused look. "About the bugs?"

"No" he said. "I told my dad when you told me not too. How come you didn't get mad?"

"Because" I sighed. "I know how hard it is to lie to your family" I glanced back at Sam and Dean.

"Yeah" he said. "Well me and my dad are getting along better now, so, that's good I guess"

"That's great" I smiled.

"I hope you and your brothers work stuff out with your dad" he said. "I know you guys don't get along well" I gave him a small smile. He figured that out in only a few days. "Especially you"

I blushed. "Thanks" I sighed. "As soon as I talk to him, I'm sure going to try" Matt smiled and tossed his last box into the trash.

"Um…" he stuttered. "I-"he leaned in and kissed me. I smiled, a little in shock. "See you" he said, going back to his dad.

I bit my lip and walked back to the car.

"All the things I said to him. He was just doin' the best he could" Sam said as I approached the car.

"Well, don't worry, we'll find him" Dean said, putting an arm around me. "And then you'll apologize. And then within five minutes, you guys will be at each other's throats"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, probably." We sat in silence for a second. "We saw that by the way, Lex"

My face turned bright red. "Shut up, or I swear to god…"

"Let's hit the road" Sam said, cutting me off.

"Let's" Dean said, giving me a goofy grin. He patted me on the back.

"I thought you didn't want me to date" I scoffed.

"I don't" he said, shaking his head. "But your little teen puppy love is cute" I punched him, blushing again. Sam was driving, and I sat in the front. The back still smelled like death. I hugged my knees to my chest as we drove, not really saying anything.

We got on the highway, and I was ready to explode. "You really think we're ever going to find dad?" I asked suddenly.

Dean gave me a small smile. "Of course I do" he said. "He's gotta turn up sooner or later"

"But in the meantime, we're gonna keep doing this?" I asked. "Just travel around, killing things?"

"He left his journal for a reason" Dean said, looking out the window.

"Whatever" I sighed, going back to looking straight ahead and pretending that I wasn't going to cry. I couldn't cry, right? I was Alexis freaking Winchester, and I don't cry. So suck it, emotions.

"You got a problem with us helping people" Dean asked.

"Dean…"Sam sighed warningly. Dean ignored him, just staring at me, waiting for my response.

"No" I replied. "I have a problem with traipsing around the globe, pretending that Dad just took a vacation. He's fucking missing, Dean"

"Watch your language" he sighed. "And I know. We are looking for him. We check every couple days. There's not much more we can do" He gave me an annoyed look. "You know dad. If he doesn't want to be found, we ain't gonna find him"

"I know" I stated.

"Then what do you want me to say?" he asked. I said nothing. "God, you are so annoying" I punched him as hard as I could.

"Just shut up" I said. "I'm so sorry I have feelings Dean. I know you don't but—"

"Alexis, don't start with me" he growled. "Or I swear to god…"

"What you gonna hit me? Ground me?" I asked. "You're not my father, Dean. My father is missing" The car swerved to a stop on the side of the road.

"Will you two stop it?" Sam demanded. "This argument is stupid!" Dean and I were silent. "Yeah, dad is missing. We're going to find him. End of story. Okay?" Dean just grunted, and I mumbled a short yeah whatever. Then we drove again. In absolute silence. For the next 50 miles. And my brothers wondered why I never wanted to talk about my feelings. This was exactly why. And yet, sometimes I just couldn't hold it in, so I would try, and end up more pissed off than I was when I started. And I tell myself to never try this again.

Why don't I ever listen to me?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

I was sharing a bed with Sam when he randomly shot up, looking scared, in the middle of the night. I flipped over. "What's wrong?" I asked, even though I already knew.

"Nothing" He said, lying back down. "Go back to sleep" He had another nightmare. Except this time, I had the intense feeling that it hadn't been about Jess. It was something else. I faced away from him, not wanting to let him know that I wasn't going to go back to sleep. I was going to stay up and make sure he was alright. I wasn't stupid. He was waiting for me to fall back asleep, and I wasn't going to. He just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

I let myself breathe easier, trying to convince him that I was out. Once he was satisfied, he got out of bed and started writing on a piece of paper. "What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up.

"I thought I told you to go back to sleep" he groaned.

"You did" I smiled. "But why don't you?" He put down the paper and pen and lied back down. "Sam?" I asked. "What was your nightmare about?"

"Nothing" he stated. "Just a woman"

"That makes it sound dirty" I smirked. Sam slapped me on the arm. "Who was she?"

"I don't know" he said. "But it was in a house"

"Okay?" I stated. "And?"

"And she was screaming" he said, flipping onto his side.

Dean stirred in his sleep. "You're really not helping the whole, dirty dream, factor here" I stated. He lay back down. "Was this like your other dreams?" I asked. He sighed and faced me. "Well?"

"I don't know" he said. I stared at the ceiling in annoyance. He nudged me in the side and I squirmed away. "You still ticklish?"

"Just go to sleep" I said, turning. He laughed and poked me in the side.

I squirmed into the blankets. "You remember when you were little and Dean would tickle you to stop crying?" he asked. I tensed up, knowing where this was going.

"Shh, I'm sleeping" I stated, and went back to trying to sleep. I went onto my stomach and buried my face in the pillow like I always did when I was trying to fall asleep. It was weird how some things never changed. The next morning, Dean was on the laptop, and Sam was still pretty out of it. I had taken a shower and was repacking my stuff. Not that I ever really unpacked it.

"All right. I've been cruisin' some websites. I think I found a few candidates for our next gig" Dean sighed. I nodded nonchalantly, mostly because I could care less what we did. I just wanted to kill something and find my father. "A fishing trawler found off the coast of Cali –- its crew vanished" He stated. "And, uh, we got some cattle mutilations in West Texas" I listened, and glanced at Sam. He was looking at the picture he drew last night. "Hey" Dean called. Sam looked up. "Am I boring you with this hunting evil stuff?" he asked.

"No. I'm listening. Keep going" Sam stated, looking back down.

"And, here, a Sacramento man shot himself in the head. Three times" Dean said. He waved his hand in front of Sam's face. "Any of these things blowin' up your skirt, pal?"

"Wait" he said suddenly. "I've seen this"

"Seen what?" Dean asked, giving him a confused glance. Sam got up and went searching through his stuff. Dean looked to me, as though I might have a clue what was going on. I just shrugged.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He pulled out a picture from when he and Dean were so little I wasn't even born yet.

"Guys, I know where we have to go next" He smiled.

"Where?" Dean asked. "Back home –- back to Kansas" Sam replied.

"Okay, random" Dean said, looking as confused as I felt. We had never been home since we left for good when I was only like eight months old. "Where'd that come from?"

"All right, um, this photo was taken in front of our old house, right?" Sam said, trying to explain. "The house where Mom died?"

"Yeah…" I stated, looking at the picture.

"And it didn't burn down, right? I mean, not completely, they rebuilt it, right?"

"I guess so, yeah" Dean nodded. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"Okay, look, this is gonna sound crazy but….the people who live in our old house –- I think they might be in danger" Sam said. He looked at me, pleading with me to believe him. I nodded, already on the same page. This had something to do with his dream last night. And if he had been right about Jessica, well then I sort of had to believe him, didn't I?

"Why would you think that?" Dean asked.

"Uh…it's just, um….look, just trust me on this, okay?" Sam stuttered. He got up, but Dean followed him.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, trust you?" Dean asked. Sam just gave him a sheepish look. "Come on, man, that's weak. You gotta give me a little bit more than that"

"I can't really explain it is all" Sam said. I stood up, not knowing what to do. If I said a word, I would give away Sam's secret, and in the Winchester household, that was as good as death.

"Well, tough. I'm not goin' anywhere until you do" Dean went on. Sam sighed, while Dean stared at him expectantly.

"I think you should tell him, Sam" I spoke up, coming closer to him. "He's our brother"

"Wait" Dean said. "You know, and I don't?" I nodded shyly. "Well now you have to tell me" He stated, glaring at Sam. Sam gave a defeated sigh.

"I have these nightmares" he said finally.

Dean nodded. "I've noticed"

"And sometimes….they come true" Sam went on.

Dean looked stunned. "Come again?"

"Look, Dean….I dreamt about Jessica's death –- for days before it happened" Sam said, trying to get him to understand.

"Sam, people have weird dreams, man. I'm sure it's just a coincidence" he said, sitting on the bed.

"No, I dreamt about the blood dripping, her on the ceiling, the fire, everything, and I didn't do anything about it 'cause I didn't believe it" Sam sighed. "And now I'm dreaming about that tree, about our house, and about some woman inside screaming for help. I mean, that's where it all started, man, this has to mean something, right?"

"I don't know" Dean said after a moment. "You believe this?" he asked me.

"Yeah" I said, sitting next to him. "I do"

"What do you mean you don't know, Dean?" Sam asked. "This woman might be in danger. I mean, this might even be the thing that killed Mom and Jessica!"

"All right, just slow down, would ya?" Dean said, starting to pace. He always did that when he needed to think quickly. "I mean, first you tell me that you've got the Shining? And then you tell me that I've gotta go back home? Especially when…."

"When what?" Sam asked.

Dean looked at us sadly. "When I swore to myself that I would never go back there?"

"Look, Dean, we have to check this out. Just to make sure" Sam said, almost pleading with him.

Dean nodded, grabbing his bag. "I know we do" He grabbed the arsenal bag, and left.

I grabbed my bag while Sam cleaned up a little and headed out to make sure he wasn't going to shoot someone. "Hand me that knife" he said, and I did.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Because me and Sammy can do this on our own, you know, if you don't want to—"

"No, I'm not letting spoon bender go off with scary psychic girl" he stated. I was a little taken aback. I wasn't psychic, I just knew when my family was in danger. Geez. "And how come you didn't tell me?" he demanded.

"Because Sammy didn't want me to" I said, as though it was obvious. "It's not like you two don't keep secrets from me"

He glared at me. "Name one"

"Um, hello?" I said, waving my gun around a little. "You didn't tell me that any of this was real until I got_ attacked_ by it"

"That's different" he said. "We were trying to protect you"

"Well I was trying to protect you" I said, tossing my bag in the trunk. "So there" I added, as I hopped in the car.

We got there a little after noon the next day. The house looked just like it always had, maybe a little older, a little more worn down, but the same, nonetheless. I had to admit, I was scared to go in. It wasn't like this place was filled with happy memories. I never actually thought about coming to this place. From all I remembered, dad packed and left with us when I was only eight months. He cut all cords, he lost every connection, pulled Dean and Sam out of school, and we left. For good. Not that I blamed him. He had gone off the deep end a little when mom died.

No, wait, he went off the deep end before that, back when it happened the first time. When Sam was little, and my mom almost died in the fire upstairs. He got Sam and Dean out, and then my mom. She had said that she had seen a person in there. There had been someone in Sam's nursery. My dad must've figured out all the supernatural stuff between Sam and me, because by the time I was born, he was already hunting, unannounced to my mom, and Sam and Dean. Then when I came along, the thing came for me too. And killed my mom in the process.

Sam and I were sharing a room, and Sam swears he remembers everything, even though he was only like 5. I couldn't remember anything. Not one tiny detail. I only knew what my dad and brothers had told me about the fire and the blood. I shuddered. This wasn't something that I like to think about. My past was blotted with death. I mean, I killed my first creature of the darkness when I was twelve.

_We had been watching the damn thing for a week now. It was just me and dad, on the road together, which now looking back I realize was just asking for trouble. Dad and I didn't do too well alone together on hunts. He told me to go right, and I went left. Not because I wanted too, just, because, well…I thought I knew better. Most of the time I didn't. _

_Anyway, we were watching the werewolf intently from the truck. Dean had taken the Impala to go out that night, leaving me and dad to finish the hunt by ourselves. Sam had left almost a month prior, and soon after dad decided that it was time for me to start hunting for real. I was so excited. I hadn't ever gone on a real hunt before. I had gotten caught in the crossfire before, and maybe helped burn a few bones, but was never in on the real action. This was my chance to prove myself. I didn't want to be daddy's little girl anymore. _

_The guy came out of the alley at a high speed run. Dad ran out of the car, and I followed right behind him, the silver bullet loaded gun in tow. We rounded the corner, and the guy was gone. "Stay close" he instructed. I nodded, keeping close behind him. My heart was beating in my chest, resounding in my ears. Why did Dean like this so much? I wondered. This was enough to give anyone a heart attack. _

_Out of nowhere, the werewolf popped out and threw me away from my father. I went flying into the wall, smacking my head on the brick. I lay crumpled on the ground as my dad shot a few rounds into the air, missing the werewolf by inches. My head was spinning, and blood was dripping down my forehead. But nevertheless, I did as my dad taught me and got my ass off the concrete, going to help him. _

_The werewolf hit the gun out of dad's hands, and punched him down. He fell, scrambling to get over to the gun. The werewolf pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. He pushed against him, trying not to let his fangs get anywhere near his neck. _

_I stood up, grabbed the gun, and stared for not more than five seconds before sending the entire magazine into the damn thing, the recoil making me shake. He fell dead, and I stared, trying not to cry. My dad got off the ground panting, and patting me on the shoulder. _

"_Good job" he said. "Let's go" I hesitated, staring at the dead thing on front of me. That thing had been human once. I had killed. I had shot something, and killed it. Blood was pooling around it, and somewhere inside of me, something clicked. I wasn't daddy's little girl anymore._

"You gonna be all right, man?" Sam asked, bringing me out of my memory, and back to the house in front of us.

"Let me get back to you on that" Dean said, getting out of the Impala. I followed to the front door, feeling slightly nauseas. A nice blonde woman answered the door, looking slightly flustered. I glanced at Sammy, seeing the recognition light up on his face. This was the same woman from his dream.

She looked curiously at us. "Yes?" she asked.

Dean took a hold, already putting on his lying face. "Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we're with the Federal—"

"I'm Sam Winchester, and this is my brother, Dean and my sister Alexis" Sam said, interrupting him. "We used to live here. You know, we were just drivin' by, and we were wondering if we could come see the old place" I shot him a confused look.

"Winchester" the woman said, in thought. "Yeah, that's so funny. You know, I think I found some of your photos the other night" I was shocked. "You did?" Dean asked.

She nodded and stepped aside. "Come on in" she smiled. "I'm Jenny" She let us in, and I glanced around, trying to see if anything seemed familiar. From the look on Dean's face, it seemed like he definitely thought so. I felt so left out with all of this. We were led to the kitchen, where a young girl was doing her homework and another toddler was jumping in his playpen.

"Juice! Juice! Juice! Juice!" he shouted excitedly.

The woman smiled. "That's Ritchie. He's kind of a juice junkie" she laughed. She handed him a sippy cup. "But, hey, at least he won't get dirty" She walked over to the girl and pointed to us. "Sari, this is Sam, Alexis and Dean. They used to live here"

"Hi" She smiled. I gave a halfhearted wave.

"So, you just moved in?" Dean questioned. He was still on I'm-on-a-job-and-I-still-need-to-get-it-done mode.

"Yeah, from Wichita" she nodded.

Dean gave a nod. "You got family here, or….?"

"No" she said, shaking her head. "I just, uh….needed a fresh start, that's all. So, new town, new job –- I mean, as soon as I find one. New house."

Sam smiled. "So, how you liking' it so far?"

"Well, uh, all due respect to your childhood home –- I mean, I'm sure you had lots of happy memories here" she said sheepishly. I gave a weak smile. Hell yeah, happy memories my ass. "But this place has its issues" she sighed.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, it's just getting old. Like the wiring, you know? We've got flickering lights almost hourly" she sighed. I felt my throat close up. Flickering lights?

"Oh, that's too bad" Dean sighed, trying not to show the fear in his voice. He couldn't hide it from me though. I could read him like a book. "What else?"

"Um…sink's backed up, there's rats in the basement" she listed, then stopped. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain"

"No" Dean scoffed. "Have you seen the rats or have you just heard scratching?"

She looked at us like Dean was nuts, but then thought for a second. "It's just the scratching, actually"

"Mom?" Sari whispered. Jenny leaned close to her. "Ask them if it was here when they lived here"

"What, Sari?" I asked, coming closer to her.

"The thing in my closet" she stated, sounding genuinely scared.

"Oh, no, baby, there was nothing in their closets" Jenny smiled. She looked to me. "Right?"

"Right" I laughed. "No, no, of course not"

"She had a nightmare the other night" Jenny explained.

"I wasn't dreaming" Sari insisted. "It came into my bedroom –- and it was on fire" I glanced at Sam and Dean, noting the shocked look on their faces.

"Well Sari" I said, leaning close to her. "Can you keep a secret?" Her eyes widened and she slowly nodded. "Pinky promise?"I asked, knowing that if I did that she would really believe me. She clasped her pinky with mine and gave me a worried look. "Okay, well when I was really little and I still lived here, I was scared sometimes at night too, but my brothers taught me a secret"

"What?" she asked, more fascinated by the second.

"Every night before you go to sleep, you check the closet, and then nothing can sneak in there while you sleep" I replied. "It's always worked for me"

"You still check your closet?" she asked, looking doubtful.

I nodded vigorously. "Yeah, every night" I smiled, glancing at Sam. "Right, Sammy?" He nodded. Sari smiled and looked satisfied, so I stood up straight. "Well, I think we should be going, right Dean?"

"Yeah" he smiled. "Thanks for letting us see the house"

"You hear that?" Sam asked as soon as we were out of earshot. "A figure on fire"

"And that woman, Jenny, that was the woman in your dream?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. And you hear what she was talking about? Scratching, flickering lights, both signs of a malevolent spirit"

"So the house is definitely haunted" I stated. "I mean, Sari seemed real freaked"

"Yeah, well, I'm just freaked out that your weirdo visions are comin' true" Dean scoffed.

Sam looked panicked. "Well, forget about that for a minute. The thing in the house, do you think it's the thing that killed Mom and Jessica?"

"I don't know!" Dean said.

"Well, I mean, has it come back or has it been here the whole time?" Sam asked.

"Or maybe it's something else entirely, Sam, we don't know yet" Dean said, trying to calm him down.

"Well, those people are in danger, Dean. We have to get 'em out of that house" Sam said.

"And we will" Dean nodded.

"No, I mean now" Sam said, pointing back at the house.

"And how you gonna do that, huh?" Dean asked. "You got a story that she's gonna believe?" Sam looked to me for help, but I just sighed.

"Sorry Sam, Dean's right. We have nothing"

Sam shrugged. "Then what are we supposed to do?" he asked desperately.

"Maybe we should check the closet" Dean said, giving me a stupid smile. I just glared at him. "That seems to be the answer to all of Lexie's problems"

"Shut up" I sighed, sliding into the backseat of the Impala.

"Seriously" Dean continued getting into the car and driving to the gas station on the corner. "Where did you get that from?"

I glared at him, a little hurt. "It's what you used to tell me" The look on his face told it all. He remembered now. About how when we were younger, and I hadn't known yet, and I was scared of the dark, and he would tell me that when he checked, they disappeared and were too scared to come back. He gave me a small smile, and turned to Sam.

"We just gotta chill out, that's all" he stated. "You know, if this was any other kind of job, what would we do?"

Sam gave a long sigh. "We'd try to figure out what we were dealin' with. We'd dig into the history of the house"

"Exactly, except this time, we already know what happened" Dean said.

"Yeah, but how much do we know?" Sam asked. "I mean, how much do you actually remember?"

"About that night, you mean?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "Not much. I remember the fire…the heat" He paused. "And then I carried you two out the front door"

"What?" I asked, surprised. It wasn't like I remembered any of it.

"You did?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, what, you two never knew that?" Dean asked. I shook my head. "And, well, you know Dad's story as well as I do. Mom was….was on the ceiling. And whatever put her there was long gone by the time Dad found her"

"And he never had a theory about what did it?" Sam asked.

"If he did, he kept it to himself. God knows we asked him enough times"

"It's not like he ever wanted to talk about it" I added, leaning forward. "At least not to me" Dean put an arm around my shoulder, but it really didn't make me feel much better.

"Okay. So, if we're gonna figure out what's goin' on now…we have to figure out what happened back then. And see if it's the same thing" Sam stated. "Yeah. We'll talk to Dad's friends, neighbors, people who were there at the time"

"Does this feel like just another job to you?" Sam asked, looking at Dean sadly.

Dean paused for a minute, and then gave a small sigh. "I'll be right back" he said. "I gotta go to the bathroom" He walked away and rounded the corner.

"Sam" I said. "I don't think we should do this job"

He gave me a surprised and confused look. "We have too. You heard that little girl—"

"Yeah" I said slowly. "I know, but…I mean…I don't know if I can. What if we find out something bad? About mom"

"You mean like what killed her?" Sam asked. "I don't know"

"Yeah" I sighed. "I'm just…"

"Yeah, I know" Sam said giving me a small smile. "It's alright" I sighed and rested my head on the seat. "You think Dean really went to the bathroom?" he asked me, a knowing look on his face.

"No" I said, "He went to call dad" I thought for a second. "I can read you guys like a book"

"No you can't" he scoffed. "Tell me what I'm thinking right now"

"Besides the obvious, Lex you are so wrong?" I asked. "Your thinking about how you want to know what's in our old house so bad, and hopes it's the thing that killed mom, so that you can destroy it. But at the same time you're terrified that it's the thing that killed mom because dad's not here, and he should be. And you feel scared because your vision came true. And you don't know what that means" I paused, reading the apparent shock and uncomfortable look on his face. "That about cover it?"

He nodded. "You're scary"

I laughed, "Just what every girl wants to hear" I paused. "But seriously, you two are like freaking open books"

"Well I can read you too, you know" he smiled. "You feel scared to go in the house because it was never really yours. I mean, it was but…and you feel the same way about mom's killer. You want to find it, but you don't want to. And you miss dad, and you feel like he's abandoned you. And you're scared"

"That about covers it" I stated dully, as Dean came back, his eyes slightly red. I knew he had been either crying, or trying not to cry. I gave Sam a look, and leaned back. "Where to Dean?"

"The garage" he said with a grunt. "

"The one where dad worked?" I asked. I couldn't remember it at all either. Dean just nodded and we drove up the block.

We got out of the Impala, and Dean walked up to some guy. "Are you the owner?" he asked.

"Yeah" the guy said, wiping his hands on a towel. "What's it to you?"

"Did you know John Winchester?" Sam asked, holding out a fake badge.

The man thought for a moment, then looked surprised. "Hell yeah I did. We worked the garage together before he took off"

"So you and John Winchester, you used to own this garage together?" Dean asked in surprise as we followed the man into the garage.

"Yeah, we used to, a long time ago. Matter of fact, it must be, uh…twenty years since John disappeared" he mused. "So why the cops interested all of a sudden?"

"Oh, we're re-opening some of our unsolved cases, and the Winchester disappearance is one of 'em." Dean remarked.

"Oh, well, what do you wanna know about John?" the guy asked.

"Well, whatever you remember, you know, whatever sticks out in your mind" Dean replied, glancing around a little.

"Well…he was a stubborn bastard, I remember that" he laughed. "And, uh, whatever the game, he hated to lose, you know? It's that whole Marine thing" That sure sounded like my father. Stubborn about everything from losing at poker, to what I watched on TV. "But, oh, he sure loved Mary. And he doted on those kids" At the mention of us, I looked to Dean, but he was emotionless.

"But that was before the fire?" Sam asked.

"That's right" he nodded. "He ever talk about that night?"

"No, not at first" he sighed. "I think he was in shock"

"Right. But eventually? What did he say about it?" Sam asked, really wanting some sort of answer.

"Oh, he wasn't thinkin' straight. He said somethin' caused that fire and killed Mary" the man remarked.

"He ever says what did it?" Dean asked.

"Nothin' did it" the man said, looking annoyed. "It was an accident –- an electrical short in the ceiling or walls or somethin'. I begged him to get some help, but…."

"But what?" I asked, as he trailed off.

"Oh, he just got worse and worse" the man replied.

"How?" I asked.

"Oh, he started reading' these strange ol' books. He started goin' to see this palm reader in town"

"Palm reader?" Dean asked shooting me a look. "Uh, do you have a name?"

Dad's old friend scoffed. "No" He shot us a confused look. "Why are you re-opening the cases?" he asked.

"Just double checking that we didn't miss anything important" Sam said with a shrug. "But thank you for your time"

We left, getting into the Impala and stopping at a pay phone. We needed a phone book. "All right, so there are a few psychics and palm readers in town" Sam said, glancing at the book. "There's someone named El Divino. There's, uh –-" he laughed. "There's the Mysterious Mister Fortinsky. Uh, Missouri Moseley—"

"Wait, wait. Missouri Moseley?" Dean asked.

"What?" Sam asked, looking confused.

"That's a psychic?" "

Uh, yeah" Sam said, looking at me like I would know what Dean was going on about. "Yeah, I guess so"

"Gimme the journal" he said, holding out his hand to me. I grabbed it off the seat and tossed it to him. "In Dad's journal…here, look at this" he said, opening to the first page. "First page, first sentence, read that"

Sam read out loud. "I went to Missouri and I learned the truth"

Dean shrugged. "I always thought he meant the state"

We made it to Missouri Mosley's house in a matter of a few minutes. Lawrence was a small town. She was a heavy set African American woman with an attitude to match even Dean's. When we got there she was with someone else, so we waited on her couch. Her house was decorated normally for a psychic. "All right, there" she smiled, letting the man out the door. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing. Your wife is crazy about you" The man looked relieved, and gave her a smile as he walked out the door. She sighed, "Whew. Poor bastard. His woman is cold-bangin' the gardener" she remarked, looking at us.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Dean asked, eyebrows raised.

"People don't come here for the truth" She said. "They come for good news" I looked at Sam, and then just sort of stared at the woman. "Well? Lexie, Sam and Dean, come on already, I ain't got all day" She left without another word and I got up to follow her into the next room. "Well, Lemme look at ya" she laughed. "Oh, you boys grew up handsome" she said. She pointed at Dean. "And you were one goofy-lookin' kid, too" Dean just glared at her, while I smirked. "And Lexie, you're so beautiful, just like your mother" she said, putting a hand on my face.

"Sam" she said, grabbing his hand. "Oh, honey…I'm sorry about your girlfriend. And your father –- he's missin'?" I was surprised.

"How'd you know all that?" Sam asked. "

Well, you were just thinkin' it just now" she said as though it was obvious.

"Well, where is he? Is he okay?" Dean asked.

"I don't know" she said, shaking her head.

"Don't know? Well, you're supposed to be a psychic, right?" Dean demanded.

"Boy, you see me sawin' some bony tramp in half?" she asked, angrily. "You think I'm a magician? I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air" She motioned to the chair. "Sit, please" she said. I sat down, and put my head in my hands. "Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I'm 'a whack you with a spoon!" Missouri said suddenly, making me jump.

"I didn't do anything" Dean insisted.

Missouri narrowed her eyes. "But you were thinkin' about it" Dean just raised his eyebrows at her, and Sam and I shared a smile. I liked this lady.

"Okay. So, our dad –- when did you first meet him?" Sam asked.

"He came for a reading. A few days after the fire" she said. "I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say…I drew back the curtains for him"

"What about the fire?" Dean asked. "Do you know about what killed our mom?"

"A little. Your daddy took me to your house. He was hopin' I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints of this thing" Missouri said.

"And could you?" I asked, leaning forward a little.

"I…." she stuttered, shaking her head.

"What was it?" Sam asked. "

I don't know" she said. "Oh, but it was evil"

"We'll its back" I said, sitting back. "Or something is at least"

"So…you think somethin' is back in that house?" she asked, surprised.

"Definitely" Sam said, with a nod.

"I don't understand" she said. "I haven't been back inside, but I've been keepin' an eye on the place, and it's been quiet. No sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why is it actin' up now?"

"I don't know" Sam shrugged. "But Dad going missing and Jessica dying and now this house all happening at once –- it just feels like something's starting"

"That's a comforting thought" Dean remarked, earning himself a little glare from Missouri. "Well, what should we do? Just stake out the house tonight?"

"Maybe we should take Missouri there" I suggested, Dean giving me the death stare. He didn't like Missouri. I could tell. That was a perk.

"I don't know baby" Missouri said, sounding sad. "I'm not sure it would be worth it"

"But maybe you could, I don't know-"

"Yeah" she said, reading my thoughts. "Okay, we should go then" She stood up as Sam and I followed, with Dean grumbling and coming up the rear.

We took the Impala back to the house, and I couldn't help but think that something bad was going to happen. I mean, this was not a normal case. Emotions were running high. That was dangerous. You had to be focused when you were on a case. Not worried about your family issues. "Sam, Alexis, Dean. What are you doing here?" Jenny asked as she answered the door.

"Hey, Jenny. This is our friend, Missouri" Sam smiled, pointing to her.

"If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show her the old house. You know, for old time's sake" Dean said.

"You know, this isn't a good time. I'm kind of busy" she said softly, looking flustered.

Dean put a hand up. "Listen, Jenny, it's important" Missouri smacked Dean upside the head. "Ow!" he exclaimed, looking confused.

"Give the poor girl a break, can't you see she's upset?" she asked, looking at Dean angrily. She looked to Jenny. "Forgive this boy, he means well, he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed, but hear me out"

Dean gave me a stunned look, while I tried to hold back a laugh, Sam putting a hand on my shoulder. He was choking back a laugh too. Jenny just looked confused. "About what?"

"About this house" Missouri said, motioning around her.

"What are you talking about?" Jenny demanded.

"I think you know what I'm talking about" Missouri said, probably reading her thoughts as we spoke. "You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?"

Jenny narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"We're people who can help, who can stop this thing. But you're gonna have to trust us, just a little" she said, as Jenny just looked unsure. She stepped sideways to let us in the house. We entered, and Missouri just led us upstairs into the far left room. It was Sari's bedroom. "If there's a dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it" Missouri said, with a sigh.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"This used to be yours and Sam's nursery" she replied. "This is where it all happened" I looked to Sam, but he didn't seem to remember much of it. We both glanced at the ceiling, then shared a worried look. "That an EMF?" Missouri said to Dean. He nodded. "Amateur" she remarked.

Dean glared at her, and then looked down at the EMF. He held it up, showing Sam and I that it was going crazy. "I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this ain't the thing that took your mom" Missouri said.

"Wait, are you sure?" Sam asked. She nodded, and I took a step forward. "How do you know?"

"It isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's somethin' different" she stated.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

Missouri shrugged. "Not it" she said, opening the closet. "Them. There's more than one spirit in this place"

"What are they doing here?" Dean demanded.

"They're here because of what happened to your family" she said. "You see, all those years ago, real evil came to you. It walked this house. That kind of evil leaves wounds. And sometimes, wounds get infected"

"I don't understand" I said, confused. My house was a wound? What?

"This place is a magnet for paranormal energy" Missouri went on. "It's attracted a poltergeist. A nasty one. And it won't rest until Jenny and her babies are dead"

"You said there was more than one spirit" Sam said.

Missouri sighed. "There is. I just can't quite make out the second one"

"Well, one thing's for damn sure –- nobody's dyin' in this house ever again." Dean said with a finality.

"So whatever is here, how do we stop it?" I glanced from Sam, to Dean, then to Missouri. No one seemed to have a clue.

"We need to get back to my house" Missouri said, sounding irritated. "I need to get supplies" We went back to Missouri's house and sat at her table while she gathered supplies.

"So, what is all this stuff, anyway?" Dean asked, looking at all the miscellaneous odds and ends on the table. There seemed to be roots and herbs or something.

"Angelica Root, Van Van oil, crossroad dirt, a few other odds and ends" Missouri stated.

"Yeah? What are we supposed to do with it?" Dean asked.

"We're gonna put them inside the walls in the north, south, east, west corners on each floor of the house" She replied.

Dean scoffed. "We'll be punchin' holes in the dry wall. Jenny's gonna love that"

Missouri gave him a sly look. "She'll live"

"And this'll destroy the spirits?" Sam asked. Missouri nodded.

"Both of them?" I added.

"It should" Missouri replied. "It should purify the house completely. We'll each take a floor. But we work fast. Once the spirits realize what we're up to, things are gonna get bad"

"Look, I'm not sure I'm comfortable leaving you guys here alone" Jenny said, as Missouri and I sort of forced her and her kids out of the house.

"Just take your kids to the movies or somethin', and it'll be over by the time you get back" Missouri smiled. Jenny gave her an unsure look, but got in the car nevertheless. I walked back inside, heading to one of the corners, a bag in my hand. I kicked a hole in the drywall with the toe of my shoe, and stuffed the little back of Missouri's concoction in.

Missouri motioned for me to follow her. "Your brothers can get this floor. We'll take the basement" she smiled. I nodded and we headed downstairs. I went to one corner and she took another. In a matter of seconds, I heard her scream. A chest had pinned her to the wall. I ran to try and help her, but she was trapped. The chest had her pinned tight.

She grimaced in pain. "Keep going, baby" she said. I hesitated, but grabbed the bag from her and tried to get it to the wall. "Watch out!" she yelled. I glanced up in time to see her pointing behind me. A wrench flew from halfway across the room, bashing me in the head.

There was nothingness. Dark dark nothingness.

I felt a pain in my head but it was a dull aching pain, like when you have a headache. I couldn't see a thing, not even outlines of shapes or anything. I was blind. I felt like I was moving, but I couldn't be sure. For some reason, I felt terrified all the sudden. I could hardly move. I could barely breathe. There was something watching me. I panicked; wishing Sam or Dean, or hell even Missouri was there. "Your fault" said a low whisper. "All your fault"

"What?" I asked, not realizing that I could speak.

"Your mommy's gone because of you" it screeched. "All your fault"

"Alexis!" shouted a voice. I shot up, feeling nauseous and dizzy. My head was reeling. The entire kitchen was spinning. Dean was basically holding me straight. I gave him a wry smile. "Did we do it?" I asked. "Are they gone?"

Dean looked to Missouri, who nodded. He put a hand on my forehead. "Are you alright?" he asked. "That wrench did a good one on your head"

"I'm okay" I sighed, feeling the blood on the back of my neck. I sat straighter to try to prove it. I glanced around at the totally destroyed kitchen. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Something still wasn't right. "So it's totally over?" I asked, looking a Dean. He rubbed my back a little and smiled. I took that as a yes, even though my gut wasn't so sure.

"You sure this is over?" Sam asked Missouri. He seemed to be thinking the same as me. Missouri nodded.

"I'm sure" she stated. "Why? Why do you ask?"

"Never mind" Sam sighed. "It's nothin', I guess"

"Hello?" Jenny asked, walking in the door. "We're home" She walked into her destroyed kitchen, and abruptly stopped. "What happened?"

"Hi, sorry. Um, we'll pay for all of this" Sam said sheepishly.

"Don't you worry. Dean's gonna clean up this mess" Missouri said, helping me off the table. Dean stared at her, not moving an inch. "Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Get the mop" she demanded. He walked away, not looking very happy. "And don't cuss at me!" she added, as he mumbled under his breath. She handed me off to Sam. "Sam, help your sister out please"

"He got a please" Dean said, starting to clean up. I smiled, and Sam helped me walk out. I was still really dizzy, and couldn't walk straight. He led me to the porch, where I sat down so that we could wait for Dean. I put my head in my hands, my brain throbbing. I felt like someone was hitting me over the head with a hammer. Well close, it was a wrench. I glanced behind me, praying Dean was close so that I could lie down. I caught a reflection of myself in the window. God, I was beat up. I leaned closer. What was…. A figure was standing in the living room, on fire. I gasped and whipped around to tell Sam.

"Do you see—" I stopped. There was nothing there.

"What?" he asked, looking confused? I just stared, really confused. "Are you alright? You feel nauseous or…"

"No" I said. "I thought I saw something. I'm okay" I sat straight, trying not to think about it. I had just hit my head. Missouri said it was fine.

A little later, Dean exited, we said goodbye, and headed into the Impala. Missouri was dropped off right away. "Stupid psychic" Dean mumbled as he left her house. "Jesus Christ" He stopped the car and went into the trunk. "Move" he instructed, climbing into the backseat next to me. He opened the small first aid kit that we had.

"I'm going to get dinner" Sam said, getting out of the car and walking to a diner right up the street. "What do you want?"

"Chicken tenders" I remarked, watching Dean open the antiseptic.

"Burger" Dean said, "Extra onions" Sam left, and Dean started to move closer to my head. I backed off a little. "Dude, you gotta let me clean it" I stared at the cotton swab.

"The last time I let you near me with the first aid kit you got cotton stuck to the wound" I accused. He glared at me, and I slowly turned around. "Just be careful" He smirked and began cleaning it. The alcohol burned, but my mind was still reeling. I was thinking about the fire. What the hell was up with that? And the intense feeling of dread? Oh wait, that was because Dean was coming at me with sharp objects. He finished, dabbing at it with a towel or something.

"There, now was that so bad?" he asked with a smirk.

"No" I said with a sigh. "Thanks"

"What, that's it?" he asked. "Not snotty sister response?" I shrugged and sat forward. He sighed, rolling his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" I smiled, trying to throw him off.

"I think we should watch the house tonight" Sam said, as Dean pulled into the motel.

"What?" Dean asked, looking at him like he was nuts.

"I second that" I added, thinking about the shape that I saw. It had to be something if Sam was feeling it too.

"I thought Missouri said that it was cool?" he asked. "Why do we need to watch the house?"

"Dean" Sam sighed, giving him his classic puppy dog eyes. Dean restarted the car and sighed. "You two are a pain in my ass" he said.

"All right, so, tell me again, what are we still doin' here?" Dean asked, leaning back in the car.

"I don't know. I just…I still have a bad feeling" Sam said. Staring intently at the house.

"Why?" Dean asked. "Missouri did her whole Zelda Rubenstein thing, the house should be clean, it should be over"

"Yeah, well, probably" Sam said, shooting me a look. I had agreed with him after all. "But I just wanna make sure, that's all"

"What about you, ankle biter?" Dean asked, turning around. "You agree just to piss me off?"

I smiled and went back to staring at the house. "No" I said. "But that's a plus"

"Yeah, well, problem is I could be sleeping in a bed right now" Dean said, sliding down and closing his eyes.

"Dean" Sam said, smacking him and pointing to the upper window of the house. "Lexie. Look, Dean!" Jenny was pounding on the window screaming in fear. I jumped out of the car and ran to the house. My head started pounding at the new rush of activity. "You grab the kids, I'll get Jenny" Sam said to me and Sam.

I ran with Sam into Ritchie's room, and grabbed him out of his crib. "Mommy?" he asked, still groggy.

"No, Lexie" I said, smiling. He wrapped his arms around my neck. "C'mon sweetie" I carried him to the hallway and Sam met me. We carried Sari and Ritchie down the stairs.

"All right, Lexie, take Ritchie and Sari outside as fast as you can, and don't look back" Sam said, looking at me seriously. I nodded and started to lead them outside to Dean and Jenny. Suddenly, Sam was thrown backwards into another room. I wanted to go back, but both Ritchie and Sari were screaming in fear. I took them out and fell to my knees in pain. I wasn't sure if it was because Sam was in danger or because my head hurt from earlier.

Dean took one look at me and looked at Sari. "Sari, where's Sam?"

"He's inside. Something's got him" She cried, clinging to her mom. Dean looked to me, and I nodded to confirm it. He looked to the doorway. The door slammed shut, locking Sammy inside. He immediately ran to the Impala while I got my head back. I ran next to him, more blood now dripping down my neck. Not that it mattered. I was Alexis Winchester, I was always ready for a fight.

He grabbed a shotgun and an ax and headed for the front door ignoring me completely. "Sam?" I yelled, trying to stay out of the way of the ax.

"Sammy!" Dean was still hacking away, as Sam was probably dying inside. I waited anxiously, my head pounding like a bitch. "Stay here, Lex" Dean said, making a hole. He was so close to making one big enough.

"No" I replied, going in first. I could feel him fuming at me, but we were too occupied to fight now. "Sam!" He was pinned to the wall in the living room, staring at the fiery figure in front of him.

"No, don't!" Sam shouted as Dean came running in, guns blazing. "Don't!"

"What, why?" Dean demanded.

"Because I know who it is" Sam stated. "I can see her now" The fire vanished, and, in its place, was my mom. She was smiling slightly, and giving all of us proud and happy looks.

"Mom?" Dean asked, lowering his gun. She took a step towards him.

"Dean" She smiled. Dean's eyes were red and watery. She looked at me next, and I thought my heart was going to stop. I was in shock; sure, because I think at any other time, I would've clung to my mom like no one's business. I would've been crying and shouting at the top of my lungs. But instead I just stood there, feeling a faint tear roll down my cheek.

"Alexis" she smiled.

She turned to Sam. "Sam" she said. Sam was pretty much bawling. Her smile faded. "I'm sorry" she stated.

"For what?" he asked. She didn't answer him, but began walking away. She stared at the ceiling. I took a step towards her, but a hand on my wrist held me back. Dean just shook his head.

"You get out of my house" my mother said angrily. "And let go of my son" She burst into flames and slowly made her way onto the ceiling, and then disappeared. Sam fell off the wall, and walked to me and Dean.

"Now it's over" Sam said, giving me and Dean a knowing look.

"Thanks for these" Dean said, as he handed me some photos. I was only a baby in all of them, and half I wasn't even in, but they were fun to look at nonetheless.

"Don't thank me, they're yours" Jenny laughed. I placed them in the trunk.

Dean pulled me into the car. He was mad at me, I could tell. "I want you to give me a good reason why I shouldn't just bust your ass right now" he stated, glaring at me a little.

"Um, because you love me?" I asked, smiling slightly. He didn't smile back. "Look, Dean"

"Don't you look Dean me, ankle biter" he said, narrowing his eyes. "You disobeyed a direct order back there. What if you had gotten hurt? What if you died or something?"

"I didn't" I said, stubbornly. "Dean, I'm a big girl. I know you want to protect me, but seriously? We had to save Sam. You think I was just going to stand on the sidelines as Sam died in there?"

"He didn't" he replied. "But that's not the point" He sighed. "You always listen to me. Or dad. What made it different this time?"

I was silent for a second, trying to think of a good answer. "Because the last time I followed dad's orders, he disappeared" I stated, coldly. "So this time, I decided my instincts would be better"

He only sighed. "Fair enough" he said. "But you still need to listen when I tell you to do something, alright?"

"Okay" I said, nodding. I leaned into him a little. "Dean, do you think mom really saved us?" I asked, sitting next to him in the car.

"Yeah" he said, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Why?"

"I don't know" I said, shrugging. "Just making sure I'm not crazy I guess"

"Oh no" he smiled. "You're crazy" He smirked as I glared at him. It was times like these I knew I was going to be okay. Right after a hunt, when Dean was in a good mood and usually was cool with whatever. This time was different though. This time we had seen our mom. And I felt funny? I don't know.

"Don't you guys be strangers" Missouri called as Sam got into the car with us.

"We won't" Dean replied, shooting me a look that said only-if-I-can't-help-it.

"See you around" Jenny called, as we drove off. I sighed and leaned into Sam, as Dean drove. We stopped before leaving town at the diner, and I realized why I felt weird. I felt like someone was there, and it wasn't Sam or Dean.

"Hey" I said as we exited. "I think I left my one coat at Missouri's"

"No you didn't" Sam said, giving me a confused look. I gave him my best shut the hell up glance, and he realized what I was getting at. "Oh, wait, I think your right"

"What?" Dean asked, not realizing what the hell was going on. I glanced at him.

"Alright," he sighed, "But make it fast. No chit chat" We pulled up to her house and I went to the front door. I knocked, and she let me in without a word.

"Am I like Sam?" I asked, out of nowhere. I had to know. Was there a reason that Sam and I had weird powers? I mean, his were much better than mine, but still. What the hell?

"Baby, what do you—"she stopped, probably just reading my thoughts. "Sam is…no, you're not like him"

"Then why do I know that my father was here" I stated. "And don't lie. I can feel him"

"Lexie, honey, I haven't heard from your father" she said. "And don't you worry about Sam, or about you, or Dean. It's gonna be alright"

"I know" I said. "I know, but Missouri, I can tell when they're in trouble and I can't, I can't…" I stopped. I just felt so helpless.

"Baby, look at me" she demanded, lifting my chin up. "You are not in trouble. You are Alexis Winchester, and you are the strongest child I have ever known. And I know that everything is going to be okay" Tears fell down my face. "But you need to tell your brothers about how you feel. About everything, its gonna take you"

Outside, a car horn honked. They were waiting. "What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Trust me" she said, leading me to the door. "Talk to them"

I headed back to the car, Dean shooting me a confused look. "Where's your jacket?" he asked. He caught a look at my tear-stained face and turned around completely. "Did she say something to you?"

"No" I choked out, wiping my face.

"You wanna talk about it?" Sam asked lightly.

I sniffed and thought about what Missouri said. It was gonna take me. I was going to be taken by it. "No" I replied, as Sam put an arm around my shoulders. If it was gonna take me, it better be prepared, because I was one hell of a fighter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews **** EllaRayCurtis: Don't worry, big fight is coming! Haha! Special thanks to reviewers…. EllaRayCurtis, GuiltyPleasures Exposed, She'..Insane, brandibuckeye, and all the anonymous ones whose names I do not know! Love the feedback! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this except for my character, Alexis. Thank you. **

**Chapter Ten**

We were going crazy. Dad had been in Kansas, I knew it, even though Missouri totally hadn't wanted to admit it. I didn't say anything to Dean or Sam. I mean, why freak them out. We were already on our weekly check up on everyone that dad could've made contact with. Dean went through his journal, as best he could, and Sam was on the phone. I checked on the laptop for a new case. Or I possibly could've been playing a game. Who really knows. "Dad was in California last we heard from him" Sam said to the person on the phone. "We just thought that he comes to you for munitions –- maybe you've seen him in the last few weeks. Just call us if you hear anything. Thanks" He hung up and looked at me and Dean in defeat.

"Caleb hasn't heard from him?" Dean asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Nope" Sam said, shaking his head. "Neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim. What about the journal? Any leads in there?"

"No. Same last time I looked. Nothin' I can make out" Dean said. Then he chuckled. "I love the guy, but I swear, he writes like friggin' Yoda"

"What about you Lex?" Sam asked, trying to glance at the screen.

I smiled. "Nothing"

Dean stared at me for a second then smirked. "You beat your high score yet?" he asked, giving me a knowing glance. I smiled and shook my head. He just laughed.

"You know, maybe we should call the Feds" Sam said, completely ignoring me.

"File a missing persons"

"We talked about this" Dean sighed. "Dad'd be pissed if we put the Feds on his tail"

"Besides, they have dad pegged to like a million different crimes. And Dean is wanted" I added.

"I don't care anymore" Sam replied. Dean's cell phone went off. He got up and went to look for it. "After all that happened back in Kansas, I mean…he should've been there, Dean. You said so yourself, you tried to call him, and nothing" Sam went on.

"I know" Dean replied. "Where the hell is my cell phone?"

"You know, he could be dead for all we know" Sam said. I glanced up, looking shocked. Dad wasn't dead.

"Don't say that" Dean said, giving me a reassuring glance. "He's not dead. He's…he's…"

"He's what?" Sam asked. "He's hiding? He's busy? He went on vacation?"

Dean found his phone and stared at it confused. "I don't believe it" he said, looking at the screen.

"What?" I asked, leaning over him to read it. It was only a text. Just a normal text. Except it was coordinates.

"It's a text message" Dean stated. "It's coordinates" He stole the laptop and closed out my game. I was a little pissed, but still, I wanted to know where the coordinates went.

"Is it dad?" I asked. Dean just shrugged.

"You think Dad was texting us?" Sam asked.

"I didn't know dad could text" I stated, shrugging my shoulders.

"He's given us coordinates before" Dean said.

Sam scoffed. "The man can barely work a toaster, Dean"

"Sam, this is good news. It means he's okay. Or alive, at least" Dean went on. He was looking at the maps now.

"Well, was there a number on the caller ID?" Sam asked.

"No, it said "unknown"" Dean replied.

"Okay, well, where do the coordinates point?" I asked.

"That's the interesting part –- Rockford, Illinois" Dean responded.

"Okay, and that's interesting how?" I asked, wanting him to go on.

"I checked the local Rockford paper. Take a look at this." He stated. He turned to computer so I could see. "This cop, Walter Kelly, comes home from his shift, shoots his wife, puts the gun in his mouth, blows his brains out. And earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum" At the word Asylum, I grimaced, but just let it go. It didn't mean that I had to go in one. Not yet at least.

"Okay, I'm not following. What does this have to do with us?" Sam asked.

"Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal" he stated, showing us the page. "Here. Seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths –- 'til last week, at least. I think this is where he wants us to go"

Sam started to pace. "This is a job. Dad wants us to work a job"

"I mean, maybe we'll meet up with him, maybe he's there" Dean said excitedly. "

Maybe he's not" Sam said. "I mean, he could be sending us there by ourselves to hunt this thing"

"Well what if he is there?" I asked, hoping he would be.

"Who cares?" Dean asked. "If he wants us there, that's good enough for me"

"This doesn't strike you as weird? The texting? The coordinates?" Sam asked.

"Sam, Dad's tellin' us to go somewhere –- we're going" Dean said, gathering his things already. He went to go pack the car.

"You're okay with this?" he asked me. "I mean, you don't find it weird?"

"No, it's weird, but that's just dad for you Sammy" I stated. "I mean, it's not like he sent us a freaking Christmas card or anything, so if we have the chance to get in touch with him, we should take it" He gave a slight nod, but I could tell that he wasn't convinced. I grabbed my bag and glanced at Sam. "C'mon" I said. "Dean's waiting"

We headed to Indiana with some attitude in the car. "You guys need to lighten up" Dean stated, chomping on his giant bag of M&Ms again. "I mean, we could be going to find dad"

"Or not" Sam scoffed, looking out the window. I

leaned forward. "I don't think we should do this hunt" I stated. "And not because of dad" I said, to Dean's dirty look. "Because we don't know what's going on"

"Uh huh" Dean smirked. "And because you're scared of the crazy house" I didn't reply, stealing some M&Ms. "Stop being a baby and man up"

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "Maybe we should fly to Hawaii, Dean"

"Shut up, ankle biter" he smiled. "I mean, come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

I stared at him. "We could die"

"And we totally weren't going to die when we hunted the Wendigo, or bloody Mary, or when we faced the hook man"

"That was different" I stated. "Those things had weaknesses. These are just crazy vengeful spirits of people who were already crazy and vengeful in the first place" He just scoffed. "All I'm saying is that is not a good combination"

"We'll be fine" Dean stated.

"How do you know?" I asked, nervously. Don't get me wrong, I knew Dean was lying his ass off. He had no freaking clue. But I didn't care.

"Because I'm the oldest" he said. "And that means I'm always right"

"No it doesn't" Sam said, coming into our conversation.

"No, it totally does" Dean said, a smirk in his face. I just rolled my eyes. "So I'm thinking that we should hit up this cop's partner, Gunderson. He might be able to tell us more"

"And where would he be?" I asked, as we saw the sign that said "Welcome to Rockford Illinois"

"Where any good respecting cop who's partner just pulled a gun on his wife and them himself would be" he smiled, pulling over. "The local bar"

"Stay here" Sam said, as he got out of the car.

Dean went in with him, but came back out not ten minutes later. "What happened?" I asked, noticing Sam wasn't with him.

He just smiled and rolled his eyes. "Sam decided to go all acting on me" he stated. "He's talking to him right now"

"Oh" I stated, leaning on the hood of the Impala. "Okay"

"You alright?" Dean asked, looking at me funny. "You've been acting weird lately"

"Yeah" I sighed. "I'm fine" I gave him a small smile to prove it. But I was nowhere near fine. I was still thinking about what Missouri said to me. It was going to take me.

"You shoved me kind of hard in there, buddy boy" Dean said with a smirk as Sam came out of the pub.

"I had to sell it, didn't I?" Sam asked. "It's method acting" Dean gave him a confused look. "Never mind" he stated, shaking his head.

"What'd you find out from Gunderson?" I asked.

"So, Walter Kelly was a good cop" Sam stated. "Head of his class, even-keeled. He had a bright future ahead of him"

"That doesn't sound like the kind of guy who'd shoot up his house to me" I sighed; now wondering what was going on. It was the crazies in the asylum. I knew it.

"What about at home?" Dean asked.

"He and his wife had a few fights, like everybody, but it was mostly smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids"

"All right, so, either Kelly had some deep-seated crazy way to bust out, or somethin' else did it to him" Dean said. Sam nodded in agreement.

"What'd Gunderson tell you about the asylum?" I asked, regretting asking the moment Sam looked at me and smiled.

"A lot"

My heart was pumping blood so fast I thought that it was going to explode. "Do we really have to go in there?" I asked Sam, as Dean looked around for an easy way in. "I mean, the entire place is fenced off, doesn't that tell you something?"

"Lexie" Sam smiled. "It's not even night time, you'll be fine"

I squirmed around a little. "Yeah" I sighed. Dean came over and gave me a smile. He was just trying to be mean, the asshole. I didn't make fun of him on the plane, did I? Oh wait, yeah I did. I glared at him. He hopped the fence as I watched.

"You coming?" Sam asked, ready to give me a boost.

"I think the baby should wait in the car" Dean scoffed, rearing to go inside.

"I'm not a baby, Dean" I scoffed, climbing over the fence. "Geez" We went inside, and I had a mere thought that maybe this wouldn't be so bad. I mean, not everyone here was totally crazy, right? There had to be some normal people. We began looking around. The windows were all boarded shut, so even though it was bright and cheery outside, it was dark and damp in there. The place was so beat up and broken down. Graffiti covered the walls.

"So apparently, the cops chased the kids here –- into the south wing" Sam said, pointing ahead.

"The south wing, huh? Wait a second" Dean replied, taking out the journal. "In 1972, three kids broke into the south wing. Only one survived." The way he tells it, one of his friends went nuts and started lightin' up the place."

"So, whatever's goin' on, south wing seems like the heart of it" Sam said.

"Yeah, but if kids are spelunking the asylum, why aren't there a ton more deaths?" Dean asked.

"Dean, these are crazy people. They don't know what they're doing" I stated nervously.

"Looks like the doors are usually chained" Sam said, picking up the huge padlock and chains that covered the doors. "Could have been chained up for years"

"Yeah, to keep people out" Dean said.

" –- or to keep somethin' in" I added. Sam went to the door and barely nudged it when it swung open. Someone, or something, had used it recently.

We headed down the south wing hallway, much to my dismay. Dean pulled out the EMF reader and started sweeping. "Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel" he smiled. "And you too" he said, pointing at me. I just grimaced.

"Dude, enough" Sam sighed.

"No, I'm serious, you've gotta be careful, all right?" Dean said with a chuckle. "Ghosts are attracted to that whole ESP thing you two have got goin' on"

"I told you, it's not ESP. I just have strange vibes sometimes, weird dreams" Sam said, trying to justify himself.

"Yeah, whatever. Don't ask, don't tell." Dean smiled, looking at the EMF.

"You gettin' a reading on that thing or not?" Sam asked.

"Nope. Of course, it doesn't mean nobody's home" Dean sighed.

"Spirits can appear during certain hours of the day" Sam said. A little noise behind me made me jump.

"And the freaks come out at night" Dean smiled. He patted me on the shoulder. I swore under my breath and tried to calm myself down. "Hey, Sam, who do you think is a hotter psychic –- Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?" Dean asked. Sam hit him and Dean just cracked up.

I looked into a room that I thought was extra creepy. Sam stopped next to me. "What?" he asked. He looked in. "Whoa" Jars on tables were filled with body parts. I was disgusted. There were what looked like torture instruments everywhere. Knifes, big long metal rods, an electric chair, and some sort of book on lobotomies.

"Man. Electroshock, lobotomies –- they did some twisted stuff to these people" Dean said. "Kind of like my man, Jack in Cuckoo's Nest." He grinned, but I just shot him nasty look.

"So, what do you think? Ghosts are possessing people?" he asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's more like, uh, like Amityville or the Smurl haunting" Sam replied.

"Yeah, spirits drivin' 'em insane" I stated, picking up the knife. Dried blood was on the hilt. I dropped it.

"Kind of like my man Jack in The Shining." Dean smiled. He looked at the electric chair. "Lex, I'll give you twenty bucks if you sit here" he said, pointing. I shoved him.

"Dean…when are we gonna talk about it?" Sam asked.

"Talk about what?" Dean asked.

"About the fact that Dad's not here" Sam said.

"Could we not start this now?" I asked, wanting to leave.

"Oh, uh, let's see, never" Dean said giving him a look to shut up.

Sam stared at him. "I'm being serious, man"

"So am I, Sam" Dean said, "Look, he sent us here, he obviously wants us here. We'll just have to pick up the search later"

Sam groaned. "It doesn't matter what he wants"

"Sam…" I warned.

"See, that attitude right there?" Dean smirked. "That is why I always get the extra cookie"

"Dad could be in trouble. We should be looking for him. We deserve some answers, Dean, I mean, this is our family we're talkin' about"

"I understand that, Sam. But he's given us an order"

"So, what? We've got to always follow Dad's orders?"

Dean looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course we do" He went back to looking around. "Hey, Lex?" he asked, when Sam was occupied. "You haven't felt dad, have you?"

"No" I said. "Not since we were…" I shut up.

"Since when?" he asked, suddenly interested. "You felt him and didn't tell me?"

"I'm not even sure it was him, Dean" I replied. "I mean, it happened in Lawrence, it could've been anything"

"No" he said. "I know you. You don't feel something and pass it off"

I sighed, looking at a plaque. "Who's this?"I asked, wanting to change the subject. He took it from me and smiled.

"Sanford Ellicott" he read. "You know what we've got to do? We've gotta find out more about the south wing, and see if something' happened here" He handed the plaque to Sam, and walked out.

We waited for Sam outside the psychiatrist's office. This guy was apparently the son of the Sanford Ellicott who was the guy in charge of the asylum. Sam got put up to talk, because as Dean said "He needed a little girl time" Sam just did what he was told. We were bored, having paid for an hour of the doctor's time, and I decided to go walk around a little. The streets were crowded and the hub of this little town was booming. I picked up some gummy worms at a gas station, and then headed back towards Dean. "Dude, what's with the worms?" he asked, stealing one and shoving it in his mouth. I just shrugged. Sam came out with a weird look on his face. "Dude, you were in there forever. What the hell were you talkin' about?"

Sam shrugged. "Just the hospital, you know"

"And?" I asked, eating another worm.

"And the south wing?" Sam asked. "That's where they housed the real hard cases –- the psychotics, the criminally insane"

"Told you" I stated, looking at Dean.

"Sounds cozy" Dean remarked.

"Yeah, and one night in '64, they rioted –- attacked staff, attacked each other" Sam added.

"So, what, the patients took over the asylum?" I asked. Sam nodded.

"Any deaths?" Dean asked.

"Some patients, some staff" he stated. "I guess it was pretty gory. Some of the bodies were never even recovered, including our Chief of Staff, Ellicott"

"Wait, what do you mean, "never recovered"?" Dean asked.

"Cops scoured every inch of the place, but I guess the patients must have…stuffed the bodies somewhere hidden"

"Oh, that's grim" Dean stated.

"Yeah. So, they transferred all the surviving patients and shut down the hospital for good" Sam said.

"That was a good idea" I remarked. Which it totally was. I mean, a hospital with rampant freaks in it? Close it. End of story.

"All right, so, to sum it up, we've got a bunch of violent deaths and a bunch of unrecovered bodies" Dean listed.

"Which could mean a bunch of angry spirits" Sam sighed.

"Oh, good times" Dean replied, looking slightly stoic. "Let's check out the hospital tonight"

"Let's not and say we did" I said. "Seriously, can't we just torch the place? Or just the south wing?" Dean gave Sam a look, and they both just got in the car completely ignoring me. "Guys?" I asked. The car started. I huffed and slid into the back seat. "I hate this case"

We headed back to the motel and I just sat staring out the window watching the sun go down as Sam and Dean argued. "Man, why don't you care that dad isn't here?" Sam asked. "He sent us a text and you don't even question it. Why?"

"Because its dad" Dean stressed, throwing his hands in the air. "We listen. That's our job"

"But Dean—"

"Would you two shut up for like ten minutes" I yelled, annoyed. "Just shut up!" Dean and Sam stopped and stared at me. "I know your scared Alexis, but don't take it out on us" Dean said, pointing to himself.

"Yeah, seriously" Sam added, glaring at me.

I sat in shock. "Are you two serious?" I asked, with a short laugh. "You think this is because I'm scared?" I stood up. "Yeah, dad isn't here. And I might be terrified of going into that freaking place tonight, but I can handle myself. Apparently you two can't" I paused. "And I would rather go now and get this over with than listen to you two argue. So let's go" I grabbed my jacket, and headed to the car. Dean and Sam followed silently. We drove in silence too. I think I really made them mad at me, but right now I really didn't care. I just wanted to shoot up some ghosts to vent out my anger.

We grabbed three flashlights, three shotguns, the EMF, and Sam's video camera he insisted on. I made sure I stayed in the middle of Sam and Dean. Nothing to grab me from behind and nothing from the front. I just kept my shotgun ready and prepared.

"Getting readings?" Sam asked, looking around with the camera.

"Yeah, big time" Dean remarked as it went crazy. My heart went crazy with it, but I told my mind to shut up. I was on a job, I had to be focused, like dad taught me.

"This place is orbing like crazy" Sam said, pointing the camera around. It was true, the spirits made the camera flare when they were around. We couldn't see them, but the camera was picking them up.

"There's probably multiple spirits out and about" Dean responded, glancing at the camera.

"Yippee" I stated, stoically.

"If these unrecovered bodies are causing the haunting…" Sam sighed.

"We've gotta find 'em and burn 'em" Dean nodded. "Just be careful, though. The only thing that makes me more nervous than a pissed-off spirit is the pissed-off spirit of a psycho killer"

"I agree" I added. I pointed my shot gun to the open door. A noise behind us made me turn around. There was nothing there. I just gulped and took a deep breath, continuing on.

"Dean. Dean!" Sam called from the other room. "Salt gun!" Dean went running and I heard him stop. I ran too, to see Sam standing face to face with a distorted woman.

"Sam, get down!" Dean yelled. Sam ducked, and he hit the spirit with the rock salt.

"That was weird" Sam panted, standing back up.

"Yeah. You're tellin' me" Dean said, rolling his eyes. He headed back out the door, dragging me with him.

"Psycho's aren't known to be normal" I scoffed, glancing around, waiting for another one to show up.

"No, guys, I mean it was weird that she didn't attack me" Sam said, looking from me to Dean.

"That's because Dean shot her" I said, confused.

"Lex is right. Looked pretty agro from where I was standing" Dean replied, holding up the gun.

"She didn't hurt me. She didn't even try" Sam explained. "So if she didn't wanna hurt me, then what did she want?" Dean shrugged and headed back into the hall. I heard a scuffle. I grimaced as we headed towards it. It sounded like someone…crying?

Dean nodded to head in, as I did. We stopped as the noise suddenly stopped. Sam walked forward, and I heard a little gasp. He gave me a look, and quickly moved the table. I pointed my gun, and saw a girl jump a mile in the air. She was crying. I sighed in relief and lowered my gun. "It's all right. We're not gonna hurt you. It's okay" Dean said, helping her up. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Katherine –- Kat" she replied, looking nervously at the gun.

"Okay. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Lexie" he pointed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, annoyed. This hunt was turning out to be a real pain in the ass.

"Um…my boyfriend, Gavin" she said, wiping her eyed.

"Is he here?" Dean asked.

"Somewhere" She replied. I groaned, rolling my eyes. People were so stupid. "He thought it would be fun to try and see some ghosts. I thought it was all just, you know…pretend. I've seen things. I heard Gavin scream and—" she stopped.

"Okay, Kat" Dean sighed. "Come on, Sam's gonna get you out of here, and then we're gonna find your boyfriend"

"No, no. I'm not gonna leave without Gavin" She said, with a look of determination. "I'm coming with you"

"You want to explore a haunted asylum?" I asked, in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" Dean shot me a look to shut up.

"It's no joke around here, okay?" he said. "It's dangerous"

"That's why I've gotta find him" she pleaded. Sam gave Dean and me a glance.

"All right, I guess we're gonna split up then" he sighed. He nodded for me to follow Sam. "Let's go"

I followed Sam down one end of the hallway while Dean and Kat went the other way. "Gavin?" Sam called.

"Gavin?" I shouted in a hoarse whisper. No use in waking up every spirit in this place. I rounded the hall, and Sam was right next to me, shouting his name some more. I opened a door, and gasped. There was a boy lying on the ground. Sam ran past me and kneeled next to him.

"Gavin. Hey, Gavin" he shook his shoulders a little. Gavin's eyes shot open and he jumped. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay. I'm here to help" Sam smiled reassuringly.

"Who are you?" he asked. I handed him a little water. He took a sip.

"My name is Sam, and that's my sister Alexis" he said, helping him up. "Uh, we found your girlfriend"

"Kat?" he asked. "Is she all right?"

"She's worried about you" Sam replied. "Are you okay?" Gavin nodded.

"What happened?" I asked, noting his panicked expression.

"I was running" he said. "I…I think I fell"

"You were running from what?" Sam asked.

"There was - there was this girl" he said, and I already knew I wasn't going to like his answer. "H-h-her face –- it was all messed up"

"Messed up?" I asked.

"Bloody, and twisted, and just…."

"Okay, listen" Sam said. "This girl, did she try to hurt you?"

Gavin looked confused. "What? No. She, uh…" He stopped.

"She what?" Sam asked.

He looked disgusted. "She kissed me" I thought I was going to vomit.

"She kissed you?"

"–- but she didn't hurt you physically?" Sam said, trying to keep us on topic.

"Dude. She kissed me" Gavin stated. "I'm scarred for life" I scoffed, cocking my gun.

"Well, trust me, it could've been worse" Which was totally true. She could've like killed him or something.

"Do you remember anything else?" Sam asked.

"She…actually, she tried to whisper something in my ear" he replied.

"What?" I asked.

Gavin looked at me like I was nuts. "I don't know, I ran like hell" A scream brought us back to reality. I looked at Sam, and we took off running. Dean was standing in the hallway, alone. Kat was nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"She's inside with one of them" Dean said, pointing at the door. He was trying to break it down.

"Help me!" Kat screamed, pounding on the door.

"Kat!" Gavin cried.

"Get me out of here!" She yelled.

"Kat, it's not gonna hurt you" Sam yelled back. "Listen to me! You have to face it. You have to calm down"

"She's gotta what?" Dean asked, staring at Sam.

"Are you nuts?" I demanded.

"I have to what?" Kat called, freaking out.

"The spirits –- they're not trying to hurt us, they're trying to communicate. You've gotta listen to it, you've gotta face it"

"You face it!" she screamed, pounding on the door some more.

"No, it's the only way you're gonna get out of there" Sam yelled. Kat didn't reply. "Just look at it, that's all. Come on, you can do it" She was silent.

"Kat?" Gavin called after a moment.

"Man, I hope you're right about this" Dean whispered.

Sam looked nervous. "Yeah, me too"

"Kat" Gavin sighed, as the door clicked open. She rushed over in shock.

"One thirty-seven" she stated. "It whispered in my ear, "137.""

"Room number" Sam and Dean spoke together. Dean handed me some more bullets.

"All right, so if these spirits aren't trying to hurt anyone—" Sam began.

"Then what are they tryin' to do?" Dean finished.

"Maybe that's what they've been tryin' to tell us" Sam replied.

"I guess we'll find out" Dean said, standing up. He turned to the idiots. "So…now, are you guys ready to leave this place?"

Kat sighed. "That's an understatement"

"Okay" Dean sighed. "You get 'em outta here" He said, looking at Sam and I. "I'm gonna go find room 137"

"No, Dean, stick together" Sam said.

"Listen, we gotta get them out" he said. "And we gotta figure out what the hell is going on"

"Dean,"

"Guys" I said. "Stop arguing" I took a step between them. "Dean, you shouldn't go alone, so I'll go with you. Sam, just get them the hell out of this place. Now both of you shut up, got it?" They stared at each other and slowly nodded. "Thank you" I sighed. "C'mon" I said to Dean.

We headed to the room. It was close, not too far. Inside, furniture, papers, and other odds and ends were strewn everywhere. I looked through the stuff on the desk. Just some papers and tweezers and other random things. Dean opened a cabinet. "This is why I get paid the big bucks" he smiled, showing me a packet of papers. "Patients' Journal" he said. I leaned over his shoulder to look. There were pictures of people being tortured. Lobotomies, ax to feet, and tons of other gory scary stuff.

"Ew" I sighed, looking away.

"All work and no play make Dr. Ellicott a very dull boy" Dean remarked. "I think I get it now" he went on after a moment.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Dr. Ellicott" Dean sighed. "He did all this to them. He told them to…to let out there rage"

"That sounds healthy" I smirked. "And?"

"And the patients got so raged up they rebelled" Dean finished. I just scoffed and looked around.

My head started to hurt. "Um, Dean?" I said, putting a hand on my forehead. I hoped this wasn't what I thought it was.

"Yeah" he said, picking up the book and glancing at me. "What is it?" he asked. He put a hand on my back as my head felt like it was going to split.

I shook my head. "Nothing, let's go" I said, heading to the hallway. I had to see if Sam was okay. Then I would know if this was my…you know. We rounded the corner to hear voices. I shot Dean a look. He just kept going. We rounded the corner, and a gunshot scared the shit out of me. Dean pulled me back just in time, getting hit in the foot. "Whoa" I said, as I stumbled backwards. Dean had basically thrown me out of the away.

"Damn it" he sighed, as I helped him stand. "Don't shoot, it's me!"

"Sorry! Sorry" Kat called.

"What are you still doin' here?" Dean asked.

"Where's Sam?" I demanded, looking from one to the other.

"He went to the basement" Gavin said, as though it should've been obvious. "Dean called him" Dean looked confused. "I didn't call him"

"His cell phone rang. He said it was you" Kat explained. Dean sighed.

"Basement, huh?" Gavin and Kat nodded. "All right" he said, handing me the gun I dropped. "Stay with them"

"What?" I asked.

"They aren't safe by themselves" he said. I only rolled my eyes. "Watch yourselves" he said to all of us. "And try not to shoot me" he added, walking off.

I scoffed, cocking the gun. "You watch yourself" I mumbled, leaning against the wall. Kat and Gavin sat down, and I paced around. This whole case was making me nervous. My head was still pounding. And Sam and Dean just left me alone in a freaky hospital to protect two inexperienced morons. We were so screwed. A gunshot from in the distance made me jump. I groaned and looked to Kat and Gavin. "I'm gonna go help them" I said. "Stay here"

Kat nodded, holding her gun close to her chest. I headed to the basement in a hurry. "Sam! We gotta burn Ellicott's bones, and all this'll be over. You'll be back to normal" Dean spoke, sounding hurt. I moved faster.

"I am normal. I'm just tellin' the truth for the first time" Sam scoffed. "I mean, why are we even here? Because you're following Dad's orders like a good little soldier? 'Cause you always do what he says without question? Are you that desperate for his approval?" Dean was lying on the ground.

"This isn't you talking, Sam" I stopped to watch.

"That's the difference between you and me" Sam said with a smirk. "I have a mind of my own. I'm not pathetic like you"

"So what are you gonna do, huh? You gonna kill me?" Dean asked. He looked to me, and gave me a little nod to stay quiet. Sam turned around a little, but didn't move.

"You know what?" he said, taking a step towards Dean. "I am sick of doing what you tell me to do. We're no closer to finding Dad today than we were four months ago" I took a step forward. Sam must be possessed or something from Ellicott. There is no way he would say this to Dean.

"Well, then, here. Let me make it easier for you" Dean said, handing him his pistol. I was shocked. What the hell was he doing? Sam stared at it. "Real bullets are gonna work a hell of a lot better than rock salt. Take it!" Sam took it, dropping the shotgun. He pointed it at Dean. "You hate me that much?" Dean asked. "You think you could kill your own brother? Then go ahead. Pull the trigger" Sam hesitated, putting his finger on the trigger. Dean stared him down. "Do it!" He demanded. Sam pulled the trigger.

My heart stopped, until I realized that nothing had happened. I moved out in the open, in shock. He almost just shot Dean. "Sam" I yelled. He tried it again, and then whipped around, hitting me in the head. I fell slightly, feeling a cut on my forehead.

He looked back to Dean. "Man, I'm not gonna give you a loaded pistol" Dean scoffed. Sam angrily bent down. I picked up my rifle, hitting him in the back of the head.

"Sorry, Sammy" I sighed, kicking him off Dean. I helped him up, giving him a small smile. "I think I just saved your ass" I remarked.

"I think I told you to stay upstairs" he argued back.

"I think I told you and Sam to stop fighting" I countered. He only smirked in response. "So you think Ellicott got Sam?"

"I sure hope so" Dean sighed. "Otherwise I might be a little offended. He started looking around the room. I helped, searching behind curtains. Dean stopped and stared at a cabinet. He tapped me on the shoulder and pointed. Opening it, the smell of the rotting flesh filled the room. I gagged. "Oh, that's just gross" Dean remarked. "Get the salt" I went into the duffel and grabbed it. He poured it on the corpse, and I added the lighter fluid. Dean's flashlight flickered. He handed it to me, looking around the room. "Dean" I stated, feeling lightheaded again.

A loud screeching noise made me jump. A table slammed itself into Dean, sending him flying across the room. I was hit with some sort of force, knocked on my ass. When I sat back up, I saw Dr. Ellicott leaning over Dean, both hands on his face. Blue sparks came out of his face, going into Dean, who was shaking. "Don't be afraid. I'm going to help you. I'm going to make you all better" Dr. Ellicott smiled.

"Lexie" Dean shouted. I groped for the lighter, and threw it on the corpse. Dr. Ellicott let go. He watched his body in horror, and slowly fell apart until there was nothing but clothes. Sam suddenly woke up, looking dazed and a little confused. "You're not gonna try to kill us, are you?" Dean asked, panting.

Sam glanced at the clothes, then at me and Dean. "No" he said, shaking his head. I leaned backward, still trying to catch my breath.

"Good" Dean said, falling backward. "Because that would be awkward"

We made it out the front of the building, the same way we went in almost seven hours earlier, and the sun was rising. We stood with each other, each knowing what happened in there, but no one really said much. "Thanks, guys" Kat said, looking exhausted.

"Yeah, thanks" Gavin added.

"No more haunted asylums, okay?"Dean smirked. They both nodded and headed back to their cars. They got in and simply drove off.

"Hey, Dean" Sam said, "I'm sorry, man. I said some awful things back there" I looked at him surprised.

"You remember all that?" Dean asked, speaking exactly what I was thinking. He hadn't said a word about it.

"Yeah" Sam nodded. "It's like I couldn't control it. But I didn't mean it –- any of it"

"You didn't, huh?" Dean asked, not really believing him.

"No, of course not" Sam said. Dean just sort of shrugged. "Do we need to talk about this?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "No. I'm not really in the sharing, caring kind of mood" he smirked. "I just wanna get some sleep" He got in the car. We drove back to the motel, and Dean went right to the bed, falling down onto the bed.

I looked to Sam as he hit my arm. "Is your head okay?" he asked. He made me turn around, and glanced at it.

"No" I stated, just to piss him off. "I think I suffered permanent damage" I smiled at him.

He just smirked, watching me sit on the bed opposite of Dean. "I don't think you can do any more damage" he remarked.

I pretended to be greatly offended. "Geez, Sam" I said, grabbing a pillow. "Maybe we should settle this the old fashioned way" I wacked him upside the head with the pillow, laughing at his shocked expression.

"Alexis" he warned. "Arm yourself, Sasquatch" I smiled, hitting him again and standing up on the bed. He groaned and grabbed the pillow next to me.

"You asked for it" he said, giving me a blow to the stomach. Pillows and clothes and pretty much anything else we could find went flying around the room. Dean just lay there, watching, a dumb smirk on his face.

"Could you two be any more annoying?" he asked, with a short laugh. Sam and I stopped, and gave him a smile. "I mean, c'mon, pillow fights?" I glanced at Sam, and we both hit Dean with the pillows. Dean grabbed my arm, pulling me on the bed and sat on me.

"Get off" I yelled through my laughter, trying to get him off me. "Sam, help!" Sam just stood and laughed like the baby he was.

"Help?" he asked. "I dunno if the person who caused you permanent brain damage should help you" Dean started to tickle my sides. I squirmed and laughed. "Dean, stop!" I yelled, trying to catch his hands. "Sam!" Sam came over as I escaped and held my arms down. "Please!" I screamed. "Who's your favorite brother?" he asked, holding me down. "You!" I shouted, as he let me go. Dean smacked me on the back. "Both of you"

"Damn straight" Dean smiled. "Now go to bed you two pains in the asses" I lay down next to Sam and fell asleep after staring at the ceiling for awhile.

I awoke to Dean's cell phone going off. It was probably someone who needed help or something. Or more likely one of Dean's hookups. "Dean" Sam groaned. It still rang. "Lex?"

"Get it yourself" I moaned, flipping over. Sam scoffed and reached over me for the phone.

"Hello?" he asked groggily. He bolted up. "Dad?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven **

"Dad?" Sam asked, sounding confused. I sat up and leaned close. I had to hear his voice.

"Sam, is that you?" said the voice that was so totally my father. I felt my heart start pounding. I wanted to take the phone from Sam so bad.

"Dad? Are you hurt?" Sam asked. I could hear my dad sigh.

"I'm fine"

"We've been looking for you everywhere" Sam said excitedly. "We didn't know where you were, if you were okay"

"Sammy, I'm all right" he replied. "What about you and Dean? And Lexie?" Dean grumbled as I threw Sam's pillow at him.

"We're fine. Dad, where are you?" Sam asked. Dean sat up. "Sorry, kiddo, I can't tell you that" he replied.

"What?" Sam asked, his face falling. "Why not?"

"Is that Dad?" Dean asked, moving closer. I nodded to him.

"Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You're just gonna have to trust me on this" my father sighed.

"You're after it, aren't you?" Sam asked, his tone turning to anger. "The thing that killed Mom"

"Yeah. It's a demon, Sam"

"A demon?" Sam said, looking at me. "You know for sure?"

"A demon?" Dean asked, looking annoyed that he couldn't hear. "What's he saying?"

"I do. Listen, Sammy, I, uh…I also know what happened to your girlfriend" he said. "I'm so sorry. I would've done anything to protect you from that"

"You know where it is?" Sam asked.

My father sighed. "Yeah, I think I'm finally closing in on it"

Sam looked determined. "Let us help"

"You can't. You can't be any part of it" he replied.

"Why not?"

"Give me the phone" Dean said, sensing trouble.

"Listen, Sammy, that's why I'm calling. You and your brother, you gotta stop looking for me. Alright, now, I need you to write down these names"

"Names? What names, Dad—talk to me, tell me what's going on" Sam argued.

My father now sounded annoyed. "Look, we don't have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe"

"No. Alright?" Sam said. I tried to take the phone. "No way"

"Give me the phone" Dean said again.

"I have given you an order. Now, you stop following me, and you do your job. You understand me?" My father asked, sounding pissed. "Now, take down these names" Dean stole the phone.

"Dad, it's me. Where are you?" He paused. "Yes, sir. Uh, yeah, I got a pen. What are their names?" Sam stared at him in anger, and went into the bathroom. Dean just ignored him and copied down the names. "What?" he asked, looking at me. "Yeah, sure, she's right here" He held out the phone.

I glanced up at him in surprise and took it. "Dad?" I said, listening.

"Hey peanut" he said. I could hear him smiling. "You doing okay in school?"

"Yeah" I replied. "Dad, how come you don't want us to find you?"

"Because I don't want you three to be in danger" he replied. "You understand? So please, just stop following me"

"No" I said. "Er, I mean, okay, but I just…"

"Peanut" he said, cutting me off. "Listen to your brothers. Make sure that you stick together. Take care of each other okay?"

"Yes sir, and Dad?" I said, "Be careful okay?"

He only sighed. "Goodbye Peanut" The phone clicked off. I handed it back to Dean. Then I knocked on the bathroom door.

"Sam?" I called. "You alright?" he didn't answer me at first.

"Yeah" he said, opening the door. "So, what did he say?"

Dean was already heading out the door. "That we gotta go" he said. Sam and I sort of stared at him. "Well c'mon" he said, grabbing my stuff and heading out the door.

"Alright, so, the names Dad gave us, they're all couples?" Sam asked, as we headed down the interstate. He wanted to drive. I think it helped keep him calm. Plus Dean was staring the list of names.

"Three different couples" Dean nodded. "All went missing"

"And they're all from different towns? Different states?" Sam asked.

"That's right" Dean went on. "You got Washington, New York, Colorado. Each couple took a road trip cross-country. None of them arrived at their destination, and none of them were ever heard from again"

"Well, it's a big country, Dean" Sam said. "They could've disappeared anywhere"

"Yeah, could've. But each one's route took 'em to the same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April. One year after another after another"

Sam smiled. "This is the second week of April" Dean nodded. "So, Dad is sending us to Indiana to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?"

"Yahtzee" Dean said. "Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different obits Dad had to go through? The man's a master" Sam gave him an annoyed look, and pulled the car over. "What are you doing?" Dean asked.

"We're not going to Indiana" Sam said, stopping.

"We're not?" I asked, leaning forward. I smelled trouble.

"No. We're going to California" he said. "Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento area code"

"Sam" Dean warned.

"Dean, if this demon killed Mom and Jess, and Dad's closing in, we've gotta be there. We've gotta help" Sam pushed.

Dean shot him a look. "Dad doesn't want our help"

Sam shook his head. "I don't care"

I shook my head. "Sam, I don't think-"

"He's given us an order" Dean stressed.

"I don't care. We don't always have to do what he says" Sam scoffed.

"Sam, Dad is asking us to work jobs, to save lives, it's important"

"Alright, I understand, believe me, I understand" Sam said. "But I'm talking one week here, man, to get answers. To get revenge"

Dean stopped. "Alright, look, I know how you feel"

"Do you?" Sam said, looking at Dean. "Do either of you?" I sat back, a little offended. "How old were you when Mom died? Ten? Six months? Jess died six months ago. How the hell would you know how I feel?"

"Dad said it wasn't safe. For any of us" Dean said, ignoring Sam's last comment. "I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away"

"I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man" Sam said. "I mean, it's like you don't even question him"

"Yeah, it's called being a good son!" Dean exclaimed.

"Dean!" I shouted. Sam angrily got out of the car. Dean followed, watching him. He popped the trunk and started getting his stuff. "Sam, get back in the car!"

"You're a selfish bastard, you know that? You just do whatever you want. Don't care what anybody thinks" Dean shouted. Sam just pulled his stuff out. I tried to open the door, but Dean held it shut. "Stay Alexis"

"That's what you really think?" Sam asked.

"Yes, it is" Dean said.

"Well, then this selfish bastard is going to California" Sam said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking off. I went out the other side of the car.

"Come on, you're not serious" Dean sighed.

"I am serious" Sam said, determinedly. I stood next to Sam.

"Sam, seriously? This is stupid"

"Lex, I know you want to find dad too" he said. "You can come with me"

"No, she can't" Dean said.

"I can do whatever I want Dean" I said, and Sam gave him a satisfied smile. "But don't you two dare try to pull me in two directions. Sam, you aren't leaving"

"Yes, I am" Sam said.

"It's the middle of the night!" Dean shouted, as he walked down the road. "Hey, I'm taking off, I will leave your ass, you hear me?"

Sam stopped and turned around. "That's what I want you to do" he said. We all sort of stared at each other for a few seconds. "Goodbye, Sam" Dean said, closing the trunk. He got in the car, and looked out the window for me. I looked from Dean to Sam, and sighed.

"I'm sorry Sam" I said, walking backwards.

He just stared. "Yeah me too" I hopped in the passenger seat and felt a tear fall down my cheek as we drove away without Sam.

"You okay?" Dean asked after awhile.

"No" I said. "Don't talk to me" He didn't try to talk to me anymore after that. I was so frustrated and angry I thought I was going to explode. I wasn't sure if it was at Sam for leaving, Dean for letting him go, or me for not stopping it altogether. No, no I was mad at my dad for starting all this in the first place. I just wanted to kick and scream and hit someone. The drive was in silence. We made it there a few hours or so later. Burkesville, Indiana, the most boring hick town on earth. Dean pulled over and stopped the car. He pulled out his cell phone, not that he knew I saw. He was contemplating calling Sam, and I knew it. "Can't we just go get him?" I asked, desperately.

"No"

"Why not?" I demanded. I got no answer as he flipped his phone shut and got out of the car.

"Stay here" he said. I decided to obey, and watched him go to talk to the guy sitting outside the small café. He didn't seem to get much out of him, since he came right back. He got in, and put the picture of the latest missing couple on the dashboard. "You hungry?" he asked.

"No" I said, trying to ignore him.

"Lexie," he sighed. "This isn't my fault"

"Okay" I replied. "Whatever, Dean" He sat in silence for a minute. It was uncomfortable and annoying. I wished I could steal the Impala and go find Sam.

"We can't go find Sam because he's a big boy, Lex" he said finally. "He can take care of himself, and if he wants to go to California, then good for Sam" I still said nothing. "You could've went with him, you know"

I turned to look at him. "I know" I stated. I pointed to the little convenience store. "You wanna ask them?"

Dean turned to look and nodded. "Yeah, sure" he smiled. "C'mon" We entered, and the man behind the desk smiled. "Have you seen this couple?" he asked. "They went missing about a year ago, friends, you know"

The man shook his head. "Nope, can't say I have"

"You sure they didn't stop for gas or something?" Dean asked. The man showed the picture to his wife.

She shook her head. "Nope, don't remember 'em" the man said. "You said they were friends of yours?"

Dean nodded and I nodded. "That's right" we said in unison. A younger girl came downstairs carrying a box.

"Did the guy have a tattoo?" she asked.

"Yes, he did" Dean said, narrowing his eyes. The girl just smiled. She placed the boxes on the counter and took the picture.

"You remember? They were just married" she smiled.

The man's face lit up. "You're right. They did stop for gas. Weren't here more than ten minutes"

"You remember anything else?" Dean asked.

"I told 'em how to get back to the Interstate" he shrugged. "They left town"

"Could you point me in that same direction?" Dean asked. The man nodded and gave us the directions. "Thanks" Dean smiled, leading me out of the place.

We drove the directions that the man told us. "You think Sam's okay?" I asked.

"He's fine" Dean said, checking his cell phone for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. He was worried about him; I didn't care what he said. A loud beeping came from the backseat. "What the hell?" he said. "What is that?"

"I think it's the EMF" I said, reaching into the backseat as Dean pulled over. I pulled it out. The readings were off the hook. It beeped frantically. Dean glanced around, and got out of the car. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"To see what it's going on" Dean replied. "You coming?" I scoffed, and hopped out, and followed him into the orchard. The leaves were all forming, and the apples were growing already. I followed Dean pretty far.

"What's that?" he asked, walking up to a scarecrow. We both looked at the scarecrow and then each other. "Dude, you fugly" Dean remarked, staring at it. He was right. The thing was old and battered and had deep eye sockets that if I didn't know any better, were totally following me. I leaned in closer, noting the sickle looking thing in its hand. Now tell me, why the hell would a freaky scarecrow be holding a deadly weapon? Yeah, me too.

"You see this?" I asked, pointing.

"You see that?" he asked, pointing to a mark. He grabbed a ladder, and went face to face with the thing. He moved its clothes around, and stopped suddenly, pulling out the missing guy's picture.

"Nice tat" he remarked, looking at the scarecrow. He climbed down and I shrugged. "Same tattoo" he said.

"C'mon" he said, walking back to the car. "I need gas"

"You're back" said the girl from before as we pulled up to the gas station. Dean smiled. "Never left"

"Still looking for your friends?" she asked sadly. Dean only nodded. "You mind fillin' her up there, Emily?" he smiled, looking at her necklace. She grabbed the pump and started filling up the tank. "So, you grew up here?" he asked.

"I came here when I was thirteen. I lost my parents. Car accident" she stated. "My aunt and uncle took me in"

"They're nice people" I said.

Emily shrugged. "Everybody's nice here"

"So, what, it's the, uh, perfect little town?" Dean remarked.

"Well, you know, it's the boonies" she laughed "But I love it. I mean, the towns around us, people are losing their homes, their farms. But here, it's almost like we're blessed" Dean just nodded, and I noted the confused look on his face.

"Hey, you been out to the orchard? You seen that scarecrow?"

Emily grimaced. "Yeah, it creeps me out"

Dean laughed. "Whose is it?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "It's just always been there"

"That your aunt and uncle's?" Dean said, pointing to the car in the shop.

Emily shook her head. "Customer. Had some car troubles"

Dean looked at me. "It's not a couple, is it? A guy and a girl?" Emily just nodded nonchalantly, finishing with the gas. Dean shot me a concerned look. We were so screwed. "Thanks" Dean smiled, handing her some money.

"Hey" I smiled. "Maybe we should catch a bite" I said, pointing to the café. A couple was sitting inside.

Dean nodded. "Good idea"

"We're famous for our apples. So, you gotta try this pie" the waiter smiled. He put down two in front of the couple. I sat down at the table with Dean.

"Oh, no. It—please" the woman smiled. The waiter shook his head.

"It's on the house"

"Oh, hey, Scotty" Dean smiled, taking the seat opposite me. "Can I get a coffee, black?" Scotty nodded and walked away to get it. "Oh, and some of that pie, too, while you're at it" I shot Dean an annoyed look. He just smiled. "How ya doin'?" he said to the couple. "Just passing through?"

"Road trip" the woman smiled.

"Hm. Yeah, me too" Dean said.

"I'm sure these people want to eat in peace" Scotty said, shooting Dean a nasty look.

"Just a little friendly conversation" Dean smiled. Scotty walked away. "Oh, and that coffee, too, man. Thanks" Dean added. Scotty shot him an agitated look, and I smiled slightly.

"Dean" I warned. "Think you need to shut up now"

"So, what brings you to town?" Dean asked, completely ignoring me.

"We just stopped for gas. And, uh, the guy at the gas station saved our lives" she smiled.

"Is that right?" Dean said, shooting me an I-told-you-so look.

"Yeah, one of our brake lines was leaking" the man said. "We had no idea. He was fixing it for us"

"Nice people" Dean said, now sounding concerned. The man nodded. "So, how long till you're up and runnin'?"

"Sundown"

"Really" Dean said, thinking. "To fix a brake line? I mean, you know, I know a thing or two about cars. I could probably have you up and running in about an hour. I wouldn't charge you anything" The woman looked uncomfortable.

"You know, thanks a lot, but I think we'd rather have a mechanic do it"

"Sure. I know." Dean nodded. "You know, it's just that these roads. They're not real safe at night"

"Dean" I whispered. This was going to get us nowhere.

"I'm sorry?" the woman asked, confused.

"I know it sounds strange, but, uh—you might be in danger" Dean replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, we're trying to eat. Okay?" the man said, annoyed.

"Yeah" he said, disappointed. "You know, my brother could give you this puppy dog look, and you'd just buy right into it" I kicked Dean under the table, shooting him a look. The door opened, and Scotty came in with the police.

"Thanks for coming, Sheriff" Scotty smiled, shooting Dean and me a look. They whispered together for a moment, looking at Dean and me.

"Be cool" Dean said.

"I'd like a word, please you two" the officer said walking to us.

"Come on. I'm having a bad day already" Dean sighed.

"You know what would make it worse?" the officer asked. Dean nodded, and stood up. We headed to the car and got in.

"Very nice, Dean" I remarked. "Excellent. Get us kicked out of town"

"Shut up" he growled. He started the car, and the officer followed us all the way past the city line. We stopped right outside until he was gone. "Okay" Dean said. "I say we head back when it gets dark. Head to the orchard"

"Dean, we don't even know—"

"Lex, you saw that thing" Dean said. He started the car. "Let's go" It got dark, and we waited in front of the orchard. Needless to say, the couple's car broke down and they headed into the orchard. Dean was half asleep in the driver's seat. I leaned over and nudged him.

"Look" I pointed. A dark figure passed by the couple. It was totally the scarecrow. Dean jumped out of the car, and I followed.

"Get back to your car" Dean shouted, as they ran past us. The scarecrow was making its way towards us. "Go!" he shouted. They ran faster. Dean shot at it not once, not twice, but three times.

"I don't think that's working, Dean" I cried, as it kept coming. It was limping a little, but still coming. We started to run, and Dean kept shooting. We ran at top speed, and soon it disappeared as we got close to the car.

"What—what the hell was that?" the man asked as we reached a clearing. I panted, and looked to Dean.

"Don't ask"

The couple headed out of town immediately. They wanted nothing else to do with the place, and frankly, I really didn't either. But Dean and I totally had to figure this out and fast. So we had to stay. "What do you think this thing is?" Dean asked me as I looked it up on the computer.

"Honestly?" I said. "Its gotta be a Pagan god"

"What?" he asked, looking at me confused? "Why the hell would it be that?"

"Well think about it" I said. "I mean, it can't be a spirit, because the town knew to send them thing way. How would they know that?"

"I guess, but—"

"And every year? And no bad crops, when everywhere else is failing?" I suggested.

"Yeah, but—"

"And they fed them for free" I stated. "This is a small town, Dean, they don't get much business. And they broke their car, and—"

"Alright" he said, cutting me off. "I believe you. But which one?"

"I don't know" I smiled. "That's why I said we should head to the college. They can tell us in minutes what would take me hours" I paused. "But the important thing is, I was right"

"Geez, sometimes you're worse than Sammy" He paused. "I mean, we'll be okay without him, right?" He paused again. "God, sometimes he makes me so pissed"

"That's because you know he's right" I stressed. "God, Dean! Why do you two always do this?" He thought about that.

"I think…" he trailed off. I waited expectantly. "I wish I could say no to dad and go find him; I wish I could just live my own life like Sam. He paused, and hit the steering wheel in frustration. I was silent. "Dean, call Sam. Tell him what you just told me" He only scoffed at me.

"Why don't you call him?"

"I've tried" I insisted. "He doesn't want to talk to me; he wants to talk to you" He stubbornly sat in silence. "Dean" I stated, angrily. "If you don't call Sam, I will seriously kill you right now. And I have guns and knives in the trunk. I could do it" He glared at me and took the cell phone off the dashboard.

"Fine" he said, dialing. It rang three times. "Sammy?"

"Dean?" I heard Sam say in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah" Dean said, "But you'll never believe what happened" He recounted the story of the scarecrow so far.

"The scarecrow climbed off its cross?" Sam said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm tellin' ya" Dean scoffed, smiling at me. "Burkesville, Indiana. Fun Town"

Sam paused. "It didn't kill the couple, did it?" he asked.

"No. Lex and I can cope without you, you know" Dean said, shaking his head. I smiled and shook my head.

"So, something must be animating it" Sam said. "A spirit"

"No, it's more than a spirit. It's a god" Dean said. "A Pagan god, anyway"

"What makes you say that?" Sam scoffed.

Dean looked out the window. "The annual cycle of its killings? And the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. Like some kind of fertility right. And you should see the locals. The way they treated this couple. Fattenin' 'em up like a Christmas turkey"

"The last meal. Given to sacrificial victims" Sam stated, now realizing that the idea was right.

"Yeah, I'm thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god" Dean said.

"Did Lex tell you all that?" Sam asked after a pause.

"Yes she did" I yelled, so Sam could hear me. Sam laughed, and Dean shot me a nasty look.

"You couldn't let me have it this one time…"

"So, a god possesses the scarecrow..." Sam said, getting us back on topic.

"And the scarecrow takes its sacrifice" Dean went on. "And for another year, the crops won't wilt, and disease won't spread"

"Do you know which god you're dealing with?" Sam asked. Dean looked to me, and I shrugged.

"No, not yet" he replied.

"Well, you figure out what it is, you can figure out a way to kill it" Sam said.

"I know. I'm actually on my way to a local community college" Dean said. Which was true. "I've got an appointment with a professor. You know, since I don't have my trusty sidekick geek boy to do all the research"

Sam laughed. "You know, if you're hinting you need my help, just ask"

"I'm not hinting anything" Dean said. He paused, and I kicked him. It was time to apologize Dean. "Actually, uh—I want you to know…." He stuttered. "I mean, don't think…."

"Yeah" Sam said, knowing where he was going. "I'm sorry, too"

Dean was never good at saying he was sorry. "Sam. You were right" Dean said, as I glared at him. "You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life" I looked out the window, trying not to make it seem like I was listening anymore.

Sam was in shock. I could tell that even over the phone. "Are you serious?"

"You've always known what you want. And you go after it" Dean went on. "You stand up to Dad. And you always have. Hell, I wish I—anyway….I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy"

"I don't even know what to say" Sam said after a moment.

"Say you'll take care of yourself" Dean said.

"I will" Sam responded.

"Call us when you find Dad"

"OK" Sam said. "Bye, Dean" Then the phone clicked, and I looked to Dean.

"Feel better?" I asked, a smirk on my face.

"Why did you stay with me?" he asked out of nowhere. "I mean, I'm screwed up. I would rather listen to dad then go find him! He could be in trouble….And Sam would probably take better care of you, and I'm not the most responsible person ever, so why didn't you go with Sam?"

"I like danger, I guess" I stated stoically.

"I'm serious"

I sighed. "I went with you because Sam will be okay by himself" I said. "You wouldn't be" He thought about that.

"What do you mean?" he asked. I turned to look at him.

"I mean, dad was gone for three weeks and you already were running to Sam. You don't like to be alone, Dean. And I wasn't going to do that to you"

"So you wanted to go with Sam?" he asked.

"I don't know" I replied, thinking on that. "I'll get back to you on that" We pulled up to the college. "You ready?"

"It's not every day I get a research question on Pagan ideology" the professor smiled.

"Yeah, well, call it a hobby" Dean smiled, giving me a look.

"But you said you were interested in local lore?" he asked. Dean and I nodded. "I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worship"

"Well, what if it was imported? You know, like the Pilgrims brought their religion over" Dean shrugged. "Wasn't a lot of this area settled by immigrants?" The professor nodded. "Like that town near here, Burkesville. Where are their ancestors from?"

"Uh, northern Europe, I believe, Scandinavia" he said, looking surprised and confused.

"What could you tell us about those Pagan gods?" Dean asked.

"Well, there are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses" he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"We're actually looking for one. Might live in an orchard" I smiled. He sighed and led us into the classroom, opening a huge book.

"Woods god, hm? Well, let's see" He leafed through. Dean stopped him.

"Wait, wait, wait. What's that one?" he asked, pointing to a picture of a scarecrow surrounded by a bunch of farmers.

"Oh, that's not a woods god, per se" he replied.

"The V-Vanir?" Dean read. The professor nodded, and Dean kept reading. "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female" He looked to me, and pointed to the book. "Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?"

The professor looked to us. "I suppose"

"This particular Vanir that's energy sprung from the sacred tree?" I asked, reading the book some more.

"Well, Pagans believed all sorts of things were infused with magic" the professor responded.

"So what would happen if the sacred tree was torched? You think it'd kill the god?" Dean asked. The professor laughed.

"Son, these are just legends we're discussing"

"Oh, of course. Yeah, you're right" Dean said, straightening up. "Listen, thank you very much"

"Glad I could help" the professor remarked. Dean headed to the door, so I followed. He opened the door, and the sheriff was standing there a giddy smile on his face. He hit Dean in the head with the butt of his rifle. I backed up, only to be grabbed from behind by the professor. Dean fell to the ground, passed out.

"Dean!" I screamed, as the professor dragged me backwards. "Let me go, you asshole!" I yelled, kicking and flailing.

"Come on, young lady" he said, "Let's go"

The next time I could see anything, I was in someone's cellar. Dean was next to me, passed out. A bunch of people were standing by the entrance. "We can use him, but not her Harley" the man said. "She's too young. Not of age yet" They saw me staring at them, and the man grimaced. "Let's go talk in private, Harley"

"You can't sacrifice us!" I screamed. They shut the cellar door on us. I went over by it, trying to break it open. We were so screwed. Dean groaned and sat up.

"What happened?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

"No" I said, kicking at the door. I gave up and sat down. "Guess who the new sacrifices are?"

"Us?" he asked, in disgust.

"No just you" I stated. "Apparently I'm not old enough to be god meat" The cellar door opened and Emily was standing there, crying.

"Aunt Stacy. Uncle Harley, please" she pleaded. They led her downstairs and then let her go. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded as they turned around and went back up.

"For the common good" Stacy said, shutting the door again. Dean angrily stood up and began to tear at the door. I sat down in defeat.

"I already tried that idiot" I remarked.

"Shut up" Dean scoffed, trying one last time before stopping.

"I don't understand" Emily said, in disbelief. "They're gonna kill us?"

"Sacrifice us" Dean stated. "Which is, I don't know, classier, I guess?"

"Classier" I scoffed, putting my head in my hands. He walked over to her and stared for a second.

"You really didn't know anything about this, did you?" he scoffed.

"About what? The scarecrow god?" she cried. "I can't believe this"

"Well, you better start believing, cause I'm gonna need your help" Dean said. Emily nodded. "Now, we can destroy the scarecrow, but we gotta find the tree"

"What tree?"She asked.

"Maybe you can help me with that. It would be really old. The locals would treat it with a lot of respect, you know, like it was sacred"

"There was this one apple tree" She said. "The immigrants brought it over with them. They call it the First Tree"

I stood up. "Is it in the orchard?"

"Yeah, but I don't know where" she shrugged. The cellar door opened. Four people were standing there.

"It's time" Stacy said grimly. They tied me up so I wouldn't follow.

"Say goodbye to your brother" the sheriff smiled, as he led him away.

"You better have a real good plan Dean!" I shouted as the guy delivered a blow to my stomach.

"I do, don't worry" he said. He paused. "I'll get us out of this. I promise!" The cellar door closed. I struggled against the ropes they used on my hands. I was trying for my cell phone in my shoe. I hid it there on cases so people wouldn't think to look there. Of course, that was useless since I couldn't reach it. I felt the tangle of the ropes give away. I had gotten loose. I reached to get my cell. I had no service down here. I walked around for literally like five minutes until I found one bar. I dialed the number I knew by heart.

"Sam?" I said as he answered. "How far away are you?"

"Why?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Just answer it" I replied.

"A couple hours drive" he replied. "I'm at the bus station. Why?" I glanced upstairs, where the sheriff was waiting outside the cellar.

"I need your help. We're in some deep shit"

He sighed. "Would you watch your language?" he demanded. "If this is some stupid plan to get me back"

"Sam, I'm serious" I stated. "I don't know what to do. Dean is going to die"

"Is that why you he wasn't answering my calls?" he said. "I'll be there as fast as I can"

"Okay" I sighed. "Get here fast, Sam"

"I will" he said, and hung up. I put my cell phone down and heard the cellar door open.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" he asked.

"My imaginary friend" I stated. "He says to go to hell" The sheriff hit me again, knocking all the breath out of me. "Ugh" I groaned, falling over.

"Shut up" he said. "I wouldn't want you to miss hearing you brother scream" And with that he left again. I was sitting in silence. My cell rang.

"Where are you?"

Sam asked, "I'm close"

"In the cellar of the general store" I said. "But the sheriffs outside. And you have no weapons"

"I can see him. Create a distraction or something" he said. And he hung up. I stood up with a sigh and pounded on the door.

"Hey, buddy, I gotta pee!" I screamed. The door opened. "I have to go to the bathroom" I whined. He scoffed, and turned around to see Sammy grinning. He hit him and the sheriff fell down the steps. I ran up and hugged Sam.

"You okay?" he asked, looking me over.

"Yeah" I said, already running off. "C'mon, we gotta save Dean" I ran to the orchard, looking silently for Dean.

"Dean?" I heard Sam say. I ran over.

"Oh! Oh, I take everything back I said" Dean said, happily. "I'm so happy to see you. Come on" He began to untie Dean.

"Uh, hello, I called him" I said, walking up. I untied Emily.

"Good work, ankle biter" Dean smiled. "How'd you get here?" he asked Sam. Sam looked sheepish.

"I, uh—I stole a car"

"Ha-ha! That's my boy!" Dean said. "And keep an eye on that scarecrow. He could come alive any minute"

Sam looked at him, confused. "What scarecrow?" Dean stood up, and did me and Emily, and glanced at the now empty post. I looked to Dean.

"Crap" I mumbled. "We gotta find that tree, guys"

"What tree?" Sam asked.

"The sacred First tree" Emily said.

"We gotta go" Dean said, running. I followed.

"Alright, now, this sacred tree you're talking about—" Sam said as we slowed a little.

"It's the source of its power" Dean replied.

Sam looked around. "So let's find it and burn it"

"Nah, in the morning" Dean said. "Let's just shag ass before Leather Face catches up" We stopped in a clearing, where the townspeople were staring at us. "This way" Dean said, pulling us around. There were now people behind us too.

"Please. Let us go" Emily begged, through tears.

"It'll be over quickly, I promise" Harley said desperately. Emily just continued begging. "Emily, you have to let him take you" he explained. "You have to—" He stopped, screaming. It took me a second to figure out why. The scarecrow was standing behind him, having stuck the sickle through Harley's stomach. Stacy screamed, and was taken next, just being dragged off. Everyone scattered.

"Come on, let's go" Dean shouted, and we ran once again. There was a couple screams behind us, so we stopped. There was no one there. The field was empty. We all sort of stared at each other. It was over.

The next morning, we went back to find the damn tree. It was easy to find in the light. It had a design on it. Sam poured gasoline on it. Dean went to light it, but Emily stopped him. "Let me" she insisted, taking the burning branch.

"You know, the whole town's gonna die" Dean said.

Emily stared grimly. "Good" She threw the branch on the tree and we watched it burn to the ground. Emily needed a ride to the bus stop.

"Think she's gonna be alright?" Sam asked as she went off.

"I hope so" Dean nodded.

"And the rest of the townspeople, they'll just get away with it?" Sam asked.

"Well, what'll happen to the town will have to be punishment enough" Dean sighed. We headed back to the Impala. "So, can I drop you off somewhere?" Dean asked Sam. I glanced at him in shock. I thought….

"No, I think you're stuck with me" Sam said, giving me a smile. I relaxed and smiled back.

"What made you change your mind?" Dean asked.

"I didn't" Sam shrugged. "I still wanna find Dad. And you're still a pain in the ass" Dean gave him a little nod. "But, Jess and Mom—they're both gone" he went on. "Dad is God knows where. You and me and Lexie. We're all that's left. So, if we're gonna see this through, we're gonna do it together"

Dean paused and smirked. "Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful" he remarked. He put a hand on his shoulder.

Sam hit it away with a laugh. "You should be kissing my ass, you were dead meat, dude"

"Yeah, right" Dean remarked. "I had a plan, I'd have gotten out"

"Um, hello" I stated, waving my arms. "Who called in the infantry to save you?"

"The chicken who didn't want to do it herself" Dean stated.

"I was locked in a basement" I laughed, incredulously. "Excuse me, who got us caught in the first place?"

"Not me" he said, shoving me into the backseat and then getting in too. "So shut up" I did, just smirking at Sam. "You two are unbelievable" I stated lying down. "I save Dean's ass, and get you two back together and all you can do is put me down. What great brothers you are"

"Language" they said together. I just smiled and closed my eyes. My dad may still be missing, everyone may still be a little on edge, but maybe I would be okay.

"It's gonna take you" said the stupid person in my head. I grimaced a little. I said maybe.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the Reviews! And here it is, my very first all original chapter! I tried really hard on it, so definitely let me know what you think! Love you all! **

**Chapter Twelve **

"So possession, huh?" Dean said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Sounds like fun"

"Yeah" Sam said. "But this isn't the normal vomiting and twitching exorcism. I mean, these people don't just kill people around them, but then themselves"

"But I thought demon's don't die when their hosts die" I said, confused. "So who cares?"

"Well they don't" Sam said. "But usually they still have a sense of self protection, you know"

"So they kill themselves" Dean started with a full mouth. "Then go on to a new host?"

"Yeah" Sam replied, with a nod. "It's weird though. None of the people that these victims knew report any sign of change or aggressive behavior"

"How far away?" Dean asked.

"About a few hours" Sam responded.

Dean stood up and took the other half of this sandwich with him. "C'mon" he said, throwing some money on the table. "I wanna kill something"

I rolled my eyes, and followed him to the Impala. I got in the backseat, and leaned forward. "So you think it's a demon" Sam said.

"You said it was" Dean replied.

"Yeah, but the pattern doesn't fit, dude" Sam sighed. "I mean, killing themselves?"

"Sam, we'll just have to figure it out when we get there" I said.

"I know, it's just bothering me" he said sheepishly. "Something's not right"

"I'll tell you what's not right" Dean said. "My M&Ms are missing" He glared at Sam, and then me. "Alright, which one of you should I kill?"

"Not me" Sam said hands up in surrender.

"Well I didn't take them" I lied. Dean stared me down, and I grimaced. "I only took like ten" Dean just scoffed.

"You're like the worst liar ever"

"Am not"

"Are too"

"See, the trick is to make everyone believe you're a bad liar" I smiled. "That way, when you're lying about the really big stuff, they'll believe you."

Sam shot me a surprised look. "I will never trust anything you say ever again." I just laughed. Somehow in the next two minutes, they went from joking around to arguing again. I was getting so annoyed with the both of them.

"Guys" I stated, rolling my eyes. "Will you please shut up?" Dean just gave a small mumble, and Sam only grunted. "Seriously, I thought we were past this" I scoffed. I put my IPod on, blasting music in my ears to drown them out. I was just so sick of it, I didn't want to listen to it anymore. A few minutes later, I glanced back towards the front seat to see their mouths moving and they both looked especially ticked off. I rolled my eyes and turned my music up louder. Fine, if they wanted to argue, they could. But I wouldn't be a part of it anymore.

At least, that was until Dean glanced at me in the rearview mirror. That, of course, sparked my interest. I pretended I hadn't cared, and slowly turned my music down to where it was almost muted. "…does she even care?" Sam asked, "I mean, Lex acts like dad disappearing is not big deal. She doesn't seem screwed up at all. You don't think that's weird?"

"Not really" Dean remarked. "You know she's just hiding it. She'll talk when she wants too"

"She never waits this long to talk about it" Sam argued. "I mean, she never does. You think maybe she's really hurt?"

"Sammy" Dean sighed, sounding uncomfortable. "I think…" he trailed off. Sam just waited expectantly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think she wants to talk to you"

"You already said that" Sam interjected. "And I know, but—"

"That's not what I meant" Dean said, cutting him off. "I mean she doesn't want to talk to _you_"

Sam looked confused, and then his expression immediately went to hurt. "Oh"

"I mean…" Dean sighed, trying to get his point across. "She doesn't trust you like she used too. You left. And it's not like we shared any tearful goodbyes"

"We talked on the phone, Dean" Sam stated.

"I know," Dean said. "But what did you really talk about?" Sam just stared ahead, and I hated to admit it, but Dean was right. We never said much. It was more of a checking in to make sure he was okay, tell him I missed him, and that was it. Dean looked at him. "Sam?"

"No, I get it" Sam replied. He still sounded hurt. "It makes sense, it's just, I mean" he paused. "We used to tell each other everything" Dean was silent. "So you think she really is messed up?"

"Yeah" he responded. "And it's my fault"

"It's dad's fault" Sam countered.

"Nah, I mean, Sam, she's blasting her music because she doesn't want to listen to us anymore. Her dad's missing, and we drag her all over creation. And we don't talk about it" Dean listed. "She's gotta be pissed at me"

"Dean, she doesn't seem mad at us" Sam said. "She doesn't seem anything. She's turning into you" Dean shot him a confused look. "Well she used to talk about it. And I leave, and now she doesn't talk. Like you"

"See" Dean smirked. "My fault" I popped my headphones out with a sigh.

"It's no one's fault" I interjected. "Now stop putting feelings on me that I don't have, and stop talking about me when I'm right behind you two morons"

Sam looked at me, trying to feign innocence. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough" I glared. "I had my IPod on, I'm not deaf"

"Then why didn't you answer when I called you?" Dean demanded.

"Because I don't want to talk to you" I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "Now stop, it's not like my feelings are any concern of yours anyway" I put my iPod back in and blasted it again. Sam tried to say something, but I only smirked, pointing to my ears. "I can't hear you" I stated.

"Is this the right house?" Dean asked, staring at the nice suburban home. Sam nodded. "Quaint" We headed inside, and saw the empty crime scene. There was still blood on the walls. I grimaced and looked at the scratch marks on the floor. Nice.

"I'm not getting anything" Sam said, holding up the EMF.

"So she killed her entire family?" I asked. "That's sucks"

"And herself too?" Dean went on. "No witnesses"

"The neighbor said she heard screaming" Sam said, putting the EMF away. "Maybe she could tell us something?"

"Worth a shot" Dean nodded. "But first…" he reached over and pulled a beer out of the fridge and drank it. "Okay" he said, with a smirk. "Let's go"

We headed next door to talk to the neighbors. I knocked on the door. A very old lady opened the door. "What?" she screeched, narrowing her eyes at us? She glanced at Sam and Dean and then back at me. "You selling Girl Scout cookies?" she demanded.

"Uh, no" I said, shaking my head.

"Well then I don't want any" she replied, going to close the door. Sam stopped her by putting a hand on the door.

"She is selling cookies" he said smiling. "Right, kiddo?" I glared at him as Dean snickered behind me. I smiled at the old hag.

"Sure" I replied. "Thin mints or tagalongs?"

She opened the door and let us inside. Her house was a mess and she had about a billion cats. I didn't see any of them, but hair was everywhere. It smelled like a mix of old people and cat piss. I grimaced as I sat down on her couch next to Sam.

"So we heard about the neighbors" Sam stated, trying to make pleasant conversation.

"Well yeah" the old lady barked. "I think the whole neighborhood heard. They were screaming. I called the police"

"Did you notice anything weird?" Dean asked. "Especially from the teenage girl?"

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like, I don't know a sudden personality change?" Dean suggested.

"No" the old lady said, shaking her head. "She was a normal as ever. Well I mean, as normal as could be. She never really fit in. Wasn't the popular cheerleading type, you know?"

"So she was depressed?" I asked, confused. The old lady shrugged. "Did she fight with her family a lot?"

"I don't know" she sighed, agitated. "Why don't you call her boyfriend and ask him?"

"What's his name?" Sam asked. She reeled off his name and then glared at me.

"You gonna get my cookie order or what?" she demanded.

As we exited a couple minutes later, I was carrying a piece of paper with the woman's cookie order on it. "You'd make an excellent Girl Scout, Lexie" Dean remarked. "You know, why don't you put us down for some cookies too?"

"Shut up, Dean" I said through clenched teeth. I crumpled up the paper and threw it at him. I had been forced a few years back to actually become a girl scout. I wore the vest and all, and I hated it. Dean just laughed.

The boyfriend wasn't hard to get in touch with. He was normal looking, and was more than willing to help out us FBI agents. "So you're an agent too?" he said to me. He gave me a suspicious glance.

"I'm an intern" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Anyway" Dean started. "Why don't you tell us about your girlfriend?"

The boy, whose name was Travis, looked sad. "I don't know what happened, man" he said, looking at Dean. "I mean, she had been totally normal. Didn't even let on anything was wrong"

"Nothing?" Sam asked. "No sudden anger or sadness, no sign of being unhappy?"

"No" he said, shaking his head. "Nothing. She was just like always" He paused. "Well she was getting a cold, I guess, but—"

"What about her situation at home?" Dean went on. "Did she get along with her family?"

"Well, yeah" he said, slightly uneasy. "I mean, they fought, but what family doesn't? She was the youngest though, and she complained that no one listened to her a lot. But she wouldn't kill them. She was like one of the nicest people I knew."

"Well" Sam said, standing up. "Is there anything else? Anything at all?" Travis shook his head. "We'll be in touch" he smiled, handing him our number. We exited and got into the car.

"Sam, I'm not sure this is our kind of gig" Dean started. "I mean, no sign on the EMF, no sulfur, the girl was totally normal but she didn't get along with her family very well, it could just be a normal homicide suicide deal"

"I don't know" Sam sighed. "It just doesn't feel right"

I glanced at the setting sun. "Maybe we should check out the house at night?" I asked. "Maybe something will happen then?"

"Like what?" Sam asked. "It's possession, not a spirit"

"Sam, I think she's right" Dean said. "We'll grab a room and then head up for an hour or so. Can't hurt"

We headed back after nightfall, and got the same EMF readings then. There was seriously no sign that anything had even been there. I walked around the basement, trying to find something. Anything. I rounded a corner and got an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Something was watching me. I whipped around, but nothing was there. I sighed, and ran back upstairs. Now I was just making myself paranoid.

"You get anything?" Dean asked me as I entered the kitchen. I shook my head. "Yeah, me neither"

"I got nothing" Sam said, coming downstairs. "You really think it's nothing?" he asked us. "Both of you?"

"I don't know, Sammy" Dean smirked, "Maybe the demon just completely left. For good" Sam shot him a look. "Alright, I know, but…there's nothing Sam" He just sighed. "Look, how about we head back to the room and just lay low for a day or two. Make sure there really is nothing. Would that make you feel better?"

Sam just gave a slight nod. "Fine" he said. And we left. We stopped to pick up a pizza on the way back, since Dean hadn't eaten in the last hour, and went back to the room. Sam went straight to his laptop, and started researching. I didn't bother him. When he got like that it was better not too. Dean snacked on pizza and watched some old movie. I grabbed my coat.

"I'm going for a quick walk" I stated, heading to the door.

"Be careful" Sam said. I nodded and left. I walked just a little ways away, and pulled out my phone.

"Missouri?" I said, as she answered. "It's Lexie"

"I know" she replied. "What can I help you with, sweetie?"

"What's going to take me?" I asked, getting right to the point. She was silent for a moment.

"Nothing" she said. "It was just a phrase"

"I'm not so sure" I argued. "Please, Missouri, just tell me, so I can be ready. I don't want to be taken, I just—"

"Baby, listen to me" she said. "As long as you stick by your brothers, talk to them about how you feel, nothing will take you. Ever" She paused. "Have you heard from your father?"

"Yeah" I said. "He was in Kansas, wasn't he?" Her silence told me I was right. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"He asked me not too" she replied. "And I respected his wishes, even if they were stupid" She sighed again. "I'm sorry baby, but just please. Go talk to your brothers."

"About what, though?" I questioned. "About how my father's still gone? Cuz I think they know"

"About the fact that you're scared" she said. "And how you feel about everything that's been going on" I thought about that. A lot had been going through my head lately, but I was more confused and frustrated than anything. I didn't exactly know how to talk to Sam and Dean about that without Dean calling me a whiny little bitch, but I suppose it was worth a shot.

"Okay" I said. "I will"

"Good luck, baby" Missouri said before hanging up. I walked back in to see Sam and Dean back in the same positions that I left them in.

"That was fast" Sam remarked. I just sort of nodded. "You okay?" he asked, glancing at me red eyes. I nodded again, and lay down on the bed. I never said I was going to talk about it tonight. When I opened my eyes the next day, Sam was pacing the room.

"What?" I asked groggily, still trying to completely wake up.

"There was another one" he stated. "Same deal. A teenage girl killed herself after killing her bother. No murder weapon. No sign of previous aggression. Nothing" He paced the room again. "I knew something was going on" I glanced at Dean and hit him with my pillow. I got up and pulled some jeans on, as he woke up.

"What?" he demanded. "What time is it?"

"Eight" I replied, glancing at the clock. "There was another one"

"Another what?" he asked, flipping over.

"Another homicide" Sam said. "C'mon man, we gotta get there. Maybe we'll get readings this time" Dean groaned and walked blindly into the bathroom. He came out dressed like thirty second later. "Let's go" he said, and he walked out the door, Sammy with him. I followed right behind. The police were still there when we got to the house. It was only three blocks from the last one.

"You're gonna have to sit out on this one" Sam said, looking uneasily at the cops.

"Just meet me around back" I insisted, not wanting to be left out. "Please?" He gave me a vague nod, and I looped around the back of the house. Dean was waiting for me by the backdoor, giving me an annoyed look.

"Can't you ever just wait for us?" he asked.

"No" I replied, rolling my eyes. I walked in to a similar scene that I had seen the day before. "So same exact deal? Maybe there's a pattern?"

"I'm not so sure" Sam said, grimacing at the blood stains.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I mean, they were both teenage girls, and both went on a killing spree, but that's it" Sam explained. "The one was blonde cheerleader, the other was a loner, one killed everyone, one only her brother. The other had two sisters"

"We've gotta be missing something" I stated, looking around a little. I glanced at the stairs. "I'm gonna check her room" I called, heading up. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, or even if I was going to find anything. I just figured it would be a good idea. Maybe there was some connection after all. The room was completely normal looking. No sign of occult stuff or anything weird like that. Her cheerleading trophy's were stacked on one wall, and her pictures were on another. She seemed like a normal person.

I sighed, and turned to go back down when I noticed that the closet door was cracked open. For the hell of it, I opened it wide, and took a step inside. I thought it had gotten colder. That wasn't a good sign. Then, as soon as I felt funny, like really funny, the feeling was gone. I let out a sigh of relief, and then everything went dark.

"Lex" said a voice. It sounded muffled and far away. "Alexis!" My eyes popped open. I was in Sam's arms, being shaken away. "Are you alright?" he asked me. I only nodded, not knowing what happened. "What happened?"

"I don't know" I said, scared. "I was looking around, and then….nothing" I scanned my memory, but everything was gone.

"Sam" Dean said, glaring at me. "I think we should check her"

Sam shot him a look. "What?" I asked, confused. "Check me for what?" Dean just blinked at me. "You think I'm possessed?" I said softly. His silence scared the hell out of me.

"Cristo" Sam said, letting go of me. I didn't flinch at all. At least, I didn't think I did. Sam looked up at Dean. I stood up.

"Holy water me" I insisted. Dean hesitated, but took a hold of my forearm, pouring a little on it. It didn't hurt at all. He shot me a concerned look. "Nothing" I shrugged.

"Say the name of god" Sam demanded, giving me a glance.

"Jesus Christ, Cristo, Father Almighty" I listed off. It came out with ease. I sat down on the bed. "I guess I just passed out"

"But why?" Sam asked. "Do you feel sick?"

"A little lightheaded" I replied honestly. "Can we just go back to the room? I wanna lie down" Dean shot me a worried look, as did Sam, and we headed out. I could feel them staring at me. I didn't know what was going on. My head was throbbing, and I was scared to death. What if I was possessed? No, we did everything we could think of. I was fine. I let out a shaky breath. I was fine.

"You want some Advil?" Sam asked, as we entered the room.

"No, I'm gonna take a shower" I said. He nodded and I headed into the bathroom. A little shower might do me good. As the scalding water ran over me, I couldn't help but feel a lot calmer. The water could've boiled me alive at this point. I rinsed off and thought about stuff.

Over the last six months my life had been thrown a curve ball. I mean, my life had never been normal in the first place, but still. I had been dealing with a lot lately. My father was missing, and didn't want us to find him. I wondered what he was doing right then. If he was even okay. If he was alive. And then I found out that Dean liked me less than Sammy. That wasn't much of a surprise. He always talked to Sam and acted different around Sam then he did me. The shape shifter didn't have to tell me that. And these weird feelings I got. Sam had powers too. What was that all about? Did we have like some toxic waste poured on us or something? I mean, I liked knowing when someone I cared about was in trouble, but still. It frigging hurt.

I turned the shower off, feeling a lot better now that I was clean, and pulled a tank top and jeans on. I sighed as I began to brush my teeth. I glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked into my eyes, seeing the same blue I always had. I shook my head and brushed some more. I was just being stupid. I glanced back up again to see myself smiling. Scared, I reached up to my face, only to feel myself frowning. The smile in the mirror fell into a frown. I blinked, and poked my face. I seriously needed to relax. I was going to drive myself crazy.

I rolled my eyes and suddenly got really dizzy. The entire room was spinning. My stomach churned noisily. I gripped the sink in pain. Was my forehead splitting open? I was dying. I was so going to die. I tried to let go of the sink so I could get to the door. I only fell on all fours. "Yo, Lexie!" Dean yelled. "Hurry up, some people gotta pee!"

I wanted to respond so badly, to scream in pain. All that came out was a choking noise. My throat was closing up. I could barely breathe. "Alexis?" he called, sounding more concerned, "Are you okay?" I banged on the wall to try to let him know I was in trouble.

"Help…" came out in a hoarse whisper. "Dean…" I was starting to see white lights.

"Alexis!" he called banging on the door. "If you don't answer me, I'm breaking down the door"

"Lexie" Sam yelled. "Open up"

"You better be decent!"Dean yelled, and within seconds the door was broken. It swung open, barely missing me. He saw me on the floor, and kneeled next to me. "Whoa" he remarked at my scared expression. "Kiddo, you okay?" All the sudden I could breathe again. I took big breaths, trying to get my heart going again. I glanced up at him in fear, and then dived to the toilet. I threw up.

"What happened?" Sam asked, rubbing my back.

"It must've been something I ate" I replied. I was totally lying, but for some reason, I was too scared to tell them the truth. Hell, I wasn't sure if I could even tell myself the truth. But something was really, really wrong.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked, shooting me a suspicious glance. I nodded, taking a sip of the juice Sam handed me.

"I've just got a stomach bug, Dean" I remarked with a smile. "Relax" He backed off after that. I sat down on the bed. Sam sighed.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah" I replied. "I'm going to go to bed early. I'll be better by tomorrow" I lay down and pretended to fall asleep. In reality, my mind was reeling. I couldn't even think straight. In fact, I wasn't aware I even fell asleep until I had a nightmare.

_I was going to kill them. I was going to destroy them. I was going to pick the flesh from their bones. I was so going to do this. I took a step into the bathroom, glancing at myself in the mirror. My heart started pounding, but I just smirked to myself. The knife in my hands felt cold. It would be warm with blood soon. I looked into my eyes, but where the normal blue iris' that matched my mom's had been, was coal black. I smiled._

I jerked awake, still in bed. Sam was next to me snoring peacefully. I panted, scared to death. Now I was so paranoid, I was giving myself nightmares. I glanced to Dean, who was asleep too. He groaned and flipped over. I lay back down, still freaked. What was going on? I lay there completely awake for another three hours before Sam woke up. And even then I didn't say anything. He left not much later, probably on a coffee run. I felt gross. My whole body felt like I had been through the ringer. I took some Advil and put my head in my hands. I would tell Sam when he got back. I couldn't keep doing this.

"Hey, Lex" he said, entering not much later. "You okay?" I turned to tell him I was feeling sicker, but I suddenly felt odd. Well, not odd, I felt…angry. I wanted to rip him apart. I wanted to kill him. And I was terrified. I tried to calm down. I looked down and realized I was gripping the table so hard my knuckles were white. Letting go in shock, I nodded my head.

"I'm fine, Sammy"

"You sure?" he asked, looking concerned. Anger flared in my veins. I was so mad at him.

"God, yes Sam" I snapped. "I'm frigging super duper!" I collapsed onto the chair. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Whatever" he remarked, putting his hands up in surrender. "Just chill"

Dean woke up grumbling. "Who the hell is yelling?" he demanded.

"Just shut the fuck up" I yelled, going into the bathroom to change. I could still hear them talking.

"What's up with her?" Dean asked. "I mean, I know teenagers are hormonal, but still" "I think something's going on" Sam stated.

"Well just leave her alone, she'll get over it and then never stop talking" Dean scoffed. I exited the bathroom, feeling a lot calmer than I had been all morning.

"Hey Lexie" Sam said hesitantly. "We're heading back to the house to try to talk to someone, you coming?" I thought about going back there and panicked. My heart was pounding in my ears. No, I couldn't be like those girls. I was just sick, right?

"No" I choked out. "I just want to…uh,…finish schoolwork" I lied. "I'm way behind"

Dean grabbed the weapons, staring at me in shock. "You skipping on a hunt to do school?" he asked, in disbelief. I nodded. "Sam, you're such a bad influence. You're back for a few months…"

"Yeah, Dean" Sam said, rolling his eyes. "I'm a bad influence because she's doing her work and is responsible"

"Damn straight" Dean smirked, walking out the door.

Sam rolled his eyes again. "Call me if you need anything" he said, motioning at my phone. He left, closing the door behind him. I sat down on the bed trying not to freak out. If I was possessed, there would be some tests I could do. But Dean had already tried it. I stood up and grabbed the Holy water out of my bag and went into the bathroom.

Unscrewing the lid, I glanced at the mirror. My face was normal. I went to tip the bottle on my forearm again, but something stopped me. I couldn't move. "Let's not do that" said a voice that was my own. I definitely hadn't meant to say that. I looked at myself in the mirror. "Oh, I like this body" I remarked, looking at myself. I grinned. "This'll be fun"

I had lost all control. All I had was a cramped little space in my mind. Only my thoughts were my own, even though I was pretty sure the demon could hear me. I was so scared. I moved around the motel room, seeing it through my own eyes, but having no control over what I was doing. It felt like I was in a dream. The demon picked through m bag, pulling out knives. "These will be fun" it giggled. It placed some down on the floor.

"You gonna kill me?" I asked myself. My body smirked. I picked up the knife, inspecting it.

"Possibly" the demon replied out loud. I put the knife back down. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't even started having fun yet" I got up and my eyes scanned the room, and I stopped at my cell phone, I panicked. "Oh, what's this?" the demon asked. I picked it up and scrolled through my contacts. "Wanna see what Dean-o and Sammy have to say about your new self" I was fighting as hard as I could to gain control back. It was like trying to break down a brick wall. The demon was blocking me from everything. The demon started to try and dial. I was mentally screaming. I couldn't let it call Sam and Dean back. It would kill them. The phone was thrown across the room. Even I could feel the demon's surprise. "Well" it smiled lightly. "I guess you're stronger than you give yourself credit for" I walked over and picked up the phone off the floor. It dialed Sam. "Too bad it's still not strong enough"

Dean picked up on the third ring. "Lex, we're busy, so you better be—"

He was cut off as Sam stole the phone. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Sam, I think something's wrong" the demon cried into the phone.

"What?" Sam asked. "Did something happen—"

"Sammy, I'm scared" it whispered, terrified. "Can you come back? Please?" I waited for his response, a smile on my face. He sighed and I heard him whisper to Dean.

Dean groaned, and swore under his breath before coming back on the phone. "We'll be back in ten" he stated. "Hang in there" I smiled and hung up the phone.

"Here we go"

The door opened, well more like slammed open, and Dean entered. He was pissed I called him off the job. I was never actually supposed to do that unless it was an emergency. It was one of those unspoken rules. "Lexie?" he called. I felt myself grin. I stepped out from the corner of the room, and Dean took only one step towards me when he was thrown across the room. He groaned in pain as he stood up, staring around. "What the hell was that?"

Sammy came in, "Lexie, you okay?" he asked. He was holding Holy water, which he immediately tried to throw on me. I was too fast for him. He was pinned to the wall in seconds. Dean was the same. A few drops had landed on my arm, but I only chuckled as it seared with pain.

"I'm just fine Sammy" I grinned. I flipped open the pocket knife in my hands. "In fact" it went on. I looked at Dean, grinning. A burning feeling started from inside me. Dean cried out in pain. "I've never been better" Sam was struggling against the wall, and both of them were bleeding. It my all my fault. I was causing this. I was so pissed. I fought with all my will against the demon, but kept coming up empty handed. I glared at Sam, and the burning feeling went away. Dean collapsed a little. I walked over to Sam and gave him an innocent smile. "What's wrong, Sammy?" I asked, sounding hurt. "You don't like the new me?"

"You're not my sister" he remarked, through clenched teeth.

"Oh, but I am" I argued, my smile faltering. "I can read her every thought. See her every memory like it was my own" I paused. "She's inside here. She can see this, what I'm doing. She says hi, by the way" I chuckled. "She was so upset and mad, and you two didn't even care"

Dean was silent and tensed up. "What?" he finally asked.

"Oh yeah" I smiled. "She knows you care about Sammy more" I stated. "Sammy's sad about Jess. Sammy's has powers. Sam. Sam. Sam" I drew the pocket knife over his cheek, making a tiny cut. "You never gave a fuck about poor Lexie"

"Don't listen to her Dean" Sam said. I jerked around.

"Sammy" I laughed slightly. "Don't pretend like you didn't know"

"Know what?" he demanded.

"She tried to tell you" I said. I looked back at Dean. "Both of you. But you just turned it off. She said she was fine. She always said she was fine" I walked back to Dean. "And if Sam said that, you would just push him until he talked. But with her you let it go. Tell me Dean, why is that?"

"That's not true" Sam stated. "Stop blaming Dean"

I walked over to him all the way for the first time. "Sam" I said, with a smile. "Don't be all innocent. Hell, she hates you most" He just struggled. "You were right. She doesn't trust you. She hates you. You left her"

"Shut up" he yelled. "Just shut up!" "

I don't think you're in the place to be making demands here" I went on. I paced around the room. I drew my knife over my own wrists. "In fact, I think I should be making demands of you"

"What are you doing?" Dean asked, confused.

"You didn't think it would be quick, did you?" I asked, sliding the knife down my arm again. The cut was deeper this time. I could really feel my heart beating now. I was going to die. It wasn't some event way off in the future. Sam and Dean couldn't protect me from this. I was alone. And I was going to die. That was my only thought as the knife continued down my forearm. Dean and Sam were screaming at me, tearing at the demon's invisible restraints. "We really aren't very good at this game" it sneered as they struggled. I laughed. "You know, this has been fun boys, but I think it's time for goodbyes" I waltzed to the middle of the room. "Who wants to die first?" I giggled. I pointed to each, blood running down my arms.

"Shut up you bitch!" Dean yelled. The burning feeling, stronger than ever, seared through my limbs. Dean cried out. "Stop!" he yelled. It did. "Kill me" he panted. "Kill me, but please, let Sam and Lexie go" I pretended to think about it.

"Um, no" I grinned. "Life doesn't work that way big bro" I put my hand on his forehead.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Uh…" I felt my eyes, flash. There was one second where I couldn't see. I knew my eyes went black. "Demon" I stated. I smiled. "Say bye bye" All the energy I think I have ever felt left my body through my fingertips. Picture trying to burn your fingerprints off. Dean was screaming. Sam was screaming. I was screaming. I was fighting as hard as I could. I was kicking against the wall of my mind. Suddenly, I had control of myself. "

Stop!" I yelled. I realized that I actually could move and scrambled away from them. Dean and Sam fell to the ground. "Sam, kill me" I said as he approached me. "Do something before—" It was gone. I grabbed the knife that I dropped and swung it at Sam. He tossed Holy Water on me, and I screamed in agony. It burned so much.

I stood up quickly and stared at Sam. "Regna terrae, cantate Doe, psallite Domino qui fertis super caelumcaeli ad Orientem Ecce dabit voci Suae vocem virtutis, tribuite virtutem Deo" he said. I twitched in pain.

"Shut up!" I screamed, throwing him across the room. I took the knife, and held it up. "It's over, Sam!" I held the knife to my abdomen. I was panicking. I tried the same approach as before, fighting the walls in my head. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. I gained control back moments before the knife plunged into my side and quickly came back out again. I had been able to almost move out of the way, but I was too slow. I still hit my side. I could feel the blood on my skin. It was hot and sticky, and I was in so much pain I thought it would never end. The knife burned white hot, blazing through me. I fell to my knees as Sam came running over. "Sam" I said, choking. "It's still in me. You gotta finish the exorcism"

"But, Lex, you're—"

"Do it, Sam!" I screamed, holding my side.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te" he said. I started jerking around. He watched, but kept going.

"Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris,te rogamus, audi inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae te rogamus, audi nos" I felt the demon moving in me. It was trying to keep a hold on me.

"Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus Deus. Gloria Patri"

With that last word, demon erupted from me, shooting to the ceiling. I was choking on my own breath, so close to death I could taste it. I collapsed onto the ground, and felt like nothing. Seriously. I felt nothing. I was numb, the searing pain gone, all traced of life leaving me. "Lexie" Sam said, holding me. "Lex, can you hear me?" Blood was on my lips.

"Sam" I whispered. "Is Dean—"

Dean was next to me in seconds. "I'm right here" he said, moving my hair out of my face.

"I'm sorry" I said, closing my eyes.

"No" He said, slapping my face a little. "No death speeches, you're gonna be fine" I grimly nodded, not really believing him. He grabbed me away from Sam and carried me to the Impala. I was in the backseat, and in seconds we were speeding down the road. Sam sat in back with me, holding me to him protectively, glancing around wildly like he was waiting for the lord himself to grab me away. I took one last glance at the world around me, and then everything was gone.

I cracked my eyes open to see Dean glaring in my face. "Personal space" I whispered, a slight smile on my face. He grinned and leaned back.

"See" he smiled at Sam. "Told you she'd be okay"

I glanced at Sam, who had red eyes like he'd been crying. I looked back to Dean. He had them too. "Aw" I said, "Look who cares" He only glared at me.

"That's not funny" he stated. "You scared the crap out of us" I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You got stabbed" Dean replied. I gave him a deadpan stare.

"I know that" I scoffed.

"Somehow, you managed to miss everything. Barely hit your side at all even. You pretty much went skin to skin" Sam said. "You lost tons of blood though" He glared at me while I just stared. "You could try not to just stare at me, you know"

"I'm so sorry" I said, trying to move. It hurt like hell. I grimaced and lay back down. "Maybe next time you can get stabbed" He smiled slightly, but sat down with a huff.

"Geez, Lexie" Dean smirked. "Don't be so bitchy"

"I have every right to be bitchy, I just got stabbed" I said, returning the smirk. I closed my eyes. "So I'm awake. I have no ripped stitches. I'm hopped up on pain meds" I listed. "Can I leave?" Sam gave me an incredulous look.

"No" he scoffed. "You're still on antibiotics"

"So?" I questioned. "I hate hospitals!"

"No" Sam said, shaking his head. "Get some rest"

"Dean?" I said, looking to him with my signature puppy dog eyes. He glanced at Sam, then his expression hardened, and he shook his head. "Ugh" I sighed, and closed my eyes. "Fine" I stated, slowly already falling back asleep. I woke up again, to Dean nudging me. "Ow" I complained. "What?" He just sort of stared.

"What's wrong?" I asked, I looked in front of me to see Sammy staring at me in the same way. "Guys?"

"You feel okay?" Sam asked. I nodded. "Good, we need to talk"

"About?" I questioned, confused. Realization swept over me. "You mean what I said? I was possessed" I had just been stabbed and these two wanted to have a heart to heart. Seriously?

"But what you said was true" Dean remarked.

"No" I said, in disbelief. "It wasn't"

"So you aren't mad that I left for college" Sam said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well yeah" I squirmed. "But—"

"And you don't secretly think I like Sam better?" Dean asked.

"Um, well…" They both blatantly stared at me. "Guys, why does it matter? I mean, it was a demon. It's not the same" They still only glared. "What do you want me to say?" I asked after a moment. "Dean, its okay you like Sam more, and Sam I'm sorry I don't trust you? And I'm sorry that I'm upset that dad left?"

"No" Sam said, standing. "That's exactly what we don't want. Stop apologizing for our mistakes"

"I don't like Sam more" Dean said. "I never have. It's just…different. I need to protect you. You're the youngest"

"So you let Sam talk and do what he wants" I said. "I never said you couldn't talk to me ankle biter" he said, "You made that up yourself" I thought about that. I guess he was right.

"And squirt, you can talk to me too" Sam stated. "I mean, I might've left, but I'm back now, right? And I'm not going to disappear on you again. Not if you need me" I sighed and leaned back.

"Okay" I said. I felt a lot better, I had to admit. "But you two need to realize that I don't hate either of you. At all. You're my family. So don't go all sad and moody on me" They both cracked smiles. I grinned. "So look, now I'm better physically and emotionally, so will you please sign me out now?" Both just shook their heads. The nurse walked in with a tray of food, and placed it in front of me.

"Good to see you awake and talking sweetie" she grinned. "Eat up" I picked at the food like it was poison.

"Ew" I remarked, pushing it away. "You want it?"

"I'm not touching that slop" Dean said, shaking his head. I just grimaced and pushed it even farther away. If Dean wouldn't even touch it, no way in hell was I going too. I glanced at Sam.

"Can I have my cell phone?" I asked. He looked at me confused, but handed me it nonetheless. I dialed Missouri.

"Hey" I said as she answered. "It's me"

"I know" she stated. "Are you okay? I heard"

"I am now" I replied. "I should've listened to you sooner. Sorry" She just hummed into the phone.

"I know" She paused. "Maybe next time you will"

I smiled, and shook my head. "Maybe" I paused. "Talk to you soon okay?" She muttered yes and I hung up. I handed the phone back to Sam.

"Who was that?" he asked. "None of your beeswax, sasquatch" I smiled.

"Have you two even slept?" I asked, now noticing the dark circles under their eyes. Their silence told me the answer. "Go back to the room" I stated. "For me" Sam and Dean both gave me a pat on the back and left me alone for the night. I wasn't really that tired anymore. I really wanted out of there, but for now I was stuck. I just shook my head. Breathing shouldn't be such a chore.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: Hey guys! I tried to add some of your requests this time! And don't worry, a boy will be entering the story soon. :) Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Chapter Thirteen**

I was lying in bed for the millionth and one day in a row. I was still healing, but I was way past stir crazy. I literally thought I was about to kill Dean with his stupid antics. We were all really driving each other nuts. Worst off was that I could walk and move fine, but Dean wouldn't let me out of the bed.

"Dean" I complained, as he forced me back down on the bed. "I'm fine, I swear. Just let me get some air, please? You've kept me cooped up in the motel room since I got out of the hospital a week ago. I'm going nuts"

He sighed and handed me my coat. "Fine" he said. "But I'm coming with you"

We left the room and I took a big breath of fresh air. I was so happy to get out of the damn room that I literally felt like skipping down the road and singing at the top of my lungs. I walked faster, wishing that I could _do_ something. "Slow down" Dean complained, pulling me to a stop. "You're going to hurt yourself"

"I will not" I stated, pulling away. "I'm fine" He rolled his eyes and let me go. "Why are you so protective all the sudden anyways?"

"Because" he said. "You—" he choked off his words and just shook his head. "Can we just go back to the room now?" he asked, pointing behind him.

"No" I said, staring at him. "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing" he grumbled. "Just leave it, okay?"

"Dean—"

"Just leave it!" he yelled, and walked back towards the room. I followed him, fully intent on getting him to tell me what the hell was wrong, when Sam exited the room.

"Dude" he said, stopping Dean. "We got a case, you wanna head out?"

"What about me?" I asked, rolling my eyes. The look on his face told me the apparent answer. I was going to be left behind in the room. I sighed and walked into the room without another word. I watched them pack up and leave me alone. Sam shot me an apologetic smile as they exited. I did not smile back.

I groaned and flopped down on the bed. I lifted my shirt to look at the stitches. They were healing fine. In fact we could probably take them out soon. I wanted to go on the hunt too. This was completely unfair. I wondered what the case even was. Too bad I was stuck here all alone.

I sat up. I was alone in a motel room. I could do whatever the hell I wanted. I smiled to myself, grabbed the extra fake credit cards in Dean's bag, and headed out of the room. Oh hell yes.

I didn't even bother to think about what I was doing, I just did it. I walked down the block quickly. I had the card, but I wanted _cash_. I took one glance, and headed into the bar. I had my fake ID card with me. I could do this, even though Dean always told me that I should never go to the bar alone. I could do whatever I wanted. He wasn't around right now.

Geez, what had gotten into me?

I opened the door and glanced around. It was relatively empty. It was only dinner time after all. There were a few guys playing pool, and lucky for me they looked like the hustling type. I sauntered over, giving them my best innocent smile. They looked at one another with equally happy grins. I picked up a cue and started to chalk up my stick. I looked down at it like I had to concentrate hard on it. It was times like these that being blonde came in handy.

"You know what your doin, sweetie?" the one man asked me after taking his shot.

"Yeah" I replied, smiling sweetly at him. "Can I play with you boys?"

The man looked me up and down. "You barely look over eighteen" he remarked.

"You're too kind" I giggled. I mean I actually giggled. The things I'll do for a quick buck. I lined up a shot and made a stupidly bad shot. "So can I play?" I asked again. I grinned at them, showing my adorable dimples. Dean said that they made me look too cute to be taken seriously, but I mean really? Who could resist?

"Sure" the man smiled. "I'm Cam"

"Paul" the other said, nodding at me.

I leaned over the table slightly. "So we playing for wages or what?" I asked innocently. Cam and Paul laughed uproariously at my suggestion. "What?" I asked.

"We don't wanna take your money, sweetie"

"If I wanna give my money up I can" I stated, sticking my bottom lip out. Cam looked from Paul to me, uneasily. "Unless you're scared…" I trailed off. Cam's expression hardened.

"Aright, girly" He said. "how's a hundred"

"Deal" I stated. He smirked at me and I watched him rack up the balls. "You can break" I smiled. He smiled smugly and broke the triangle, sending all the colored balls flying. None went in the holes. He said nothing, but I was ready. I took my shot and made one in. I smiled. I made another and another. "Wow" I stated, chalking up again. "Beginners luck" I purposely missed so that he wouldn't get pissed.

I pouted a little as he made two more in. "Aww" Paul said, handing me a shot. "Here, cheer up"

I took it hesitantly. Usually if someone handed me alcohol when Dean or Sam was here, I would just pretend to drink it while really ditching it, or hand it to them or something. I was stuck here. I took the shot quick. It burned going down my throat and my eyes watered. "You're turn" Cam said.

I took another shot before going up to the table I made the next three shots, and then paused. I hit the eight ball in. "I win" I said, feeling woozy. That second shot hadn't been such a hot idea. I had no alcohol tolerance. I never really drank before. And I was small. Cam grumbled, handing me my money.

"Don't I get no rematch?" he asked.

"Nope" I giggled. I pocketed my cash and waltzed to the door. I stumbled slightly. "Whoa" I whispered to myself. I was nowhere near drunk yet, was I? No. I was just tipsy.

"Hey, you want me to call a cab?" Paul asked.

"No thanks" I said. "I'm walking" I turned on my heel and got out of there before they could question me anymore. I made it back to the motel safe and sound and tipsy. I laughed as I saw the Impala, already back. Awesome.

I walked in the door. "Where the hell—"Dean paused. "Were you _drinking_?"

I shook my head, and then held it still. "Yeah" I said, figuring honesty was my best bet. "Only a shot" I burped. "Or two"

Dean glared at me. "Seriously?" he asked. I could see the vein in his head pulsing. "Why would that be okay?"

"I don't know" I said, collapsing on the bed. I looked up. "Where's Sam?" I asked.

"Looking for you!" Dean shouted. "We thought you were taken, or killed or—"

"Or what?" I asked, sitting up. "I'm a big girl, Dean"

"Apparently not big enough for me to leave you here alone for an hour" he went on. "I had no idea where you were. You could be dead!"

"I'm not dead"

"Shut up!" he yelled. I had never seen him this mad before. To tell the truth, it reminded me of my father. "Just shut up!" he said again. He gripped me by the arm. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"I—"

"No" he said, letting go abruptly. "No, you don't get to talk, you hear me?" I slowly nodded. He pushed me to the bathroom. "Wash up" he stated. "Then we're going to talk" He closed the door in my face before I could even protest. I ran the shower, waiting forever for the water to get warm.

I took a long shower, until the water was no longer warm. I was putting off talking to Dean. He was more pissed than ever. I wasn't sure I ever really made him this mad at me, and the worst part was, I didn't even really know why.

I mean, I did know why. I had gone to a bar and gotten drunk. But besides that.

I exited the shower and redressed. I suddenly felt exceptionally nauseas. I cringed and puked my guts into the toilet. The door opened, and Dean watched me. "Feel good?" he asked. I shook my head feebly. He sighed, and picked me up. "C'mon" he said, "Let's get you into bed"

He threw me on the mattress, and I was exhausted. I laid down. "No" Dean said, smacking my leg. "You don't get to sleep"

"Wha—"

"We haven't talked yet" he stated. He stood in front of me, arms folded over his chest. "I can't trust you anymore"

"Dean—"

"Did I say you could talk?" he asked I said nothing, now pissed myself. He wasn't even giving me a chance to apologize here. "You have to clean all the weapons for a month" he went on.

"Dean!" I exclaimed. "That isn't fair!" I yelled. "You kept me cooped up in here! You treat me like a baby Dean!"

"I did that because you got stabbed!" he screamed back.

"But I said I was better!"

"I don't care!"

"What's going on?" Sam asked, entering the room. "Lexie, where were you?"

"She went to a bar and got wasted!" Dean yelled. He grabbed his jacket and headed to the door. "I'm going for a walk" he stated, and slammed the door on his way out. I looked up at Sam.

"I did not get wasted" I said. "I'm just…tipsy"

"Sleep it off" Sam stated, throwing the pillow that had gotten knocked off back on the bed. "I think it'll be better if you're asleep when he comes back"

I lie down and fell asleep almost immediately. I woke up three hours later to Sam and Dean asleep. I went into the bathroom and puked again. I woke up the next time on the bathroom floor. I stayed there for the rest of the night. Alcohol was not my friend.

"Lex" Sam said, rubbing my back. "You okay?"

"Ugh" I groaned, "Yeah, I'm okay"

"Good" Dean said, not looking at me. "We're going on a hunt tonight. So you better feel better by then"

"I thought I wasn't allowed out of this room?"

"Well I can't really trust you to stay here alone, can I?" he asked me. He pointed a taser at me. "It's a Rawhead. You'll be so careful tonight you won't leave my sight, got it? You already ripped those stitches twice"

"I'll be fine, Dean" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Whatever" he said. "Just don't complain if I have to redo those stitches again"

We pulled up to the abandoned house later, as the sun was setting. I hopped out excitedly. My side hurt, but at this point I didn't really care. I just wanted back on the job. Dean pulled two tasers out of the trunk.

"What do you got those amped up to?" Sam asked.

"A hundred thousand volts" Dean smiled.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Damn"

"Yeah, I want this Rawhead extra frickin' crispy" Dean said, handing him one. "And remember, you only get one shot with these things. So make it count"

I reached into the trunk to be met with a stern look from Dean. "I know, I know" I said, showing him the flashlight. "Relax"

We all went to the house together. The basement was our first destination. Rawhead's like super damp places. We heard a noise from the cabinet, and we stopped. "On three" Dean said, motioning to it He put a hand on the handle "One. Two" He glanced at us, then back at the cabinet. "Three"

There were two kids in the closet, covering their ears. "Is it still here?" Sam asked. They nodded, terrified.

"Ok" Dean said, going over to them. "Grab your sister's hand, come on, we gotta get you out of here. Let's go, let's go" Sam pushed them ahead of him, me close behind. A hand shot out through the stairs, grabbing Sam's leg. He went flailing down, knocking me over as he went. I fell to the ground, noting the blood coming through my shirt. Shit.

"Sam!" Dean cried, "Lex!" he shot through the stairs and missed. The monster disappeared from my sight. "Sam, get 'em outta here!" Dean yelled, helping me up.

"You missed" I yelled, annoyed.

"You take this!" Sam said, tossing me his taser. I caught it, and he ran away with the kids

"Come on" Dean said, shining his flashlight around. I shined mine in the opposite direction. It saw me and took a step for me. "Hey fugly!" Dean yelled to distract it.. The Rawhead pushed him, sending him into the wall, and landing on the ground in a puddle.

I set my taser, but the thing knocked it out of my hands, and sent me falling back. Dean grabbed it and went to shoot. "Dean, don't!" I screamed.

He ignored me and shot at it. It hit the thing straight on, which was awesome, but he was in a puddle. Dean shook with the shock and I jumped up to help. The Rawhead was dead, and I kicked the taser out of Dean's hands as he fell unconscious. "Dean!" Sam yelled, running down the steps.

"Dean" I cried. "What do we do?" I asked Sam, as he pushed in-between Dean and I. He shook him. "Sam!"

"You can drive" he said. "Go get the Impala" He tossed me the keys, and I stared at them in shock for second. "Alexis!"

"I'm only fifteen" I said in shock.

"Go" he urged.

"Right" I said softly, running away. I pulled the car to the house being as careful as I could. He laid Dean in the back, sitting back there with him, and I drove as fast as I could to the hospital. I was shaking so bad, I was surprises we even made it in one piece. Sam didn't seem to care much as he carried/dragged Dean into the ER.

They took him away from us, Sam was stuck filling out paperwork, and I watched, just standing there in shock. "Miss" said a voice. I glanced around. "Miss, you're bleeding"

I looked at my abdomen. Oh. "Sam, I—"

"Go ahead" he said, just staring at the papers like it was in another language.

I let the man pull me into a triage room. "You ripped stitches" he said, looking at my side. "I'm going to re-sew them" I nodded, too freaked out about Dean to really feel the pain much. "You mind me asking why you needed stitches in the first place?"

"Long story" I remarked. He cleaned it and sewed it. "Thank you"

"I'll take you to discharge" he said.

I saw Sam already at the desk. "I'll just go with my brother thanks" I said. He gave me an annoyed look, but I didn't really care.

"Sir, I'm so sorry to ask. There doesn't seem to be any insurance on file" the lady said uneasily.

"Right. Uh, ok" Sam said, pulling out his wallet. He handed her one of the many fake cards we had.

"Okay, Mr. Burkovitz" she said. Sam walked over to some cops, but I didn't really feel like talking to them.

I saw the doctor walk out of a room and immediately ambushed him. "Hey" I said. "Doc, is he okay?"

"He's alive" he said. I didn't like the way that came out of his mouth. "Are your parents here? Or, er, your brother?"

I motioned Sam over. "Hey, Doc. Is he—"

"He's resting" the doctor said.

"And?" Sam asked, expectantly.

"The electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid" he said shooting me a look. "His heart. It's damaged"

"How damaged?" Sam asked. The doctor looked at me again. "It's fine" he urged, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"We've done all we can" he replied. "We can try and keep him comfortable at this point. But, I'd give him a couple weeks, at most, maybe a month" My heart dropped into my stomach. This was my fault. It was all my fault.

"No, no. There's—there's gotta be something you can do, some kind of treatment" Sam cried.

"We can't work miracles" the doctor said, shaking his head. "I really am sorry"

Sam walked away, and I immediately went towards Dean's room. "He's resting" the doctor said. I shot him a look, and walked in anyway.

Dean was lying in the bed, looking more horrible than I had ever seen him. And I have seen him pretty beat up before. Dark circles were under his eyes, and he was pale. I stared at him for a second. "You look like crap" he said to me. "Did you rip your stitches again?" It seemed like he barely remembered that we were fighting hours earlier.

I nodded. "You don't look much better" There was a long pause. "Did you talk to the doctor?"

"Yeah" he said with a finality that told me he didn't want to talk about it. I felt tears welling in my eyes as Sam entered the room. He looked and Sam and sighed. "Have you ever actually watched daytime TV? It's terrible"

"I talked to your doctor" Sam said.

Dean ignored him. "That fabric softener teddy bear. Oh, I'm gonna hunt that little bitch down"

"Dean" Sam said.

Dean looked up. "Yeah" he sighed, turning the TV off. "Alright, well, looks like you two are gonna leave town without me"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked. "We're not gonna leave you here"

"Hey, you better take care of that car. Or, I swear, I'll haunt your ass" Dean replied.

"I don't think that's funny" Sam stated, tears in his eyes.

Dean smirked a little. "Oh, come on, it's a little funny" No one said anything. "Look, Sammy, what can I say, man, it's a dangerous gig. I drew the short straw. That's it, end of story"

"Don't talk like that, alright?" Sam said. "We still have options"

"What options?" Dean scoffed. "Yeah, burial or cremation" I shot him a look, but he ignored me. "And I know it's not easy. But I'm gonna die. And you can't stop it"

Sam clenched his fists. "Watch me" he said, and walked out.

I just stood there, staring at Dean for a minute like if I didn't he would die on the spot. "I'm not going to break, Lex" he said, patting the bed. I sat down carefully. "Are you okay?"

I looked like him as though he just asked me if I had accepted his death. "No" I said. "Dean, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be lying here right now"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he scoffed.

"If you hadn't been forced to take me, we wouldn't be here right now." I said. "If I hadn't pushed it, we wouldn't have done this case. I got drunk and was stupid and—and you wouldn't be dying—"

"Shut up" he said, gripping my arm.

"Dean—"

"No" he said. "Don't think that. Ever" He let go. After a moment he smirked. "Think of it as my dying wish"

"That's not funny" I said. "Stop cracking jokes when you should be mad at me"

"Stop saying I should be mad at you" he said, annoyed. He prodded me in the side, making me squirm. "I can still overpower you, even on my deathbed" I refused to move or look at him. He pulled me backwards, tickling me. I couldn't help but laugh and push him away.

"You suck" I stated, giving him a hug.

"Go find Sam, okay?" he said. "Make sure he's okay. And get a nap in there. You need it"

For the next three days, Sam and I took turns going from Dean to the motel room where we searched every corner of the internet and dad's journal for something to save Dean's life. I was exhausted, since I hadn't been sleeping at all. Sam hadn't either, although I made him sleep a little two days ago. We were both running on our worry.

"Your turn" Sam said, as he re-entered the room.

I nodded, and stood up. "Joshua called" I said. "He said he might know of something. I told him to call back your cell"

"Okay" he said, taking my seat. "See you later"

I stopped at McDonald's on the way to the hospital, thinking maybe Dean would want some not crappy hospital food for once. I walked in and he gave me a small smile. "Don't you two ever leave me alone?"

"No" I said, sitting on the chair next to the bed. "You hungry?" I asked, holding up the bag. He looked at it, and shook his head. That was the first time in my life I think I had ever seen my brother turn down food. I put it on the ground and sighed.

He sighed too and looked at me. "I want you to—"

"Dean" I said, cutting him off. "No death speeches. You're not going to die. Not anytime soon, anyway"

"Lexie" he said. "I know Sam's got it in your head that you can save me, but I'm dying. And I want to leave this hospital. I want to ride in the Impala and just breathe fresh air" He paused. "Plus the nurses here aren't even hot"

"Dean…" I sighed, "You're not going to die"

"Yeah, whatever" he said, sinking down. "I'm going to sleep, so if you want to go…"

I stood up and walked out without even a goodbye. I wasn't going to let Dean die if it was the last thing I did. I didn't care what he said, this was my fault. I walked back into the motel room, giving Sam a small smile. "He told me to go" I said.

"You know it's all an act" Sam said, "He's terrified"

"I know that" I said, sitting back down on the bed. "But Sam…." I stopped. "What did Joshua say?"

"A faith healer" he said. "In Nebraska. Supposed to be the real deal"

I looked at the paper he handed me and scoffed. "Seriously?"

"You have a better idea?" he asked. I shrugged. "Don't say anything to Dean. He'd never go if we told him where we were going" He paused and picked up his cell phone. I pretended to be really busy with what I was doing and not notice. "Hey, Dad. It's Sam" he said after a minute. "Uh….you probably won't even get this, but, uh….It's Dean. He's sick, and uh….the doctors say there's nothing they can do. Um….but, uh, they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry, cause, uh….I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him better. Alright….just wanted you to know" The phone was tossed sideways, and Sam leaned back, choking on tears.

There was a knock on the door. I got up, confused, and opened it. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, seeing Dean standing there. He gave me a smile and walked in.

"I checked myself out" he said.

Sam stood up in shock. "What, are you crazy?"

"Well, I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot" he shrugged.

I followed him in annoyance while Sam just laughed and shut the door. "You know this whole I-laugh-in-the-face-of-death thing? It's crap. We can see right through it"

"Yeah, whatever, dude" he said, sitting down. He grimaced in pain. "Have you even slept? You look worse than me"

"We've been scouring the Internet for the last three days" Sam said. "Calling every contact in Dad's journal"

"For what?" Dean asked.

"For a way to help you" I scoffed.

"One of Dad's friends, Joshua, he called me back" Sam said, looking at him with a smile. "Told me about a guy in Nebraska" He paused, lookin at me. "A specialist"

Dean sighed and leaned back. "You're not gonna let me die in peace, are you?"

"I'm not gonna let you die, period" Sam said. "We're going"

We packed up in the next hour and headed into the Impala. Dean tried to get into the driver's seat, and Sam pushed him away. "Dude" he complained.

"You can't drive, man, look at you" Sam scoffed, sitting down. He glared at Sam and then got into the passenger's seat. I smiled, hopping in the back.

"Can I drive later?" I asked hopefully. "Just on the back roads?"

Dean looked at me like I was crazy. "I'm dying" he said. "Not insane"

"Who do you think drove you to the hospital?" Sam said, smiling at me in the rearview. Dean turned in shock.

"You let her drive?" he complained. "Man, now I'll never hear the end of this"

I smiled, leaning forward. "I did a good job, for someone who had a dying person in the backseat" I scoffed. "Geez"

"I'll tell you what" he grinned. "You get one free driving lesson if you save my life"

I smiled. He was only saying that because he thought that we were going to let him die at some point. He thought we weren't going to save him. "Alright" I said. "Deal"

We got to Nebraska about a day later, not stopping to rest at all. We pulled up to the large white tent. Sam tried to help Dean out of the car. "I got it" he insisted. Sam let go and he stood straighter. "Man, you are a lying bastard. Thought you guys said we were going to see a doctor"

"I believe I said a specialist" Sam smiled. "Look, Dean, this guy's supposed to be the real deal"

"I can't believe you brought me here to see some guy who heals people out of a tent" he said, as some lady stopped.

She glared at him. "Reverend LeGrange is a great man"

"Yeah, that's nice" Dean scoffed, shaking his head at us.

We walked forward, and saw a man arguing with a cop. "I have a right to protest. This man is a fraud. And he's bilking all these people out of their hard-earned money" he complained.

"Sir, this is a place of worship" the sheriff insisted. "Let's go. Move it"

"I take it he's not part of the flock" Dean said.

"But when people see something they can't explain, there's controversy" Sam insisted.

"I mean, come on, Sam, a faith healer?" Dean srgued.

"Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Dean" Sam smiled.

"You know what I've got faith in?" Dean asked. "Reality. Knowing what's really going on"

"Dean, it's worth a shot, isn't it?" I asked. He just glared at me.

"How can you be a skeptic?" Sam asked. "With the things we see every day?"

"Exactly" he said. "We see them, we know they're real"

"But if you know evil's out there, how can you not believe good's out there, too?" I asked.

"Because I've seen what evil does to good people" Dean scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.

A young blonde woman stopped and smiled at him. "Maybe God works in mysterious ways" she suggested.

Dean looked from Sam and I to her. "Maybe he does" he said. "I think you just turned me around on the subject"

She laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure"

"I'm Dean" he said. "This is Sam and Lexie"

"Layla" she said. "So, if you're not a believer, then why are you here?"

"Well, apparently my brother and sister here believe enough for everyone" he said, giving us a small smile. Another woman walked up, who I was guessing was Layla's mother.

"Come on, Layla. It's about to start" she said. She waved goodbye and went inside the big white tent.

"Well, I bet you she can work in some mysterious ways" Dean smiled. Sam and I rolled our eyes, and pushed Dean into the tent. "Yeah, peace, love, and trust all over" Dean scoffed, pointing to a camera mounted. He went to sit down.

"Come on" Sam said, motioning for Dean and I to follow.

"What are you doing?" Dean complained. "Let's sit here"

"We're sitting up front" Sam said, and turned to go find three seats.

Dean scoffed. "What? Why?" Sam ignored him.

I pulled on his arm. "Come on"

"Oh, come on, Lex." Dean whined. I put my arm around him to help him to where Sam was waiting. "This is ridiculous. I'm good, ankle biter, get off me" He pushed me away. I rolled my eyes.

"Perfect" Sam said, pointing to the three seats in the third row.

Dean smiled, noting Layla directly in front of us. "Yeah, perfect"

"You take the aisle" Sam said, pushing me in first. Dean sat on the aisle seat.

"You think this is really gonna work?" I asked Sam. He looked from Dean to back to me, giving me a small smile.

"It has too" Sam stated gravely. Roy LeGrange came onto the stage only moments later, and I noticed that he had sunglasses on. He was blind. "Each morning, my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?" he asked, with a smile. The crowd murmured in response.

"Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act" he went on. "But, I say to you, God is watching. God rewards the good, and He punishes the corrupt" The crowd erupted into cheers and nods. "Who does the healing here, friends? The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts"

"Yeah, or into their wallets" Dean scoffed quietly.

"You think so, young man?" Roy said, with a smile. Everyone went silent.

I think this was one of the only times I had ever seen Dean blush. "Sorry" he stated.

"No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears" he laughed. "What's your name, son?"

Dean hesitated, shooting Sam and I worried looks. "Dean"

"Dean" he stated. He paused, and thought for a second. "I want—I want you to come up here with me" The crowd cheered.

"No, that's ok" Dean scoffed.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, in annoyance.

"You've come here to be healed, haven't you?" Roy said, confused, his eyebrow's wrinkling.

Dean squirmed. "Well, yeah, but—" The crowd got louder. "No, maybe you should just pick someone else" The crowd started clapping.

"Oh, no, I didn't pick you, Dean, the Lord did" Roy said happily.

"Dean, go!" I urged.

"Get up there!" Sam insisted, pushing him out of his seat. Dean reluctantly made his way on stage, shooting Sam and I mean looks on the way. He nervously walked up to Roy.

"You ready?" Roy asked him.

"Look, no disrespect, but I'm not exactly a believer" Dean admitted uneasily.

"You will be, son. You will be" Roy smiled. He lifted his hands to the crowd. "Pray with me, friends" The crowd followed his actions. He put a hand on Dean's shoulder, the other still raised. I gave Sam a nervous glance, and he took my hand, giving it a squeeze. Roy's hand moves to Dean's forehead, and Dean's eyes glazed over.

"Alright, now. Alright, now" Roy chanted to himself. Dean slowly wavered, before falling to his knees, and then closing his eyes. He collapsed.

"Dean!" Sam and I yelled in unison, running to the stage. The crowd cheered and clapped enthusiastically. I wondered what the hell they were so excited about. Dean had just fallen. Sam shook Dean, and he awoke, gasping for breath. He looked around wildly, settling on right behind Roy. I looked, and thought I saw an old man. I blinked, and he was gone. I looked back to Dean, who was still staring.

We were waiting in the hospital room for Dean's test results the next day. I paced nervously. This had to of worked, it just had to. "So, you really feel okay?" Sam asked him for the millionth time.

"I feel fine, Sam" Dean sighed.

The nurse came in, looking at the paperwork. "Well, according to all your tests, there's nothing wrong with your heart. No sign there ever was" she said. I shot Sam a happy look. Dean seemed curious. "Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble, but, still it's strange it does happen" the nurse admitted.

"What do you mean, strange?" Dean asked skeptically.

The nurse stopped flipping through Dean's paperwork and shrugged. "Well, just yesterday, young guys like you, twenty-seven, athletic. Out of nowhere, heart attack"

"Thanks, Doc" Dean said, a worried look on his face.

"Oh, no problem" she smiled, and she left.

Dean waited until the door clicked shut before looking at Sam and I. "That's odd"

"Maybe it's a coincidence" Sam shrugged. "People's hearts give out all the time, man"

"No, they don't" Dean replied, glaring at him.

"Look, Dean, do we really have to look this one in the mouth?" Sam asked. "Why can't we just be thankful that the guy saved your life and move on?"

"Because I can't shake this feeling, that's why" Dean admitted.

"What feeling?" I asked, confused.

Dean sighed and looked at me. "When I was healed, I just—I felt wrong. I felt cold. And for a second, I saw someone. This, uh, this old man" He paused and I took a deep breath. He looked at me curiously, but said nothing. "And I'm telling you guys, it was a spirit"

"But if there was something there, Dean, I think I would've seen it, too" Sam scoffed. "I mean, I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately"

"Well, excuse me, psychic wonder" Dean remarked. "But you're just gonna need a little faith on this one. Sam, I've been hunting long enough to trust a feeling like this"

"Yeah, alright" Sam sighed.

"So, what do you wanna do?" I asked.

"I want Sam to go check out the heart attack guy. We're gonna visit the reverend"

We walked out of the place Dean and I got in the Impala to go see the reverend. I knew he was going to question me, but I was still too freaked to really care. I stared out the window in thought. "Earth to Lexie" Dean said, punching me on the shoulder.

"Ow" I complained, "What?"

"What was that about in there?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about" I said, looking back out the window.

"I think you do" he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "That look? When I talked about the spirit I saw?" I just shrugged. "You saw it too, didn't you?" I said nothing. "You _did_" he went on with a relieved sigh.

"So what if I did" I said, uncomfortably. "That doesn't mean anything"

"It means I'm not crazy" he smiled. We pulled up to the house behind the familiar white tent. "C'mon" Sue Ann, his wife, answered the door.

"Come in" she smiled. "Please"

Roy seemed surprised to have us there. "You feel okay, son?" he asked.

"I feel great" Dean said. "Just trying to, you know, make sense of what happened" he sighed.

"A miracle is what happened" Sue Ann remarked happily. "Well, miracles come so often around Roy"

"When did they start? The miracles" Dean asked.

He grinned. "Woke up one morning, stone blind. Doctors figured out I had cancer. Told me I had maybe a month. So, uh, we prayed for a miracle. Now, I was weak, but I told Sue Ann, "You just keep right on praying." I went into a coma. Doctors said I wouldn't wake up, but I did. And the cancer was gone" he recited. He took off his sunglasses. "If it wasn't for these eyes, no one would believe I'd ever had it"

"And suddenly you could heal people" I stated.

"I discovered it afterward, yes" he nodded. "God's blessed me in many ways"

"And his flock just swelled overnight" Sue Ann chirped. "And this is just the beginning"

"Can I ask you one last question?" Dean said. Roy nodded. "Why? Why me? Out of all the sick people, why save me?"

"Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me" he said. "I looked into your heart, and you just stood out from all the rest"

"What did you see in my heart?" Dean asked.

"A young man with an important purpose" Roy replied. "A job to do. And it isn't finished" Dean shot me a surprised look, and we said our goodbyes.

"Did you hear that?" he asked me as we went down the front porch. "That was weird"

"Yeah" I nodded. "Your heart would say something like, I like booze and women" I laughed and he scowled at me. "Seriously, Dean. Why is this bothering you so much? You get to _live_"

"But I don't deserve too" he retorted.

"Says who?"

"Dean, hey" Layla smiled, walking up to us.

Dean stopped glaring at me and smiled at her. "Hey"

"How you feeling?" she asked.

"I feel good" Dean shrugged. "Cured, I guess. What are you doing here?" Dean looked at me, and I smiled.

"Meet you by the car" I said, walking off. I got into the Impala, watching him. Layla's mom looked upset, and said something to Dean that made him look extremely upset. I pretended not to notice his sour expression as he got in the car. "You okay?" I asked finally.

"Awesome" he said, starting the car. "I'm hungry, you want to pick up a pizza?" I nodded, and we grabbed a large pepperoni before heading back to the motel room.

"What'd you find out?" Dean asked Sam through a mouth of pizza. He couldn't wait until we got back to the room, and insisted eating a slice in the car.

Sam was sitting in front of his laptop, clearly upset. "I'm sorry"

Dean swallowed the rest of the pizza. "Sorry about what?"

"Marshall Hall died at 4:17" Sam stated.

Dean sat down, stunned. I put the pizza on the table, suddenly not hungry anymore. "The exact time I was healed" Dean said.

"Yeah. So, I put together a list of everyone Roy's healed, six people over the past year, and I cross-checked them with the local obits" Sam said, handing Dean a pile of research. "Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the same symptom LeGrange was healing at the time"

"Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?" I asked, in shock.

"Somehow" Sam stated. "LeGrange—he's trading a life for another"

"Wait, wait, wait. So, Marshall Hall died to save me?" Dean demanded.

"Dean, the guy probably would've died anyway" Sam said. "And someone else would've been healed" Dean didn't say anything for a moment, just thinking.

"You two never should've brought me here" he stated angrily.

"Dean, we were just trying to save your life" Sam said.

"But, Sam, some guy is dead now because of me" Dean insisted, slamming a hand on the table.

Sam looked down at his feet. "We didn't know" We were silent for a minute. "The thing I don't understand is how is Roy doing it? How's he trading a life for a life?"

"Oh, he's not doing it" Dean said. "Something else is doing it for him"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"The old man I saw on stage" Dean said, shooting me a look. "I didn't wanna believe it, but deep down I knew it"

"You knew what?" I asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"There's only one thing that can give and take life like that" Dean said. He paused, closing his eyes for a second. "We're dealing with a reaper"

"You really think it's _the_ Grim Reaper? Like, angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?" Sam asked, as Dean looked through papers and the journal .

"No, no, no. Not _the_ Reaper, _a_ reaper" he said. "There's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on Earth. Go by a hundred different names. It's possible that there's more than one of 'em"

"But you said you saw a dude in a suit" Sam stated.

"Well, what, do you think he should've been workin' the whole black robe thing?" Dean scoffed. "You said it yourself that the clock stopped, right?" He held up a piece of paper with a reaper on it. "Reapers stop time. And you can only see 'em when they're comin' at you, which is why I could see it and you couldn't"

"Maybe" Sam said.

"Then why did I see it?" I asked, thinking to myself.

"I don't know" Dean remarked, shrugging. "You know when one of us is in danger. And Sam had visions. Explain that"

"Dean, maybe it's not a reaper" Sam said.

"There's nothing else it could be, Sam" Dean argued. "The question is how's Roy controllin' the damn thing?"

We all looked at each other confused. "That cross"

"What?" Dean asked.

"There was this cross" Sam said, rifling through his bag. "I noticed it in the church tent, I knew I had seen it before" He pulled out tarot cards and showed one to us. It was a skeleton with a crown on his head. The cross was in the corner. "Here" he said.

"A tarot?" I asked skeptically.

"It makes sense. I mean, tarot dates back to the early Christian era, right?" Sam asked. "When some priests were still using magic? And a few of them veered into the dark stuff. Necromancy, and how to push death away, how to cause it"

"So, Roy is using black magic to bind the reaper?" Dean asked.

"If he is, he's riding the whirlwind. It's like putting a dog leash on a Great White" Sam said.

Dean looked down in thought. "Ok, then we stop Roy"

"How?" Sam asked.

"You know how" Dean said gravely.

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about, Dean?" I asked, jumping to my feet.

"We can't kill Roy" Sam stated.

"Sam, Lex, the guy's playing God, he's deciding who lives and who dies, that's a monster in my book" Dean replied.

"No, we're not gonna kill a human being, Dean" Sam said. "We do that, we're no better than he is"

Dean sighed in defeat. "Okay, so we can't kill Roy, we can't kill death. Any bright ideas, college boy?"

"Okay, uh, if Roy is using some kind of black spell on the reaper, we've gotta figure out what it is" Sam said. "And how to break it"

"If Roy is using a spell, there might be a spell book" Sam suggested as we pulled up to the white tent and got out of the car.

"You two see if you can find it" he said. He looked at his watch. "Hurry up, too, the service starts in fifteen minutes. I'll try to stall Roy"

Sam pulled me along with him. "Alright"

"Roy LeGrange is a fraud!" shouted the protestor. He had flyers this time.

"Keep up the good work" Dean said, patting him on the back.

We headed to the house, seeing Sue Ann and Roy exiting the house. We waited until they were gone, and then Sam pulled me up the steps. He shimmied the window open. I went in first. Sam got in, and I pointed silently to the book shelves. They were covered in a layer of dust.

One had no dust around it. It was the Encyclopedia of Christian History. Sam pulled it out and handed it to me. I flipped through it, not seeing anything on reapers. "Look" Sam said, pulling out a smaller book from where the Encyclopedia used to be. He flipped through the paged, finding a picture of a reaper. I took it from him. I pulled out a newspaper clipping. It was about Marshall, the guy who died because of Dean. I showed it to Sam.

"He's using people who are immoral" I said, looking at even more clipping from the past. Sam took them all from me, stopping on the last one. He held it up in surprise. It was about the protester, David Wright. Movement made Sam and I jump. We put the books back, and left quickly.

"Call Dean" Sam said

I pulled out my cell and dialed. "What do you got?" Dean asked.

"Roy's choosing victims he sees as immoral" I stated. "And we think we know who's next on his list. Remember that protestor?"

"The guy in the parking lot?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" I said.

"You gotta find him" Dean said urgently.

"Yeah, we'll find him. But you can't let Roy heal anyone, alright?" I said. Dean just hung up, and I took that as a yes. I looked to Sam. "Should we split up?"

"Yeah" he said. "Yell if you find him"

I nodded and walked off. We went in two separate directions, and soon I was alone searching through the cars. David was nowhere to be found. "Help!" said a voice. I found David running across the lot. "Help! Help me, please!"

"Sam!" I yelled, as I caught up with David. "Are you alright?" I asked him. He shook his head, still walking quickly away.

"Where is it?" Sam asked, walking up.

David pointed. "It's right there!" he insisted. I glanced, not seeing anything. I strained my eyes, and thought I saw it for a split second, but it hurt too much to try again.

"Alright, come on!" Sam said, pulling us away. We sprinted in the opposite direction, and I wondered where we were going to hide from death itself.

My cell phone rang. "I did it. I stopped Roy" Dean said.

"Dean did it" I said to Sam.

"David, I think it's okay" Sam sighed. He nodded, and turned around. He immediately screamed and fell to the ground. "No!"

"Dean, it didn't work!" I cried. "The reaper's still comin'!" David's face was losing color, and his eyes were fluttering shut.

"But I stopped Roy" Dean said. "Can you see it?" Dean asked.

"No" I said urgently. "I'm tellin' you! I'm tellin' you, it must not have worked. Roy must not be controlling this thing!"

"Well, then who the hell is?" he demanded. He paused and then sighed. "Sue Ann" he said, and hung up.

"Dean" I said, and got no answer. "Damn it!" I leaned over David, straining my eyes, trying to see the damn thing. If I could see it, maybe I could stop it. A splitting feeling was coming in my head, telling me to stop. I told it to shut up. I saw it right as it took its hand off of David and walked away. It glanced at me curiously, before disappearing again.

"I got ya" Sam said, helping David up. "I got ya"

David, gasping for breath, had color returning to his face. "Thank God" he breathed. We helped him in his car and he drove away.

"You okay?" Sam asked, noticing me holding my head. It still hurt. I nodded.

Dean came to meet us at the Impala. "C'mon" he said, getting in. "We have to talk"We drove back to the motel room, and then Dean told us what happened. "It's Sue Ann" he said angrily. "It was her"

"So Roy really believes?" Sam asked.

"I don't think he has any idea what his wife's doing" Dean said, shaking his head.

"Well, we found this hidden in their library" Sam said, showing Dean the little book. "It's ancient. Written by a priest who went dark side. There's a binding spell in here for trapping a reaper"

"Must be a hell of a spell" Dean said, flipping through it.

"Yeah" Sam nodded. "You've got to build a black altar, with seriously dark stuff. Bones, human blood. To cross the line like that, that preacher's wife. Black magic, murder. Evil"

"Desperate" Dean added. "Her husband was dying, she'd have done anything to save him. She was using the binding spell to keep the reaper away from Roy"

"Cheating death" I stated, popping Advil in my mouth and swallowing. "Literally"

"Yeah, but Roy's alive, so why's she still using the spell?" Dean asked.

"Right. To force the reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral" Sam went on.

"May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work" Dean sighed.

"We've gotta break that binding spell, guys" Sam said.

Dean looked back down at the book. "You know, Sue Ann had a Coptic cross like this. And when she dropped it, the reaper backed off"

"So, you think we've gotta find the cross or destroy the altar?" Sam asked.

"Maybe both?" Dean suggested. "Whatever we do, we better do it soon. Roy's healing Layla tonight"

"Then let's go" I said, smiling.

We pulled up to the church and got out quickly. "That's Layla's car. She's already here" Sam said. Dean nodded sadly. "Dean" Sam sighed.

"You know, if Roy would have picked Layla instead of me, she'd be healed right now" Dean said finally.

"Dean, don't" I said, taking a step towards him.

"And if she's not healed tonight, she's gonna die in a couple months" he went on, ignoring me.

"What's happening to her is horrible. But, what are you gonna do?" Sam asked. "Let somebody else die to save her? You said it yourself, Dean. You can't play God" Dean said nothing, and walked up to the tent. Layla was getting on the stage.

"Where's Sue Ann?" he whispered.

Sam looked around. "House" We jogged to the house and Dean stopped.

"Go find Sue Ann. I'll catch up" he said, going to the front of the house.

Sam went to follow him, "What are you—?" I stopped him, noticing the cops.

"Hey. You gonna put that fear of God in me?" Dean grinned. They glared at him, and he went running away.

Sam and I looked for a way in. We couldn't just go in through the window this time. Sam pointed to a cellar. I opened the door, and he walked in. "Lex" he said, stopping.

"What?" I said, and then realized what he was looking at. It was the black altar, with bones and blood and all. Crosses and candled littered the top. There was a picture in the center, of Dean, with an X through it. Sam picked it up. "Is that blood?" I asked. Sam nodded with a disgusted look on his face.

"I gave your brother life, and I can take it away" said a voice from behind us. Sue Ann was standing behind us. Sam quickly overturned the altar and she just left us, closing the cellar door behind her. "Sam, Lexie, can't you see?" she asked, as I pounded on the door. Sam tried to kick at it. "The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked. And your brother is wicked. And he deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live. It's God's will" Sam stopped me, and pointed to a window. "Goodbye, Sam, Alexis" she stated, and then she was gone.

Sam used a bar to prop the window open. He went through first, and stopped to pull me through. "Go" he said, running off. "Find Dean!"

I ran through the parking lot, finding him bent over in pain. He was groaning in pain, and I barely was able to get there before he was on his knees. "Dean" I cried, trying to see the reaper again. It was easier this time, although the splitting headache was still there. "Get away from him, you bastard!" I screamed.

The reaper didn't move an inch. Dean was gasping for breath, so close to death I could literally see the life leaving his eyes. I tried to touch the reaper, but he stopped, pulling away from Dean before I had the chance.

Dean inhaled loudly, like he had never breathed before. "You okay?" I asked, feeling blood coming out of my nose. I wiped it away.

"Fine" he said, groaning and standing up. "You?"

"Fine" I said, and we limped up to the car.

Sam walked up as I opened the car door for Dean. "You okay?" he asked him.

Dean shrugged. "A little bit weak"

"Yeah. Alright, come on, we should get going" Sam said, getting in the car. I did too, and Dean did last, casting a glance towards the tent.

Dean moped around the room that entire next day before we left. "What is it?" Sam asked him.

He sighed. "Nothing"

"What is it?" Sam asked again.

Dean hesitated. "We did the right thing here, didn't we?"

"Of course we did"

Dean sighed. "Didn't feel like it"

There was a knock on the door, and Sam and I shared a smile. "I got it" Sam said, opening the door. "Hey, Layla. Come on in"

She stepped inside. "Hey"

"Hey" Dean said in surprise. "How'd you know we were here?"

"Um, Sam and Lexie called. They said you wanted to say goodbye"

Sam and I stood up and went to the door. We're gonna grab a soda" he said, closing the door behind him. We walked away, satisfied with ourselves. Dean needed some kind of help, after all. I popped in my dollar and grabbed myself a coke. I opened it and took a sip.

"So, you can see reapers, huh?" Sam said, taking a sip of his.

I shrugged. "Guess so" I stated nonchalantly. My head panged a little.

"Guess we can add that to our list of weird things" he said with a small laugh. "But what's with the headaches?"

"Sam" I said bluntly. "Do I look like I have a clue?" He shrugged. "I had to really focus to see it" I admitted. "Like it felt like something was pounding my head with a jackhammer"

"And a bloody nose" he added. I shot him a look. "Dean told me"

I was silent for a second. "What do you think is going on with us, Sammy?" I asked, worriedly. "Why is this happening to us?"

He only sighed. "I don't know, Lex" he admitted. "I don't know"

Layla exited the room, and waved goodbye to Sam and I. We went back to the room, and I lay on the bed. I popped more Advil, and closed my eyes. For once, I just wanted to pretend that I wasn't in a motel room, or now looking for another case to solve. I wanted to breathe and sleep. So I did.

I flipped on my back and sighed. There are six and a half billion people on this planet. Why then, does this sort of thing always happen to me? Then I thought of something. I looked to Dean. "I never said I was sorry" I said. "For the whole…you know"

"You don't have to" Dean said. "It's okay. We piss each other off sometimes. It happens" He paused. "So its over. No more chick flick moments tonight, okay?"

"I have another question though" I said.

"What?"

"When we were arguing" I started. "You were going to say something, but then stopped. What was it?"

"I don't remember" he said. I knew he was lying, so I gave him a look. "It's just…when I didn't know where you were, all I could think about was that…the demon was right. I didn't take good care of you. I let you get stabbed. I let you disappear"

I wrapped my arms around his waist and grinned. "You're so dumb sometimes" I said. "Dean, you're my superhero, remember? You take excellent care of me and Sammy. You always have"

"Thanks" he remarked, and I nodded, and then I thought of something else.

"Hey Dean" I smiled. "When do I get my free driving lesson?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for the reviews! The next chapter after this one is going to be another all original chapter! So stay tuned! :)**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Sam, seriously, just take them out" I complained, lying in the backseat of the Impala. I was staring at the roof of the car in annoyance as Sam had a grip on my side. He was trying to take the stitches out of my side.

"Hold still" he urged, as Dean pumped gas into the car.

"I am" I said. He slowly pulled them out one at a time, as I grimaced it pain. When he was finally done I sighed in relief. "Thanks" I said, wiping the blood away. He had popped some of the scabs.

He nodded and grabbed the map from the front seat. Dean leaned on the car, listening to his voicemail. "Okay, I think I found a way we can bypass that construction, just east of here" Sam said, looking at the map. "We might even make Pennsylvania faster than we thought"

Dean snapped his phone shut a funny look on his face. "Yeah. Problem is, we're not going to Pennsylvania"

"We what?" I asked, confused.

"Just got a call from, uh, an old friend" Dean said. "Her father was killed last night, she thinks it might be our kind of thing"

"What?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Believe me, she never would've called, _never_, if she didn't need us" Dean admitted. He cast me a sideways glance. Sam just stood there stupidly as Dean got in the car. "Come on, you comin' or what?" Sam got in, clearly confused.

"Who is it, Dean?" I asked as he pulled onto the interstate.

"Cassie" he said after a minute. He glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Cassie?" I screeched, in shock.

"Yeah" he said abruptly, shutting me up.

Sam looked from me to Dean. "So, by old friend, you mean….?"

"A friend that's not new" Dean replied.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, thanks. So, her name's Cassie, huh?" Dean slowly nodded. "You never mentioned her"

"Didn't I?" he said hesitantly. Sam shook his head. "Yeah, we went out" Dean said.

"You mean you dated someone?" Sam asked, in surprise. "For more than one night?"

"Am I speakin' a language you're not getting here?" Dean snapped. Sam laughed. "Yeah, Dad and I were workin' a job in Athens, Ohio, she was finishing up college, and we went out for a couple weeks"

"And?" Sam said. Dean just shook his head. "Look, it's terrible about her dad, but it kind of sounds like a standard car accident. I'm not seeing how it fits with what we do. Which, by the way, how does she know what we do?" Dean said nothing. "You told her" he stated. "You told her? The secret? Our big family rule number one, we do what we do, and we shut up about it"

"He told her" I said from the backseat.

Sam glared at Dean. "For a year and a half I do nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a couple of times and you tell her everything?" Dean still said nothing. "Dean!"

"Yeah. Looks like it" Dean replied. Sam shook his head, going back to looking out the window. We just continues driving until we were in Missouri, where Cassie was apparently living right then. I remembered the whole thing with Cassie, and let's just say it hadn't ended pretty. Dean was messed up for weeks.

We got out of the car to go to the newsroom where Cassie worked a little after six. "If you say anything about anything to Sam, I will kill you" Dean muttered in my ear.

I smiled, and nodded. I wasn't going to say a word. "Jimmy, you're too close to this. Those guys were friends of yours" said a man as we walked in. Cassie was standing there, looking pissed. "Again, I'm very sorry for your loss" the man said to her. The two men walked away.

Cassie sighed, and turned around. She saw us and stood there gaping like an idiot. "Dean" she breathed. She walked over.

Dean ran his fingers through his hair uncomfortably. "Hey, Cassie" There was an awkward silence. "This is my brother, Sam" he said, pointing to him. "And, well, you know Lexie" Sam and I nodded at her. Dean sighed. "I'm sorry about your dad"

She gave a sad smile. "Yeah. Me, too" There was another awkward silence.

I rolled my eyes and took a step forward. "Okay, well, as much as I love this whole staring at each other thing you two have got going on, I think we should find a place to talk" I said, looking at Cassie and Dean.

"We can go back to my house" Cassie said, still only looking at Dean.

"Right" Dean said, nodding gruffly.

We headed over to Cassie's, Sam shooting me you-better-tell-me-everything-later-or-I-will-kill-you looks. I just ignored him. As much as I liked messing with Dean, this really wasn't my story to tell. Cassie made us all tea, which I didn't want, but I took anyway. I didn't like the girl too much, but I wasn't going to be rude. "My mother's in pretty bad shape. I've been staying with her" Cassie sighed. "I wish she would walk by herself, she's been so nervous and frightened. She was worried about Dad"

"Why?" Dean asked.

"He was scared" she said. "He was seeing things"

"Like what?" Dean asked again.

"He swore he saw an awful-looking black truck following him"

Sam gave her a confused look. "A truck? Who was the driver?"

Cassie shrugged. "He didn't talk about a driver. Just the truck. He said it would appear and disappear. And in the accident, Dad's truck was dented. Like it had been slammed into, by something big"

"Now, you're sure this dent wasn't there before?" Sam asked.

"He sold cars. Always drove a new one. I mean, there wasn't a scratch on that thing" she said, shaking her head. "It had rained hard that night, there was mud everywhere. There was a distinct set of muddy tracks from Dad's car, leading right to the edge. Where he went over" She paused, choking back tears. "One set of tracks—his"

"And the first person killed was a friend of your father's?" Dean asked.

"Best friend" she stated. "Clayton Solmes. They owned the car dealership together" She sighed and shook her head. "Same thing. Dent, no tracks. And the cops said exactly what they said about Dad—he lost control of his car"

"Now, can you think of any reason why your father and his partner might be targets?" Dean asked. Cassie just shook her head.

"And you think this vanishing truck ran him off the road?" Sam asked skeptically.

Cassie looked embarrassed. "Oh, when you say it aloud like that…it sounds…"

"Stupid" I finished, taking a sip of my tea. She paused, giving me a small smile that I did not return. Dean shot me an annoyed look.

"Listen, I'm a little skeptical about this….ghost stuff, or whatever it is you guys are into" she said uneasily.

"Skeptical" Dean scoffed. "Yeah, if I remember, I think you said it was nuts"

She gave him a sad look. "That was then" Dean nodded sadly. She sighed. "I just know that I can't explain what happened up there, so I called you"

Cassie's mom entered, looking at us confused. Cassie jumped to her feet. "Mom! Where have you been, I was so—"

"Oh. I had no idea you'd invited friends over" she said, completely ignoring Cassie.

Cassie looked at us. "Uh, Mom, this is Dean, a friend of mine from….college. And his brother, Sam and sister Lexie"

"Well, uh, I won't interrupt you" she said walking away.

"Mrs. Robinson" Dean called, stopping her. "We're sorry for your loss. And we'd like to talk to you for a minute, if you don't mind"

Her expression became cold. "I'm really not up to that just now" And with that she walked away, leaving us empty-handed and confused.

I woke up the next day to Dean shaking me. "What?" I groaned. "What's wrong?"

"The truck got someone else" he said, pulling on pants.

"Close the main road, the only road in and out of town?" said the mayor as we walked up to the scene of the accident. "Accidents do happen, Cassie. That's what they are—accidents"

"Did the cops check for additional denting on Jimmy's car?" Dean asked. "See if it was pushed?"

The mayor narrowed his eyes. "Who's this?"

"Dean, Alexis and Sam Winchester. Family friends" she said. She looked to us. "This is Mayor Harold Todd"

"So, one set of tire tracks—one—doesn't point to foul play" the mayor said, pointing to the tracks.

"Mayor, the police and town officials take their cues from you" Cassie urged. "If you're indifferent about—"

The mayor scoffed angrily. "Indifferent?"

Cassie folded her arms. "Would you close the road if the victims were white?"

The mayor looked surprised. "You're suggesting I'm racist, Cassie?" he asked. "I'm the last person you should talk to like that"

"And why is that?" Cassie demanded.

"Why don't you ask your mother?" he asked, and stomped off. She looked to us. "I'll see you guys later"

"Let's go" Dean said, pulling me back to the car. We went back to the motel room, and Dean pulled out his suit. "I think it's time we did some real research" he said.

I wasn't going to help with this, so I just waited while they put their suits on. "I'll say this for her—she's fearless" Sam laughed. Dean just nodded. "I bet she kicked your ass a couple times" Dean glared at him, and completely messed up his tie.

I scoffed, and helped him put it on. "What's interesting is you guys never really look at each other at the same time" Sam went on. "You look at her when she's not looking, she checks you out when you look away" Dean looked at him, pulling away from me. "It's just an interesting observation" Sam stated with a smile. "In a, you know, observationally interesting way"

"I think we might have some more pressing issues here" Dean replied.

Sam put his hands up in surrender. "Hey, if I'm hittin' a nerve—"

Dean scoffed. "Oh, let's go"

We headed off and stopped to see Ron Stubbins, apparently someone who was friends with one of the victims. I stayed by the Impala. "Well?" I asked as they came back not more than ten minutes later.

"Truck" was all Dean said, loosening his tie.

"Keeps comin' up, doesn't it?" Sam asked.

"You know what I was thinking?" Dean asked. "You heard of the _Flying Dutchman_?"

"Yeah, a ghost ship infused with the captain's evil spirit. Basically a part of him" Sam replied.

"Yeah, so what if we're dealing with the same thing? You know, a phantom truck that's the extension of some bastard ghost, reenacting past crimes"

Sam shrugged. "The victims have all been black men"

"It's more than that" Dean said. "They all seem connected to Cassie and her family"

"Alright, well, you work with that angle. Go talk to her" Sam said.

"Yeah, I will" Dean replied.

"Oh, and you might also want to mention that other thing" Sam smiled, giving me a small glance.

"What other thing?"

"The serious unfinished business" Sam scoffed. "Dean, what is going on between you two?" Dean sighed and leaned on the hood of the car.

"Alright, so maybe we were a little bit more involved than I said"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh, ok. Yeah"

"Okay, a lot more" Dean said. "Maybe" Sam laughed. "And I told her the secret about what we do, and I shouldn't have"

"No, look, man, everybody's gotta open up to someone, sometime" Sam said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I don't" Dean replied. "It was stupid to get that close, and look how it ended" Sam just smiled and stared at him. Dean squirmed uncomfortably. "Would you stop?" Sam just stared some more. "Blink or something"

"You loved her" Sam said, in shock.

Dean rolled his eyed. "Oh, God" He went to get in the car.

"You were in love with her, but you dumped her" Sam said, shaking his head. Dean stopped. Sam looked to me, and then back at Dean. "Oh, wow. She dumped you"

"Get in the car" Dean scoffed. I listened and hopped in the backseat. Sam stood and stared at him in utter shock. "Get in the car!" He yelled. Sam did, still looking shocked.

He dropped us off at the motel, and Sam was still just floundering to the door in shock. I watched him go and sit on the bed and stare for a second. "Sam" I said, frowning at him. "Are you okay? You could just, like nod or—"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded. "I mean, Dean got _dumped_. How could you not have told me that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Um, maybe because of this?"

He grinned. "Touché" He laid down.

I picked up the complementary phone book that was on the motel's table and flipped it open. "Pizza or Chinese?" I asked.

Sam frowned. "Shouldn't we wait for Dean?" I gave him a blatant look. Like Dean was really coming home tonight. Sam sighed. "Pizza"

I was watching a movie the next morning, munching on left over pizza when Sam came back in the room looking surprised. "What?" I asked, taking another bite.

"The mayor's dead" he stated. "He was run over"

"Let me guess" I said, sitting up. "By a truck?" Sam nodded. "I'll call Dean" I sighed, and pulled out my cell. It rang three times.

"Yeah?" he said groggily.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you didn't come home last night, and tell you something important" I said. He scoffed. "The mayor's dead. Run over"

"You're kidding" he said, sounding shocked.

"No" I said. "Meet us on, uh…" I glanced down at the place Sam wrote down. "243 Bellvue"

"Okay" he said, and hung up.

Sam and I rushed over, and I watched them remove the mayor's crushed and bloody body. It was nasty. Note to self: do not get run over by a demon truck.

"He's with me" Sam said, motioning to Dean who was walking up. The cop nodded. "Where were you last night?" Sam asked him, smiling. Dean didn't reply, just looking around. "You didn't make it back to the motel"

"Nope" he replied, smirking a little.

"I'm guessing you guys worked things out?" Sam said lightly.

"We'll be workin' things out when we're ninety" Dean scoffed. "So, what happened?"

"Every bone crushed. Internal organs turned to pudding" I said, pointing to where they found the body. "The cops are all stumped, but it's almost like something ran him over"

"Something like a truck?" Dean asked. I nodded. "Tracks?" I shook my head this time, with s long sigh. "What was the mayor doing here anyway?" Dean asked, looking at the mansion behind us.

"He owned the property. Bought it a few weeks ago" Sam replied.

"Yeah, but he's white" Dean said, "He doesn't fit the pattern"

"Killings didn't happen up on the road" Sam said, with a shrug. "That doesn't fit either"

"Research time?" I questioned, with a sigh. Sam nodded, and Dean and I frowned. I hate research time.

"Sam, you and Lex go find out about this property" Dean said. "If he was killed here, there's gotta be a reason"

"What are you going to do?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Research" he smiled, and disappeared.

I looked to Sam and shrugged. Whatever. Sam and I headed to the library, and quickly found what we were looking for. Sam called Dean to let him know. "Okay, the courthouse records show that Mr. and Mrs. Mayor bought an abandoned property" Sam told him. "The previous owner was the Dorian family, for, like, 150 years" There was a pause. "What?" Sam shrugged. "Well, I pulled a bunch of paper up on the Dorian place, it must have been in bad shape when the mayor bought it. The first thing he did was bulldoze the place" Sam paused again, and then looked to me. "What date was it bulldozed?"

I looked down. "The third of last month"

"The third of last month" Sam repeated to Dean. "Oh, okay. Yeah" He hung up.

"So?" I said, as Sam quickly got up and walked out the door. "What?"

"The first killing was the day after the house was bulldozed" Sam replied. "C'mon. I told Dean we'd meet him back at the motel room"

We ran back and met Dean, who was pacing. "Okay guys" I said, stopping their thoughts. "I get that we hit a breakthrough here, but seriously? What does the Dorian place have to do with Cassie?"

As though on cue, Dean's cell phone rang. He picked it up, and I could hear the screaming on the other line. "Dean!" Cassie yelled. "Dean!"

"We're coming" Dean said, already out the door.

Cassie and her mom were sitting in their living room, extremely shaken up. Sam made her a cup of tea, and sat down next to me. "Maybe you could throw a couple shots in there" she sighed, taking a slow sip.

"You didn't see who was driving the truck?" Dean asked her.

She shook her head. "Seemed to be no one. Everything was moving so fast. And then it was just gone. Why didn't it kill us?"

"Whoever's controlling the truck wants you afraid first" I said, shrugging.

"Mrs. Robinson, Cassie said that your husband saw the truck before he died" Sam said slowly. She said nothing, seemingly still in shock.

"Mom?" Cassie said, shaking her a little.

"Oh, Martin was under a lot of stress" she said after a moment. "You can't be sure what he was seeing"

"Well, after tonight, I think we can be reasonably sure that he was seeing a truck" Dean scoffed. "What happened tonight—you and Cassie are marked. Okay? And your daughter could die. So, if you know something, now would be a really good time to tell us about it"

Cassie glared at him "Dean—"

"Yes. Yes, he said he saw a truck" she said.

Sam spoke up. "Did he know who it belonged to?"

"He thought he did" she said, nodding.

"Who was that?" I asked.

She choked back tears now. "Cyrus. A man named Cyrus"

Dean took out the article he had found earlier from the computer. "Is this Cyrus?"

"Cyrus Dorian died more than 40 years ago" she said.

Dean looked surprised. "How do you know he died, Mrs. Robinson?" She gave us a guilty look. "The paper said he went missing. How do you know he died?"

"We were all very young" she said. "I dated Cyrus a while, but I was also seeing Martin. In secret, of course. Interracial couples didn't go over too well then. When I broke it off with Cyrus, and when he found out about Martin….I don't know, he—he changed. His hatred—his hatred was frightening"

"The string of murders" Sam stated.

"There were rumors. People of color disappearing in some kind of a truck. But nothing was ever done" She started to cry. "Martin and I, we were, uh, going to be married in that little church near here. But last minute, we decided to elope, cause we didn't want the attention."

"And Cyrus?" I asked, not really getting the point of her story.

"The day we set for the wedding was….the day someone set fire to the church" she said, now going into sobs. "There was a children's choir practicing in there. They all died"

"Did the attacks stop after that?" Sam asked.

Mrs. Robinson was sobbing even harder, if that was possible. "No. There was one more. One night, that truck came for Martin. Cyrus beat him something terrible" She grimaced. "But Martin, you see, Martin got loose. And he started hitting Cyrus, and he just kept hitting him and hitting him" She trailed off.

"Why didn't he call the cops?" Dean asked.

Mrs. Robinson gave him a confused look. "This was forty years ago! He called on his friends, Clayton Solmes and Jimmy Anderson, and they put Cyrus' body into the truck and rolled it into the swamp at the edge of this land, and all three of them kept that secret all this years!"

"And now all three are gone" I stated, slowly. I got it now.

"So is Mayor Todd" Dean said. "Now, he said that you, of all people, would know that he is not a racist. Why would he say that?"

"He was a good man. He was a young deputy back then, investigating Cyrus' disappearance. Once he figured out what Martin and the others had done, he….he did nothing" she said. "Because he also knew what Cyrus had done:

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cassie asked, tears forming.

"I thought I was protecting them" she said. "And now there's no one left to protect"

"Yes, there is" Dean took Cassie's hand.

Cassie smiled. "C'mon mom" she said. "You should go to bed" she led her upstairs, and Dean led us outside.

"My life was so simple" Sam sighed. "Just school. Exams. Papers on polycentric cultural norms"

"So, I guess I saved you from a boring existence" Dean said.

"Yeah, occasionally, I miss boring" Sam said.

We were silent for a moment. "Alright, so, this killer truck—"Dean sighed.

Sam snorted. "I miss conversations that didn't start with "this killer truck""

Dean shook his head. "Alright, well, this Cyrus guy…."

"Yeah" I scoffed.

"Evil on a level that infected even his truck. And when he died, the swamp became his tomb. And the spirit was dormant for forty years"

"So, what woke it up?" Sam asked.

"The construction on his house" Dean said.

"Or, the destruction" I added.

"Right. Demolition or remodeling can awaken spirits, make 'em restless" Sam said. "Like that theater in Illinois"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. And the guy who tears down the family homestead, Harold Todd, is the same guy that kept Cyrus' murder quiet and unsolved"

"So, now his spirit is awakened, and out for blood" Sam stated.

"Yeah, I guess" Dean shrugged. "Who knows what ghosts are thinking anyway?"

"You know we're gonna have to dredge that body up from the swamp, right?" Sam said, looking at both of us.

Dean nodded. "You said it" Cassie came outside. Dean smiled. "Hey."

"Hey. She's asleep" she said. "Now what?"

"Well, you stay put, and look after her. And we'll be back" Dean said. "Don't leave the house"

Cassie scoffed. "Don't go getting all authoritative on me. I hate it"

Dean grinned. "Don't leave the house, please?" They both smiled and began to kiss. I groaned and got in the car. "You comin' or what?" Dean asked, getting in the car.

We hulled ass to the swamp, and I couldn't help but think about how the heck we were going to pull a truck out of it. We had no supplies. That was until Dean disappeared for ten minutes and came back with a stolen dredge. Oh.

Dean used the machine, and Sam and I attached it to the truck's bumper, which took almost an hour to find by the way. "Alright, let's get her up" Sam said, clapping his hands. Dean started the machine and pulled the truck up on dry land.

"Little more" I called. Once it was level, I called to Dean to stop. "Nice" I laughed, as he came over to admire his handiwork.

"Hell, yeah" he smiled.

Sam stared at him, a goofy smile on his face. "Now I know what she sees in you"

Dean frowned. "What?"

Sam laughed. "Come on, man, you can admit it, you're still in love with her"

"Oh, can we focus, please?" Dean said, walking away to the Impala. He opened the trunk.

"I'm just sayin', Dean" Sam sighed. Dean shot him a nasty look. "Alright, what am I getting?" he asked.

"Gas, flashlight" Dean listed.

"Got it, got it" I said, handing to Sam.

"Alright, let's get this done" Dean sighed, closing the trunk again. We walked over to the passenger side door; where there was no much gross swamp crap I wondered if we were going to be able to wrench it open. Dean cautiously ripped the door open. Cyrus' body was still in there alright. I grimaced and tried not to breath.

Dean and Sam carried the body over to the table. I poured the gas on it and Sam added the salt. Dean tossed the match, and we stared for a second as it burst into flames. "Think that'll do it?" Sam asked.

A roar of a truck right behind us answered the question. "I guess not" Dean said, staring at the bright headlights.

"So, burning the body had no effect on that thing?" I asked, watching it roar and rev its engine at us.

Dean scoffed. "Oh, sure it did. Now it's really pissed"

"But Cyrus' ghost is gone, right, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Apparently not the part that's fused with the truck" he said, walking to the Impala.

"Where are you going?" Sam called.

"I'm going for a little ride" he stated, opening the car door.

"What?" I cried. "Are you nuts?"

He shook his head. "I'm gonna lead that thing away" he said. He pointed to the real truck that we drudged up. "That rusted piece of crap, you've gotta burn it"

"How the hell are we supposed to burn a truck, Dean?" Sam screeched.

Dean shrugged, tossing our weapons bag out of the car. "I don't know. Figure something out" He got in and started the Impala.

"Figure something—?" Sam stuttered, looking at me for help. I watched Dean pull away, the ghost truck following him. "What do we do?" he asked me.

I glared at him. "Does it look like I know?"

Sam scoffed and started leafing through the journal. I paced around, trying to think of something to do. Anything. I could hear the roar of engines down by the road. Sam's cell phone rang. "Hey, you gotta give me a minute" Sam told Dean.

Dean was yelling so loud I could hear him. "I don't have a minute! What are we doing?"

Sam paused. "Uh….let me get back to you" he hung up.

A sudden thought occurred to me. "Sam" I said. He ignored me. "Sam!"

"What?" he demanded frantically.

"The church" I stated. "We gotta call Cassie!" He tossed me his cell. "Hey, Cassie? Hey, it's Lex" I said, as she answered. "Okay, I need some information, and it has to be exactly right. Where is the church that Cyrus burnt down"

"On Lexington" she said. "But why-?"

"Where on Lexington?" I demanded. "I need coordinates or something"

She paused and I could hear the click of a mouse. "It's seven tenths from the road"

Thanks" I said, not giving her enough time to even ask. "Lexington"

"Alright, Dean?" Sam said, calling him .

"This better be good!" Dean remarked, sounding frantic.

"Where are you?" Sam asked, trying to see down the road.

"I'm in the middle of nowhere, with a killer truck on my ass!" he yelled back. "I mean, it's like it knows I put the torch to Cyrus!"

"Dean, Dean, listen to me, it's important, I have to know exactly where you are" Sam said.

Dean paused. "Decatur Road, about two miles off the highway"

"Okay, headed east?" Sam asked. He pulled out a map.

"Yes!" Dean yelled, and I heard tires screech. "Oh, you son of a bitch!"

I took the phone from Sam. "Dean? Okay, uh, turn right. Up ahead, turn right" I said. "You make the turn?"

"Yeah, I made the turn!" he said. "You're gonna need to move this thing along a little faster!"

"Alright, you see a road up ahead?" I asked. "On your side?"

"No!" he shouted. There was a pause. "What—wait, yes, I see it!"

"Okay, turn left"

He sighed and groaned. "What?" he paused, and I heard more tires screeching. "Alright, now what?"

"You need to go exactly seven-tenths of a mile and stop" I said.

"Stop?"

"Exactly seven-tenths, Dean" I said. He didn't reply. I waited for a minute, in silence with Sam, who was staring nervously. "Dean, you still there?" I asked.

"Yeah"

Sam took the phone out of my hands. "What's happening?"

"It's just staring at me, what do I do?" he whispered.

"Just what you are doing" Sam said, shooting me a look. "Bringing it to you"

Dean must have put his phone down, because all I could hear was his voice in the background, and the revving of a truck. It got closer and closer until the phone seemed to go dead it was so silent. "Dean? You still there?" Sam asked. He shot me a nervous glance. "Dean?"

"Where'd it go?" he asked, confused.

"Dean, you're where the church was" Sam smiled, giving me the thumbs up. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What church?" Dean scoffed.

"The place Cyrus burned down" I called. "Murdered all those kids"

Dean scoffed. "Not a whole lot left"

"Church ground is hallowed ground, whether the church is still there or not. Evil spirits cross over hallowed ground, sometimes they're destroyed" Sam said, "So, we figured maybe that would get rid of it"

"Maybe?" Dean asked. "Maybe? What if you were wrong?" he cried.

Sam gave me an uneasily smile. "Huh. Honestly, that thought hadn't occurred to me" The phone went dead. He laughed a little.

"He's so gonna kill us" I stated.

We had to wait for Dean to say goodbye before we could leave. We went to the dock, which I just thought was way beyond the point, but whatever. They were talking, and I could see Dean smile, and lean in to kiss her. I looked away, rolling my eyes, and Sam laughed. "Dude, they're not like even tonguing"

"That doesn't mean I want to watch" I complained. I leaned over the back seat and pressed the horn. Dean jumped a mile in the air and gave me a look that told me he was so gonna kill me later. But I didn't care. Cassie smirked, giving him one last hug and they said goodbye, Dean getting in the car.

"I like her" Sam stated, as we got onto the interstate.

Dean nodded. "Yeah"

"You meet someone like her; ever make you wonder if it's worth it?" Sam asked. "Putting everything else on hold, doing what we do?"

Dean sighed, but didn't say anything. He took out his sunglasses and put them on. "Wake me up when it's my turn to drive" he stated, and slouched in the seat.

I sighed and put my IPod on so loud that I could drown out everyone and everything. Sometimes you just needed some me time. So I slouched in my seat much like Dean, and closed my eyes.

Yeah. That wasn't going to last.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the nice reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own supernatural. I only own Alexis.  
**

**Chapter Fifteen**

I awoke to Sam and Dean huddled in a corner, whispering into the telephone. I flipped over, and neither of them noticed. "No, yeah Joshua" Sam said, with a nod. "I'm sure she'd love to help" I knew that they were talking about me. I closed my eyes, pretending to still be asleep. I knew I would want to hear this. "Okay, yeah we'll be there. Bye" Sam hung up and looked at Dean. "What do you think?"

"She's going to be annoyed" he said gruffly, sipping his coffee.

"She always complains how we never let her help on hunts, Dean" Sam said. "This is her chance"

"Yeah" Dean said, looking at me. He stared for a second. "We know your awake, ankle biter" I smiled and flipped over.

"Well it's kinda hard to sleep when you two are talking. _Loudly_" I remarked, sitting up. "What's up? We got a new case?"

"You remember Logan?" Sam said. "And Joshua?"

"Yeah, of course" I stated, now really interested. I hadn't seen Logan in two years. "Why?"

"They called" Dean replied. "They want our help on a hunt"

I got out of bed and started to get dressed. "A hunt?" I questioned. Sam nodded. "Awesome" I remarked.

Dean took his bag and took out a few clothes. "Pack the car" he instructed. "I'm going to take a shower" He closed the door and Sam and I packed the car in like thirty seconds. He was out pretty quickly for Dean, and then we got in the Impala and drove.

Anytime my dad didn't want to take me on a hunt for some reason, and Dean and Sam were going with him, Logan's is where I ended up. It was either here or Pastor Jim's or Bobby's. Logan and I had grown up together. Once my dad started to let me come on hunts though, I didn't need a babysitter anymore. Now I only saw them like once a year, or when my dad needed to restock on weapons.

Logan's dad, Joshua, is a weapons dealer for us hunters. He has everything a hunter would ever need. In a shed, behind his house, he had like ten tons of guns, ammo, pentagrams, and other random supplies. The army would be jealous, if that army was fighting the supernatural that is.

Joshua hadn't always been a dealer. He used to be a hunter, like us. When his wife died on the job, leaving him with Logan, he quit for good. Logan had only been two. He still trained Logan once Logan started to ask questions. Like why there was a whole freaking arsenal in the shed for example. I could still remember times from before either of us knew what our dad's really did for a living. We used to play games like Camping and Indians. We found out at about the same time, although I think he found out in a why-the-hell-is-there-a-load-of-guns-in-shed instead of a holy-shit-something-just-tried-to-pull-me-under-the-bed way. Then our games turned to, let's try and kill each other like we were demons. Yeah, we had messed up childhoods.

"So what kind of case is this?" I asked, leaning towards the front seat.

Sam sighed, turning around to face me. "We're thinking vengeful spirit" he said.

"Oh" I sighed confused. "Then why wouldn't I want to help?" Dean shot me a look in the rearview mirror. "What?" I said, giving an innocent smile. "I wasn't eavesdropping, you were ten feet away"

"It's at a high school" Dean said, a smug look on his face.

"So?" I said. I felt stupid, but I honestly didn't see what that had to do with anything.

"So you get to go" he said. "As a student"

My heart dropped into my stomach. "What?" I cried. "Guys, I do home schooling for a reason. I hate high school!"

Sam sighed sympathetically. "You'll be fine"

"No I won't" I said. "Last time I was in high school, I nearly died"

"There was a demon" Dean interjected. "That has nothing to do with high school" He paused and turned the car onto the interstate, a straight shot to Logan's. "Although it does totally suck"

"Dean" Sam said warningly.

"I don't want to do it" I stated, leaning back. Neither Sam nor Dean said a word. I just sighed, in thought. I really didn't want to do this case. I hate high school. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I leaned back up. "Alright, tell me more"

"I thought you said you didn't want to do it" Sam smiled smugly. I smacked him upside the head and he just laughed. "A girl, Bailey Burke, died almost a year ago. Committed suicide in the upstairs bathroom. Then, a couple months ago, a girl died in the upstairs bathroom. Another just happened"

"So if we already know who this ghost is, why do I need to do this?" I asked. "Can't we just go burn her bones?"

"We need to be sure, Lex" Sam said. "Besides, don't you want to see Logan?"

I paused. "Well yeah, but…" I trailed off. I lay down, defeated. "Wake me up when we get there" I closed my eyed, even though I was sure that I would more than likely not fall asleep. I was too busy thinking about Logan, and all the crap we got into when we were little. Like when we broke that expensive pentagram necklace thing. I thought Joshua was going to burst a brain vessel, and I wasn't sure if I would live to see the next day when my dad got back. I smiled to myself. Good times.

I hadn't realized that I actually had fallen asleep until I was being shaken awake. I panicked and flailed my arms, smacking Sam. I groaned and sat up, giving a smile. "Sorry" I laughed at his annoyed expression. "Reflex" I looked around. "Where are we?"

"Like five minutes away" Dean said. "I figured you didn't want to be woken up in the driveway"

"Thanks" I said, smoothing out my hair. I glanced at myself in the mirror. My hair dirty blonde hair waved down my back like always. I just sighed as we pulled in the long driveway.

Logan's house was in the country in Iowa, really close to Bobby's. He lived in the little hick town, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Which was probably a good thing considering the arsenal he had hidden in his house? It was a rundown farm house with the paint peeling off and about ten acres of land, and it was like a home to me. I couldn't help but think that the reason it was so beat up was because of us kids in the first place.

We pulled up to the house and I immediately went to the trunk to get my stuff. I grabbed my bag, as I heard the front door slam open (broken by Logan, Sam and I when we were fighting over a pair of socks). I turned around, to see Logan walking up excitedly, a huge grin on his face. He had definitely grown since the last time I saw him.

His hair was longer, falling into his eyes and a little messy on top. His smile was from ear to ear, and I could tell that he had braces at one point, because I was sure that they hadn't been that straight before. Not only that, but he had grown about a foot. He rivaled even Dean. Logan Reynolds had grown up. I looked down, wondering if I had changed too.

"Hey" he said, giving me an awkward hug. I smiled, returning it. I caught Sam's blatant look. I glared at him. Me and Logan? No way.

"Hey" I said slinging my bag over my shoulder. "You look so much older!"

He grinned and put an arm casually over my shoulder. "So do you" he laughed. "I think I could totally take you down now, Lexie"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Trust me buddy, I got moves you never even heard of" He just laughed and led me to the house. The back room was always ours. It had two single beds and a pull out couch. I sighed and grabbed the couch. I was the smallest anyway. Sam and Dean followed close behind.

"Lex, we gotta talk about the case" Dean said, putting his stuff on the bed.

I sighed, and stood up. "Dean, we just got here" I complained, going over to Logan. I gave Dean a small smile.

"What else are you going to do?" Dean asked, smiling smugly.

I grinned and looked at Logan. "You still got those ATC's?" He nodded slowly. I looked to Dean and grinned even more. "Gotta go"

"Be careful!" Sam called after us.

Logan and I both ran off to the garage. We elbowed each other down the stairs, and pushed our way out the door. "Dinner's at six!" Joshua called. We yelled an okay, and kept going.

"I call red!" I exclaimed, hopping onto it before Logan could protest. He shot me a look, and got onto the blue one. I started it up, and zoomed down the familiar and beaten path to our little pond. It felt good to just let go for awhile, and let the nagging feeling that my father could be dead right now disappear.

I pulled to a stop, right by the pond, Logan in front of me. "I won" he stated, smirking.

"Well way to cut me off back there" I scoffed. "You almost made me hit a freaking tree" He just laughed, and I collapsed on the ground, staring at the pond. He did the same, sitting next to me. "You remember when we tried to swim in that slop?" I asked, with a smile.

He glanced down at the gross and murky water. "Hell yeah" he chuckled. "You remember when we tracked it all through the house and my dad nearly shit himself?"

"You remember when my dad got back and nearly killed me?" I asked. I looked at my reflection. "I missed this"

"I missed you" he stated. I glanced at him and smiled.

"I missed you too" I replied easily. We stared at each other for a second, and then I looked away. I sighed, leaning back on my elbows. Being with Logan was always easy in a way that it never was with anyone else. "So this case, it's at your school?" I questioned.

"I thought you didn't want to talk about the case?"

I smiled innocently. "Can't help myself, Logan" I said. "I like living on the dangerous side"

"Yeah" he replied. "I knew…Bailey"

"The girl who killed herself" I stated sympathetically. "And now more are dying?" He nodded slowly. "So do _you_ think it's her?"

"I don't know" he sighed. "I mean, I knew her well enough to tell you that she wasn't exactly the revenge type. But, you never know I guess. The only weird thing is that neither girl that was killed after had anything to do with Bailey"

"Odd" I nodded, "So school tomorrow, huh?" I grinned. "I haven't done that in a few years"

"I usually don't either" he admitted. "I home schooled for awhile, but then...I needed some normal"

I nodded. If there was one thing I understood, it was a need for normal. "I was never the high school type" I responded. "We just never agreed"

"Why?"

I thought for a second. "It's just easier to do homework on long car drives and late at night while I'm waiting to go on a hunt than when my teachers preferred me to. And the fact that I hate most teenagers"

He raised one eyebrow at me. "You are one"

"That doesn't mean I have to like them" I sighed. "I think I spend too much time around Dean"

"I think so too" he laughed, and stood up. "We should head back, it's getting dark" He gave me his hand to help me up and I took it. "Race?"

I got on my ATC and smiled. "Like you even have to ask" I hit the gas and went speeding off. I didn't have much normal, but it was nice to pretend. Even if only for a little while.

I woke up the next day and reluctantly got dressed and into the Impala. Logan offered to drive, but Sam had to go to the store or something, so he dropped us off. At high school. "I really don't want to do this" I stated, annoyed.

"You'll be fine" Sam said, patting me on the shoulder. I grimaced, glancing at the school that was slowly filling with teens. I scoffed and went to get out of the car. "Lex…" I stopped, and glanced back. I rolled my eyes and took the knife out of my boot and put it on the seat. "See you later" he called.

I followed Logan to the front doors. "What do you have first?" he asked me after we stopped at the office to get my schedule. I looked down.

"English" I stated. "Room 210"

He pointed behind me. "It's that way" He noted my sour expression. "You gonna be okay?" I nodded. "You want me to take you there?"

"And will you hold my hand and tie my shoe too?" I scoffed. He smirked. "I think I can make it, Logan, but thanks"

"Meet you at lunch okay?" he said handing me my schedule back. "We can check the bathroom out then, yeah?"

"Okay" I said, turning to go to class. "See you then" I walked into English, noting the few glares I got as I walked in. What had I done? I had been here for like ten minutes? I passed it off as new kid syndrome.

The teacher greeted me enthusiastically as I entered the room. "Hi" he said, coming up to me. "I'm Mr. Thomas, and you must me Alexis Hetfield"

I smiled. Metallica's lead singer Dean? Nice. "Yeah" I smiled. "That's me"

"Alright, well, here are you materials you'll need" he handed me a huge stack of papers. I glanced at my schedule. AP English. I sighed. God dammit, Dean. The bell rang. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"

I glanced at all the bored faces. "Hi, I'm Lexie" I smiled, and looked to Mr. Thomas. That was all I was doing. He motioned for me to take a seat. I did behind one of the girls who were glaring at me in the hallway. I went off into a daze, not really paying attention to the teacher, who went on about rhetoric terms or something.

The last ten minutes of class was free time, and I watched all the other kids talk about the track meet. The girl in front of me turned around and snapped her gum. "Lexie, right?" she questioned. I nodded, wondering why she was talking to me. "I'm Hannah. You were talking to Logan in the hallway" I narrowed my eyes, but nodded again. That hadn't really been a question. "You know him pretty well?" she asked.

"Yeah" I said. "My dad and his dad are friends"

"He never mentioned you" she said.

I was confused, but shrugged. "I haven't seen him in awhile"

She snapped her gum again, and smiled. "I think you should leave him alone"

I blinked at her. "Why?" I asked, realizing who this girl was. "You're dating him?"

"Not yet" she smiled, showing me her perfect little Chiclets teeth. Yeah, I was right. This was the queen bitch. And I had just pissed her off. "But we will be" she added.

"Oh" I said. "Well you might want to tell him that" She narrowed her eyes, and the bell rang. I grabbed my stuff, and she stopped me before I exited the classroom.

"Okay listen" she said. "This is just you're fair warning. Logan Reynolds is mine" She glared at me. "And if you don't back off, you can trust that I will make your life a living hell"

I just gave a nod, and she stalked off. I sighed, and went to my next three classes alone. I had no idea where Logan was, but I wasn't going to try and hunt him down while I had Bitch Barbie on my ass. I would just have to wait to see him at lunch.

By the time fifth period came, I was so ready to leave this school that I seriously considered calling Dean and telling him I was done with this case. But I couldn't, and that totally sucked. I made my way to the cafeteria, and saw Logan across the room, eating fries and sitting with some other guys. I grinned and sat next to him. "Hey" I smiled. I stole a fry and he smirked at me.

"Hey Logan" a kid laughed. "Who's your girlfriend?"

He shook his head. "This is Lexie" he said, pointing to me. "And she isn't my girlfriend"

"Jason" he said, pointing to himself. I smiled and waved.

"You ready?" I asked, motioning behind me.

"Aw, you're leaving already?" the kid asked. I grinned and ate another fry before pulling Logan up. "See you, Lexie"

"Bye, Jason" I laughed, as we left the table. We went up the stairs to the upstairs girl's bathroom. I went in first, and made sure no one was in there. "You coming?" I asked, Logan, as he stood nervously in the hallway. He gave me a smile, and I pulled him in.

"Girl's bathrooms are weird" he stated, looking around. He made his way around cautiously, like something was going to pop out and eat him or something. I shook my head.

I looked around by the sinks. There was a broken mirror and I was sure that two of the three sinks were broken, but no cold spots. It didn't seem like a haunted bathroom. "You find anything?" I asked Logan.

"They have tampon dispensers in here?" he asked incredulously.

I rolled my eyes. "Focus, Logan" I called over my shoulder. I glanced back down at the underside of the sink and saw brownish goo. And, although it went against everything I knew about public restrooms, I touched it. It disintegrated. "Ectoplasm" I said, looking to Logan. "You have to me majorly pissed off to make this stuff"

"Yeah" he said, looking at it.

"Was Bailey majorly pissed off?"

He grimaced and looked around a little. "I don't know" he admitted. "I had only been going here for a little while at that point. I didn't know her that well"

"Well at this point, I'm thinking it is Bailey" I stated. The bell rang, and I could hear the scuffle of students outside the door. "We should get out of here" I said, and we left together.

We had Chemistry next, together. I introduced myself to the class for the millionth time that day and took a seat at Logan's table. Jason was there too, and we had to do a lab that day. I partnered up with Logan, and we mixed some stupid solutions together. "So do you even hunt anymore?" I asked. "Or are you average Joe now?"

"I still hunt" he said, "Just not as much. A little exorcism here, a vengeful spirit there. You know"

"Yeah" I said, lighting the Bunsen burner. "You mind me asking why you quit. I seem to remember the Logan who just wanted to go on hunts so much you made your dad take you all the time"

"I just…" he sighed, mixing the chemicals. "I wanted to be normal for awhile. I wanted to be a teenager before it was too late"

I stared at him for a second. "I get it" I said. "Trust me, sometimes I wish I could have the same thing. Go to school, have chores besides cleaning guns. My dad would never let me quit"

"I'm sure he would if you asked him" he said.

I actually laughed out loud at that. "Logan, this is John Winchester we're talking about" I stated. "I asked if I could try out for the school play when I was ten and he almost had a conniption"

"Yeah" he sighed. "But you didn't really want to do that anyway" I gave him a confused look. "Dean wanted to be like your dad. Sam wanted to be normal. You always wanted to show your dad that you could be the best hunter ever. Like him. You might have wanted to be normal sometimes, but not like Sam. You couldn't handle normal"

I watched the green chemicals bubble under the fire. "You're probably right" I stated with a sigh. "I like hunting things too much"

He smiled and shook his head. "That's just how you are" he laughed. "Hand me the tongs"

I glanced down and opened the drawer. I grabbed the tongs, and saw brownish goo on the bottom of the drawer. "Ectoplasm" I stated, showing him. "Did Bailey have Chemistry?"

He shook his head. "No" he said. "She couldn't have"

"Did either victim?" I asked. He shrugged. We finished the lab and put everything away. I was still thinking about all the stuff that we found out.

By the end of the day I was driving myself crazy with all the questions going through my mind. I went to my locker and was going to meet Logan outside. "I thought I told you to stay away from him" said a voice. Hannah slammed my locker closed. I glanced at her. "I know you're new, but this is just asking for trouble"

"Look" I sighed, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "I know you're queen bitch and all, but this is all too high school movie cliché for me, so can we just let this go. You can have Logan. I don't want him"

"Lexie" she smiled, shaking her head. "This isn't a high school cliché. This is real. So put on your big girl pants and deal with it. You're going down" And with that she walked off again.

I scoffed and headed to the Impala. I got into the backseat, and Sam drove off, Logan shooting me looks. I glared angrily ahead of me, not really in the mood to talk about it. I got out of the car and headed to the house. "How was it?" Dean asked, smugly.

I plopped myself on the couch next to him. "Freaking awesome" I stated, "Apparently I already pissed of miss teen princess"

"How?" Dean asked, curiously.

"She wants Logan" I said, as Logan walked in.

"What?" he asked, with a laugh. "Who wants me?"

"Hannah" I said. He stared in shock.

"Really?" he asked, sitting on the chair.

"Who's Hannah?" Dean asked, sipping his beer.

"She's like head cheerleader" Logan said. "She's like popular, man. She's got that curvy blonde thing going"

"Dude" Dean said blatantly. "The hottest girl in school is aiming for you, and you're sitting at home. What is wrong with you?"Logan scoffed.

"Did you figure anything out today?" Sam asked, interrupting out conversation. "Is it definitely Bailey?"

"Yeah" Logan responded. "Found Ectoplasm in the bathroom"

"So we'll burn her tonight then" Dean said, clapping his hands. "Awesome. Wanna go for some pizza after?"

"Yeah" Logan said, standing up. "We'll go later. Like eleven?" We all agreed and went our separate ways. I immediately went onto the computer and spent the next four hours looking up the victim's info. Something didn't feel right about this case. We had to be missing something.

Logan was right, Bailey hadn't taken Chemistry, but neither had the other two victims. I took a quick glance at the other people in the class. None had any previous contact with her. There was no connection from the Chemistry lab to Bailey. There was no reason for there to be any ectoplasm in there. I sighed, and looked to Sam. "I don't think that this is Bailey" I said.

He sat down next to me. "Why?"

"I found ectoplasm in the Chemistry lab" I stated. "And there's no reason why it would ever be in there. It just doesn't make sense"

"Well maybe it was tracked in there" he said. "Or maybe you're missing something. Has anyone else died in the building?"

"Just a secretary and another student" I said. "But one was cremated and the other doesn't make sense either"

"Sounds to me like it's kinda gotta be Bailey, Lex" he said easily.

"I guess" I relented, closing the laptop.

We got into the Impala not much later, and I had an extremely bad feeling about this. This ghost just couldn't be Bailey. It's just didn't make sense. There was no reason for there to be any ectoplasm in there. She had no connection to the Chemistry lab, or anyone in there. There was no reason for there to be any signs of anything in there. It wasn't even close to the bathroom where she kicked it. Not that anyone cared what I had to say about it anyway. I mean, why would you listen to Lexie? That would be stupid…

So I just sat sulking in the backseat. We pulled up to the cemetery and I reluctantly hoped out, grabbing my shovel. Sam gave me a sympathetic look. "Lex, you can go back tomorrow with the EMF to make sure" he said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I know" I replied, moving away from him and going to the grave. I had already been planning tomorrow. I headed to the gravesite with them, and began digging. I was a pretty good digger, and usually ended up being the one finishing it, since it was easiest to pull me out. I knocked through the coffin, the stench nearly sending me over the edge.

I just had Dean pull me out and let him burn the bones into nothing but ashes. The flames licked the bones and flesh away. "Let's go" I said after awhile, when she was gone.

"Alright, pizza time!" Logan exclaimed excitedly. I rolled my eyes as he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me to the Impala.

"I want everything on mine" Dean remarked, hopping in the passenger seat. He happily started the car and backed out like we totally hadn't just burned someone.

"Is food all you two ever think about?"I asked, annoyed.

Dean glanced at me in the rearview mirror and smiled. "Yeah" Logan said honestly, smiling too. I just rolled my eyes again, and leaned back.

"Well I want cheese" I said. "Lots and lots of cheese"

The next day, I went back to school for the second time. I had the EMF in my pocket to check the bathroom with, and Logan and I were all set to go there right away. We couldn't risk anymore deaths. We went to go in the building, but Hannah cut us off before we even made it to the door. "Hey Logan" she smiled. Apparently, she was trying a new approach. "Will you walk me to English? I hurt my arm at _cheerleading_ practice"

Logan shot me an apologetic smile. I passed it off, just walking away as he took her books. I had to go the long way to English to avoid them. I didn't want it to look like I was following them. I watched Hannah practically throw herself at him, and I realized I couldn't really blame him. She was pretty and popular after all. It was like in a guy's genetic make up to want to go with her. Having two older brothers helped you understand these things.

I walked down the hall, as Hannah walked inside, shooting me a smug smile. Logan saw me and gave me a quick sorry, but I cut him off. "Congrats Mr. Testosterone" I laughed, "You've done your good deed for the day." He smiled, and walked off to class. I entered English, getting a few glares and smug smiles from everyone around Hannah.

I was starting to hope I wouldn't find anything and this thing was just Bailey, so I could get the hell out of here. I ignored all my adoring fans until lunch, when I was so happy to see someone who didn't shoot death at me with their eyes.

I spotted Logan at the same table as the other day with Jason, and headed over. I made a bee line for the table. I was cut off by a head of blonde hair. I stopped short and was met by a plate of greasy cafeteria food going into my chest. It squished into me, and I gasped in shock. "Oops" Hannah gasped innocently. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you Lexie!"

I glared in anger, really wanting to punch this bitch in the face. I pushed some of the food off my shirt onto the ground. Everyone around us had gone sort of silent, just watching to see what I would do. Logan walked over, glaring at Hannah too. I turned on my heel and stalked out of the lunchroom.

"Lex" Logan called. I ignored him, just wanting to get away from everyone staring at me. "Lex, wait up"

"Just leave me alone, Logan" I said as we got to the hallway. "Go play with your new girlfriend!"I snapped. He stopped, and stared at me for a second. Without another word, he turned around and went back into the cafeteria without me.

I felt angry tears forming in my eyes. I just watched him walk away, and then headed to the bathroom. I stormed inside and made sure that there was no one in there before cleaning my shirt off. There was a huge stain on my front. I groaned, and felt my pocket vibrate and make noises. I reached in and pulled out the EMF. It was going crazy.

I turned around and saw nothing. Coldness hit me like nothing I had ever really felt. It reached all the way to my insides, wrapping around me like death itself. I had felt a lot of angry spirits, but this was especially pissed off. Loud squeaking noise made me whip around. The sink had turned on, scalding hot water pouring into the sink.

I felt my pocket for the packet of salt I brought with me. The sink stopped, emitting ectoplasm now. My heart was pounding in my ears. I wanted to scream, I wanted to run, but I was rooted to the spot. Water started dripping on the floor, making a trail to the door. I slowly followed it out into the hall where it continued.

I glanced around, and then followed. It led me far down the hallway to a closet, where it stopped. The EMF was going crazier than ever. I took a deep breath, and put my hand on the door knob. It was freezing cold. I wrenched the door open, and a body tumbled out.

Her hair was in her face, and blood pooled around her. I couldn't even tell where it was coming from. I kneeled next to her, and glanced up, seeing an old man. I took a deep breath in, and did the only thing that came to my mind at the moment.

I screamed.

"And you found the body in the closet?" the police officer asked me, and I seriously considered smacking him. How many times was I going to have to recount this story?

I sighed and nodded. "And then I screamed, and Mr. Thomas came out to help and called the police"

"And you didn't see or hear anything?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I was just going back to the cafeteria and saw blood, so I opened the door" That last part had been a lie, but like I really had the time to explain to the cops how an EMF worked and why I was seeing ghosts in a school building. I glanced behind my shoulder to see Sam and Dean waiting by the Impala. "Can I go now?"

The cop took my (fake) cell number, and I headed over. "What happened?" Sam asked, staring at me.

"I found a dead girl in the closet" I stated stoically.

"I think he meant your shirt, Lex" Dean said, pointing to the huge stain left over from the cafeteria mishap.

I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it" I sighed. "Can we just go? I have some stuff to tell you"

"What about Logan?" Sam asked, looking to where he was standing a little ways off. I glanced at him, and by the way he looked away quickly, I had a pretty good idea that he wasn't going to want to go home with us.

"I think he's staying" I said, getting in the car. They didn't ask me anymore until I had changed back at the house into clothes that didn't smell like a high school cafeteria. I sat down on the couch, all ready to tell them what happened.

"And she was just…dead?" Sam asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No, she got up and started dancing, Sammy. Yeah, she was dead"

"And the ghost you saw?" Dean said, pacing. "You're sure it wasn't just-"

"The EMF was going nuts, Dean" I said. "Unless it decided to have a malfunction right next to a dead person, I don't think it was wrong"

"Alright" Sam said. "But we don't know who this ghost is. Or why it's suddenly decided to come kill people"

I grabbed the laptop out of his hands and smiled. "I think we're all missing the important lesson here" I paused. "I was totally right"

"Shut up" Sam scoffed, stealing the laptop back. I just grinned happily. It wasn't often that I proved either of my brother's wrong, but when I did? I was going to freaking milk it for all its worth. Sam stopped after a moment of searching and looked up at us. "I think I found something"

"What?" Joshua asked, coming in the house.

"They renovated the school about a year and a half ago. Right before Bailey died" Sam said. "Maybe that upset some other spirit?"

"Okay" I nodded. "But who? The other two don't fit the profile"

"A janitor, names Charles Harlan" Sam said, turning the computer around. "Went missing on school grounds"

"So his body might have been in the old school" I stated, getting it now. "And when they moved stuff, it upset him"

"So we have some ghost hunting to do tonight" Dean smiled, excited. "Awesome"

The door slammed open, and Logan walked in, a scowl on his face. "What's the matter?" Joshua asked, narrowing his eyes. Logan shot me a look, scoffed, and then just stalked out the house towards the shed. Joshua looked at me curiously. "What happened?"

"We may have possibly gotten into a fight at lunch today" I stated uneasily. I got dirty looks from all around. "Okay, I yelled at him. Sort of" I said in defeat. "But it wasn't exactly my fault"

"How is you getting pissed off and yelling at Logan _not_ your fault?" Dean asked.

I opened my mouth to give him some smart ass answer, and then stopped. "I'll go talk to him" I said, standing. I headed out of the house, heading right to the pond. That was where we always went when we were upset. It was easier to throw stuff into the water than deal with what was actually going on.

"So" I said, walking up. He didn't reply. I sighed. "Logan-"

"Don't bother, Lexie" he said, throwing in a stone. "It's fine. Just drop it"

I stepped in front of him. "Apparently it's not, or you wouldn't be standing out here all alone throwing rocks" He just stared down at me, as though trying to say something that just wouldn't come out. "I'm sorry" I said softly. He turned away, not looking at me. "Fine" I said. "But I apologized. We're going to fight some ghost ass at eleven if you wanna come"

And with that, I walked away. I couldn't really do anymore, and besides I had tried. And in my opinion, I shouldn't really need to do much more than that. I was the one who got food poured on me. it was his crush. How would I not be pissed by that?

Eleven came a lot faster than I would've liked. I wasn't exactly in the mood to go ghost hunting, especially since Logan was sitting next to me in the backseat. I could feel the nasty looks he was shooting me. I ignored him, and kept to myself. I got out of the car, and grabbed my salt shot gun. I loaded it and made sure it was all good to go when Dean took it out of my hands and gave it to Logan. "We're partnering up on this one, Lex" he said. "You're with Logan"

Logan gave me a smug smile and walked towards the building. I shot Dean a death glare. "Why does he get the gun?" I asked.

Dean smirked, shutting the trunk. "Because you would shoot him"

I shrugged, and followed Logan to the front doors. "We call checking out the closet" I called, grinning at the scowl on Dean's face. He reluctantly headed the opposite way with Sam, who was shaking his head.

"Be careful, Lex" Sam called.

"Aren't I always?" I smiled, and watched them disappear. I held my flashlight ahead, and motioned for Logan to start moving. He did so, not really looking very interested. We made it to the closet, and I let him walk in first. He was holding the gun after all. He swept it around and shrugged. I walked in, noting the blood stain on the ground. Nice.

The door slammed closed. I whipped around and started to try to open it. Logan came over, pounding on it with his fists, handing me the gun. "We're stuck" he sighed. "It's trapped us in here" He glared at me.

"Don't look at me like this is my fault" I stated, through clenched teeth.

"I didn't say anything" he said, staring at me angrily.

"But you looked at me" I said, exasperated. "Now how are we going to get out of here?" I reached in my pocket. No service. Figures. I glanced up. "Why are there two vents in here?"

"Does it matter?" Logan asked, sounding annoyed. He was still staring at the door.

"Yeah" I said, feeling air coming out of one but not the other. "They renovated. One of these is the old one"

"So?" he said. A man appeared behind him. It swiped at him, knocking him sideways. I barely had time to react. It was standing over him.

"Logan!" I shouted, shooting at it. It disappeared. He panted, as I helped him up. "Having trouble there?" I smirked.

"You almost killed me with that shot" he said, pulling the grate off of the vent. "So, you think this goes somewhere then?"

"You have a better plan?" I asked, "Or would you rather stay in the haunted closet with Charles?" He sighed and cupped his hands to give me a boost.

I was able to get up into the vent and climb forwards a little, letting him follow. It dipped down ahead, and I looked down to see a basement or something. "I'm going down" I said, handing him the gun.

"Be careful" he said seriously.

I rolled my eyes and lowered myself down. I hung by my hands and then jumped, landing on the hard concrete slab floor. It took my eyes a minute to adjust to the light. When they had however, I kind of wished that they hadn't. In the corner, just staring at me was the janitor. He disappeared.

"Logan" I whispered. "I need the gun"

I heard it drop a few feet away. I scrambled towards it, to feel a hand close on my ankle, knocking me to the ground. "Help!" I screamed.

Logan dropped in, glancing around, trying to see me in the dark. I found the gun by my head, and shot at the ghost, making him disappear. I stood up, to see Logan staring wide eyed. "Lex duck!" I he screamed, diving at me. Something flew over my head; I couldn't tell what it was in the dark.

Logan was on top of me. "I think I saved your ass" he smirked. More went flying over our heads, and I rolled us out of the way.

"I think I saved _your_ ass"

"What's going on?" Dean asked, entering to me on top of Logan. I rolled off, as Sam stared confused.

"He's down here somewhere" I said, as more went moving around. This ghost really didn't want to leave. "We've gotta find his body"

We all separated, going to different sides of the room. "I think I got it!" Sam called, pulling a crate away from the wall, revealing a desecrated corpse. I poured on salt, and Dean was thrown across the room. Sam threw the lighter fluid on and I tossed the match on.

The ghost erupted into flames, and disappeared for good this time. I sighed, leaning on the wall. Dean groaned and stood up. "Let's go home"

"Why do I have to go again?" I complained, as Dean drove me and Logan to school, again. I was sick of this. "The case is over Dean"

"You found a dead body, ankle biter" Dean stated. "You can't just disappear after that. Last day, I swear"

"You better" I scoffed, getting out of the car. Logan walked on ahead without me. He was still not exactly talking to me. So I was totally alone today. Whatever, I was leaving tomorrow. So he could be as mad at me as he wanted. He wouldn't see me again.

Hannah smiled at me in English. She even noticed that Logan and I were ignoring each other. The worst part was lunch, when I realized I had no one to sit with. Hannah was sitting next to Logan, and he didn't really seem to care, just watching me. I walked past, as Hannah whispered: "Freak"

I stopped, and stared at her. "What?" she asked with a short laugh. "You gonna be all mad at me cause I won?"

I glanced at Logan, and grabbed the coke in front of him, and poured it all over her bleach blonde head. She gasped and stood up. "No" I said. "I'm not mad"

She slammed her tray of food into me, and I grabbed her hair, ramming her back into the table. She pushed back, falling to the floor. We both had death grips on each other's hair, basically just fighting over who could pull harder, and who would let go first. Now trust me, I know at least four or five different ways to knock her unconscious in this position, but I couldn't exactly do that in this situation.

"Alexis" Logan said, gripping me around the waist. "Stop"

I didn't give in until a cop and a teacher had a grip on us. The cop was holding my arms to my sides, and Hannah was being restrained by the teacher. "All three of you, stop it" the teacher cried. "To the office. _Now_"

Hannah and I didn't stop glaring at each other the entire way. We sat next to each other outside the principal's office. Logan was on my other side, just looking annoyed. I didn't bother to apologize to him. This was partially his fault. The principal opened her door, and Hannah and I were pulled in alone at first. "I cannot believe you two young ladies would act like this" she stated angrily. "Fighting in the cafeteria? This is unacceptable. Suspension. Two weeks"

Hannah looked like someone had socked her in the stomach. "What?" she cried. "That is so unfair. She started-"

"I don't care" the principal replied. "It doesn't matter. Fighting is a serious offense. We don't take it lightly here" She stood up. "I called your guardians to come pick you up" We sat back down on the chairs, Hannah glaring ahead.

"I can't believe you got me into this" Hannah said. "This is your entire fault Lexie. You're such a freak! You're done, you hear me?"

"Hannah?" Logan said, cutting her rant off. She looked at him expectantly. "Shut up"

"What?" she said, frowning? "You're standing up for her? Do you realize that she got us all in trouble? I thought we were together, Logan"

"If you would listen for a second" he said, annoyed. "You would know that I don't like you" He looked to me. "I like _her_"

I was surprised when Dean entered the office with what I was guessing to be Hannah's mom. She was dressed pretty prissy for a small Iowa town. "Hannah Gallagher!" her mom screeched. "You are in so much trouble young lady" She grabbed her by the arm and led her out.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Alexis" Dean scoffed, motioning for me to follow. "You too Logan" Logan and I followed, and I knew I was in for it. I had gotten into a lot of school fights when I was younger. It wasn't exactly smiled upon in my family.

We drove home in silence, and I noted the worried expression on Logan's face. He had only gotten a week's detention, but I knew his dad would still be pissed off. He got out of the car with a sigh, and I shot him an apologetic smile. He just shook his head as though to say don't worry about it. I could see Joshua waiting for him.

Dean sighed, playing with the dials of the radio. "Stop stalling" I said, looking at him.

"Fighting, Lex?" he demanded, glaring at me. "Really? You know better than that"

I sighed. "I'm sorry" I stated. He just shook his head. "How much trouble am I in?"

He reached into the glove compartment and handed me a bottle of wax. "My baby likes two coats" he stated. I took it with a grimace, but no complaints. He sighed and looked at me. "Is that mash potatoes in your hair?" I felt my hair and nodded. He held back a smile, and then gave in, laughing. "I don't know what I'm more upset about" he grinned. "That you were fighting, or that you couldn't even take down a _cheerleader_"

"Shut up" I said, through clenched teeth. I got out of the car, and headed to the house to shower. I had mash potatoes in my hair after all. I waxed the car for the next two hours, skipping dinner, and not seeing Logan all night. I had a vague notion that his father had locked him in his room.

I was in my room with Sam and Dean, packing my bags. We still had to leave tomorrow, even though I was pretty sure that I would now never be able to look at Logan the same again. His words just kept echoing in my head. "I like her"

"Sam?" I said when Dean left to take a shower before going to sleep. "If a guy says he likes a girl, what does that mean?"

He gave me an extremely confused look. "What?"

"Does that mean, like, girlfriend? Or does it just mean he thinks she's hot and would do her if he had the chance? Or does it mean he just likes her more than say, cars or something?" I asked in one breath. I didn't like to talk about girl things with my brothers. But this had been running through my mind all day and I needed some answers.

"Uh, I don't know" he said. "Why? What happened?"

"Logan" I said, choking on my words as they came out. "He said he liked me"

Sam stared at me for a second. "Oh"

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh?" I asked. "I'm freaking out here, Sammy, and all you're going to give me is "Oh"?"

"Well" he stuttered. "Why don't you talk to _him_ about it?"

I thought about that for a second. "I will" I said, standing up. Sam stared at me funny. "What?"

"Wait until morning" he laughed. "It's almost midnight"

I sat back down with a sigh. "Fine" I scoffed. I lay in bed for the next three hours going insane. I wanted to talk to Logan. Sam shot up awake in bed, and looked to me.

"Lex" he panted, scared. I sat up, watching him get up and shake Dean awake. "Dean"

"Sammy?" I questioned, confused. "What's going on?"

"Dean" Sam said louder, ignoring me. Dean groaned and started to move. Sam got out of bed and started shoving his stuff in his bag.

"What are you doing, man?" Dean asked. "It's the middle of the night"

"We have to go" Sam said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"What's happening?" Dean asked.

"Sam, what's wrong?" I demanded, standing up.

"We have to go" Sam said, already heading to the door. "Right now"

Dean shot up and grabbed his already packed bag. "Lex" he said, as I just stood there. "If you wanna say goodbye to Logan, we'll wait"

I nodded and went into Logan's room down the hall. "Logan" I said, shaking him. "Logan, wake up"

"What?" he said groggily sitting up. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"We gotta go" I said. "I'm leaving"

"Oh" he said, looking crestfallen.

"I wanted to say goodbye" I smiled. I waited, but he didn't say anything. I was thinking that he didn't actually mean what he said at school, so I turned to leave. "See you soon"

"Wait" he said, getting out of bed and coming up to me. "I meant what I said" he said urgently. "I like you. A lot"

I stood there a little in shock, and a little devastated. "Oh" I said. "Thanks?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Thanks?"

"I mean" I stuttered. I leaned closer, putting a hand on his chest. The tingle of skin felt nice. "I like you too"

"You don't sound so sure" he said, sounding hurt.

"It's not that" I said, sadly. "I'm leaving"

"So?"

"So we can't do this now" I said. "I'm leaving. I don't know when I'll be back. I don't even know where my father it, so…" I trailed off. "How can we do this when we're never around each other?"

He put a hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer. "I don't care" he said. "I'll wait for you"

"Logan" I was cut off by the best kiss of my life that was also probably the worst. Because I knew what it meant. "Logan" I whispered, stopping him. "I want to, believe me. But I don't expect you to wait for me. It might never happen"

"Lexie" he growled, lips still grazing over mine. "I don't expect you to wait for me either. Just promise me that you'll give us a shot" I said nothing, thinking about it. I felt like this was going to cause more pain than good. "Lex?" he asked. But I crashed his lips on mine relishing in him, not letting him talk anymore.

"Okay" I said.

Sam entered; looking a little shocked, but just shook his head. "We gotta go, Lex" he urged.

I glanced at Logan. He took his face in my hands. "Do you see this right here?" he asked, moving my head. "What's in between my hands is the most important person in the world. Take good care of her, okay? Don't do anything stupid"

"I won't" I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, Logan"

"Bye, Lexie"

And with that, I ran to the car with Sam, who was still freaking out over whatever, and Dean who was staring at me sad expression confused. "Are you okay?" he asked me as I got into the backseat.

"Fine" I said, glancing back at the house. I had a feeling that normal teenage love stories weren't supposed to go like this. According to the natural order of the world, I was supposed to run back into the house, we would declare our love, and then run away together in a moment of wonderful bliss.

But that wasn't what happened, and I promised to tell the truth.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

I sat in the back of the Impala, watching Sam talk on the phone. "McCreedy. Detective McCreedy, badge number 15A. And I've got a signal 480 in progress" he said. He was totally pulling that out of his ass, but he thought his dream was real. He saw a license plate number, and now was trying to get the info on it. "I need the registered owner of a two-door Sedan, Michigan license plate, Mary, Frank, 6037. Yeah, okay, just hurry" he said to the person on the phone.

"Sammy, relax" Dean scoffed. "I'm sure it's just a nightmare"

"Yeah, tell me about it" Sam replied, holding the phone so tight I was actually worried he was going to break it.

"No, I mean it" Dean said. "You know, a normal, everyday, naked-in-class nightmare. This license plate, it won't check out, you'll see"

"It felt different, Dean. Real" Sam sighed. "Like when I dreamt about our old house and Jessica"

"Well, yeah, that makes sense" Dean said. "You're dreamin' about _our_ house, _your_ girlfriend. This guy in your dream, you ever seen him before?"

"No"

"No, exactly" Dean said. "Why would you have premonitions about some random dude in Michigan?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know"

"Me neither" I added unhelpfully.

"Yes, I'm here" Sam said, shushing me with a wave of his hand. "Jim Miller. Saginaw, Michigan. You have a street address?" he asked. He looked at us. "Got it. Thanks" He glanced down at what he had just written, looking shocked. "Checks out. How far are we?"

"From Saginaw?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "Couple hours"

"Drive faster" Sam said urgently.

Dean sighed, and stepped on the gas, speeding off.

By the time we pulled up to the guy's house in Saginaw Michigan, I could tell that we were too late. Jim Miller's house was surrounded by police cars and ambulances. Paramedics had some guy in a body bag, and I would bet any money that it was Jim himself. Sam, Dean and I pulled up in the car. Sam was silent, just staring at the house in disappointment.

He got out of the car, and Dean and I followed. "What happened?" Dean asked a nearby woman.

She shook her head sadly. "Suicide" she sighed. "I can't believe it"

Sam looked at her. "Did you know him?"

"I saw him every Sunday at St. Augustine's" she shrugged. "He always seems—seemed so normal. I guess you never know what's going on behind closed doors"

Dean looked at the house and sighed. "Yeah, I guess not"

"How did—"Sam started. "How are they saying it happened?"

"I heard they found him in the garage. Locked inside his car with the engine running" she said, with a look of disgust.

Sam looked at Dean and I in surprise. That was where he had been in Sam's dream. "Do you know about what time they found him?"

"Oh, it just happened about an hour or two ago" she said. She looked at the people who were talking to the police. "Oh, his poor family. I can't even imagine what they're going through" The woman was sobbing, and the son was standing there stoically. I guess he was in shock. Sam took one look and walked away.

"Sam, we got here as fast as we could" I said, following him to the car.

"Not fast enough" he scoffed. He looked to me and Dean. "It just doesn't make any sense, man. Why would I even have these premonitions, unless there was a chance that I could stop them from happening?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know"

Sam took a deep breath, and closed his eyes for a minute. "So, what do you think killed him?"

"Maybe the guy just killed himself" Dean suggested. "You know, maybe there's nothing supernatural going on at all"

"I'm telling you, I watched it happen" Sam sighed, frustrated. "He was murdered by something, Dean. It trapped him in the garage"

"Well, what?" he asked. "A spirit, a poltergeist, what?"

"I don't know what it was. I don't know why I'm having these dreams, I don't know what the hell is happening, guys" He threw his hands up dramatically. I stared at him, worriedly. "What?" he demanded.

"Nothing, man, I'm just worried about you" Dean answered.

I still just stared. "Well, don't look at me like that" he said, now just staring at me.

"I'm not lookin' at you like anything" I replied, folding my arms over my chest.

"Though I gotta say, you look like crap" Dean added.

"Nice. Thanks" Sam scoffed.

"Yeah, well—Come on, let's just pick this up in the morning" Dean said. "We'll check out the house, we'll talk to the family"

"Dean, you saw them, they're devastated" I said, pointing behind me. "They're not gonna wanna talk to us"

"Yeah, you're right" he nodded. "But I think I know who they will talk to"

"Who?" Sam asked. Dean just smirked, and I could tell that none of us were going to particularly like this idea. "Who?" Sam asked again as Dean got in the car.

I just shook my head as we drove to the motel room. We pulled up to the cheapest motel on the side of the road and got out. I grabbed my bag, and my cell. I glanced down and noticed that I had a new text. I never texted people, so this was odd. We walked to the room Dean got us and I immediately plopped my stuff down and went to my cell phone. "Is Sam okay?" it asked.

I grinned. Logan. "Yeah. He's okay. Just found a case"

"And you had to leave in the middle of the night?" he texted back. I smiled to myself and shook my head.

"It was an emergency" I said, and put a little smiley at the end.

"Got to go. School" he said. I put my cell down and looked up to see Dean and Sam both staring at me.

"What?" I asked aloud. Sam just looked away and Dean shook his head. "So, what's this plan?" I asked curiously. Dean grinned, and headed out of the room without another word. Sam and I shared a look, and then went back to what we were doing. It was best to just let Dean do what he wanted. There was usually no stopping him anyway.

"Lex" Sam said, sighing. "Do you think I'm a freak?"

I was confused for a second. "Yes" I grinned, flashing him a smile.

"No I mean it"

I glanced over at him. I knew why he was asking me this. It was because of his visions. I sighed. "Sam…" I trailed off. "No. I don't think you're a freak"

"Oh"

"Why?"

"No reason" he sighed. "I just…"

"No I get it" I said, cutting him off. "I got shit from Dean for awhile. He'll move on. It's just new to him, Sam"

"It's not the same with you" he said, sounding irritated. "You don't cause us trouble. You_ help_"

I walked over to him, sitting at the table. "Sam" I started. "When it…started. When I knew that dad was in trouble, it was weird. I just had this gut feeling, you know? I felt like something was wrong. Then the headache started and I thought I was going crazy. Dean didn't believe me until we found him"

"And?" he asked.

"He didn't even look at me for a day and a half" I admitted, with a smile. "You'll be fine" 

"Dean" Sam sighed, looking at his now slicked back hair for the millionth time. "This is seriously your stupidest plan ever"

I glanced up and down at the boys and grinned. The priest costumes fit nicely. "I like it" I smiled. Sam glared at me. "What?" I asked innocently.

"What is she going as?" Sam demanded.

"Nothing" Dean replied. "She's sneaking in through the back to check out the house with the EMF"

"Have fun, Sammy" I grinned, hopping out of the car. I took the long way around the house, noting the piles of cars that were lined up by the house. I guess this guy had a lot of friends wishing to pay their respects. Too bad that just made my job a lot harder.

I made it into the backyard by hopping over the fence. There were people on the back porch, but none of them seemed to notice me. I stayed clear of all people and used the small fencing by the back window to climb to the second story window. "Ow" I groaned as I fell into the window and landed on the carpet. I hated climbing.

I pulled out the EMF and started sweeping. I got nothing in this bedroom, so I sneaked into the next one, dashing across the room. I wasn't getting even the slightest reading. I sighed, and that was when I heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. I hid the EMF behind my back and moved slowly to the door.

There was a pause, and I was holding my breath. I couldn't get caught up here. That would be bad. I could hear more footsteps and then the door I was hiding behind shot open. I gasped and slapped Dean. "Dude, you gave me a freaking heart attack" He just laughed. "I got nothing" I said, waving the EMF.

"Nothing?" he asked.

"Absolutely nothing" I stated, shaking my head. "No EMF, no sulfur, no weird anything. This house is clean"

"Anything?" Sam asked, peeking up the stairs. I shook my head.

We went back to the motel room, Sam being extra moody. I was just too annoyed to care. "Lex" Dean said, motioning for me to come over. He opened the bag of weapons and started cleaning them. I gave him a funny look, and came over. "You okay?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah" I said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He stared at me for a second. "Because we just sort of forced you to leave Logan" he stated. "And I know you two…had a thing. Sam told me"

"Oh" I said, sitting on the bed. I looked over to where Sam was staring intently at the computer screen. He was so into it, I didn't think we would even notice if the apocalypse started. "Well I'm okay"

"You sure?" Dean asked. "I mean, you basically told the kid no"

I scoffed. "How much did Sam hear?" I asked.

"Basically the entire thing" Sam stated, not looking up.

"Thanks" I replied, rolling my eyes. "But I'm fine. We just can't. It's fine. That's life" Dean looked at me like I was crazy. "What?" I demanded, a little snappier than I meant too.

"Since when are you _me_?" Dean asked.

"Um, I'm not" I said, leaning on the backboard of the bed. I opened the bag and took out the guns. I used the cloth and began cleaning out the barrels. "I can't just be mature about this?"

"No" Dean said, cleaning his gun in the same manner. "You have a right to be upset about it"

"I also have a right to not want to talk about it" I said. "Okay?" Dean slowly nodded, looking back down at what he was doing. "Alright" I sighed, cleaning mine.

Sam sighed and shut his computer. "So, what do you have?" Dean asked.

"A whole lot of nothing" Sam sighed. "Nothing bad has happened to the Miller house since it was built"

"What about the land?" I asked.

"No graveyards, battlefields, tribal lands, or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property" Sam stated. He looked at me curiously.

"Hey, Sam, I told you I searched that house up and down" I said. "There were no cold spots, no sulfur scent, nada"

"And the family said everything was normal?" he said, now looking at Dean.

"Well, I mean, if there was a demon or a poltergeist in there, don't you think somebody would've noticed something?" Dean asked. "Lex used the EMF, man, there was nothing"

"So, what, you think Jim Miller killed himself?" Sam asked. "And my dream was just some sort of freakish coincidence?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm pretty sure that there's nothing supernatural about that house"

"Yeah" he sighed. I rolled my eyes at him. He suddenly grimaces, and started to hold his head. "Well, you know, maybe, uh—maybe it has nothing to do with the house. Maybe, it's just, uh—gosh—maybe it's connected to Jim in some other way" He clutched his head in pain and groaned.

"What's wrong with you?" Dean asked.

Sam gasped and fell to the floor. He kneeled, just holding his head. "Yeah—my head!" He yelped in pain.

I stood up and kneeled next to him. Dean grabbed his shoulders. "Sam? Hey. Hey! What's goin' on? Talk to me"

"Sammy" I stated softly.

"Is this like your thing?" Dean asked, looking worriedly up at me.

"I don't know" I said frantically. I got a wet washcloth and brought it over as Sam was coming out of it.

"It's happening again" he panted. "Something's gonna kill Roger Miller"

"Let's go" Dean said, helping Sam off the ground. "C'mon"

We got into the Impala, and Dean drove towards the Miller's house. "It's not there" Sam said, pulling out his phone. "Yeah I need some info in a guy" he said. "Roger Miller. No, no, just the address, please. Okay. Thanks" He hung up and looked at Dean. "450 West Grove, Apartment 1120"

"You okay?" I asked, watching him close his eyes.

He grimaced again and slowly nodded. "Yeah"

Dean looked at him "If you're gonna hurl, I'll pull the car over, you know, 'cause the upholstery—"

"I'm fine" Sam stated, irritated. "Just drive" Dean nodded. "Dean, I'm scared, man. These nightmares weren't bad enough, now I'm seein' things when I'm awake?" he asked. "And these visions, or whatever, they're getting more intense. And painful"

"Come on, man, it'll be alright" he said. "You'll be fine"

Sam paused for a second. "What is it about the Millers? Why am I connected to them? Why am I watching them die? Why the hell is this happening to me?"

"I don't know, Sam, but we'll figure it out, okay?" Dean said. "We face the unexplainable every single day, this is just another thing"

"No. It's never been us. It's never been in the family like this" Sam said. "Tell the truth, you can't tell me this doesn't freak you out"

Dean sighed, not responding. "This doesn't freak me out" he said finally.

I went into my bag as we pulled onto Roger's street. "Here" I said, handing Sam some Motrin. "It helps with the pounding in your head" He took it, giving me a small smile.

"Is that him?" Dean asked, pointing to a guy carrying a bag of groceries.

"Pull over" Sam said, after downing about five of the pills. Dean pulled up next him. "Hey, Roger!" Sam called.

"Hey, hold up a second" Dean called.

"What are you guys, missionaries?" he scoffed. I was confused until I realized that he still thought Sam and Dean were priests. "Leave me alone" He added, going into his apartment building.

"Please!" Sam shouted. He barely waited until Dean stopped the car before he went flying out and running to the building. I followed right on his heels. "Hey, Roger, we're tryin' to help! Please! Hey!"

He shut the door, locking it behind him. "I don't want your help" he scoffed.

"They're not priests!" I yelled, "You've gotta listen to us!"

Dean came up, pounding on the glass. "Roger, you're in danger!" He hit the glass in anger and then stopped. "Come on! Come on, come on!" he yelled, leading us around the building. He kicked down the gate and pulled me into the alleyway.

"Fire escape" Sam sighed, starting to climb. We climbed the countless flights of stairs, to the point to where I thought my legs were going to fall off. A loud crashing noise made Sam stop, which made me run into him. "No" he said softly, and climbed the last flight.

We paused in shock. The window was bloody and the glass was partially shattered. I saw a lot of dead bodies and dismemberment in my fifteen years of life, and I got to say, you never got used to it. Never. I grimaced at his head, which was in the small basket outside the window and found myself wondering where the rest of his body had gone.

"Here, start wiping down your fingerprints, we don't want the cops to know we were here" Dean said, handing Sam and I two towels. We didn't move, just staring at the head. "Go, go, come on" he urged, pushing me down the stairs.

Sam took the rag and started wiping, and I did the same. We were silent. There wasn't much to say about decapitated people.

"I'm gonna take a look inside" Dean said, opening another window. I cringed as he climbed through. He was gone for awhile, and Sam and I had finished wiping down the prints. We just waited for him to exit the apartment, and come up to us, looking forlorn.

"So?" Sam asked. "Did you find something?"

"I'm tellin' you, there was nothing in there" Dean said, as we walked back out to the street. "There's no signs either, just like the Millers' house"

"I saw something in the vision, like a dark shape" Sam said. "Something was stalking Roger" 

"Well, whatever it was, we can be sure it's not connected to their house" I said, shaking my head.

"No, it's connected to the family itself" Sam said. "So, what do you think we got? A vengeful spirit?"

We got into the car. "Yeah, there's a few that have been known to latch onto families, follow 'em for years" Dean suggested.

"Banshees" Sam nodded.

"Basically like a curse" Dean sighed. "So, maybe Roger and Jim Miller got involved in something heavy. Something curse-worthy"

"And now something's out for revenge" I said, nodding.

"And the men in their family are dying" Sam finished. "Hey, you think Max is in danger?"

"Let's figure it out before he is" Dean said, starting the car.

"Well, I know one thing I have in common with these people" Sam smiled.

"What's that?" Dean and I asked, almost at the same time.

"Both our families are cursed" Sam sighed.

"Our family's not cursed" Dean said, shaking his head. "We just….had our dark spots"

Sam laughed. "Our dark spots are pretty dark"

"You're—dark" Dean stuttered, driving away.

I sat in the car, eating Dean's M&M's while they talked to Max, the family's teenage son again. I was tired, more tired than normal. My head was starting to hurt, but this time I passed it off. I had been having a trying couple of days. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and smiled. "Hey" I said, answering it. "What's up?"

"Hey Lex" Logan replied. "How's the case going?"

"Fine" I replied, eating another piece of candy. "Sam and Dean are talking to the family right now. Recon, you know"

"So what are you even dealing with?" he asked. "Evil spirit?"

"We don't really know" I sighed. "Pretty messed up case if you ask me. Decapitated head. Not fun"

"Gross" he laughed. He paused as I munched some more. "So, um, when do you think you'll be back?"

I stopped chewing and thought. "Logan" I sighed. "I told you when I left I had no idea. We can't do this. I might not be back for awhile"

"Well what's awhile?" he demanded, sounding annoyed.

"Just…I don't know right now" I scoffed. "Can we not argue right now?"

"Well I'm sorry that I'd like to know when I'm going to see you again" he said.

"Logan" I sighed. "I'm sorry that I can't exactly control where my brothers drag me. If I could, you know I would come back. You know that right?"

"Can't you convince them?" he asked.

"I can try" I promised, with a small smile. "They're coming out" I said, as I saw the front door open and they both came out. "Call you later?"

"Sure" he sighed. "See ya"

"Nobody's family is totally normal and happy" Dean scoffed, as he got in the car. "Did you see when he was talkin' about his old house?"

"Sounded scared" Sam acknowledged.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, Max isn't tellin' us everything. I say we go find the old neighborhood, and find out what life was really like at the Millers'"

Sam did a quick Google search to figure out the Miller's old house address. I sat quietly in the backseat, wondering how I was going to make this work with Logan. I had only been gone like three days, and he was already bothering me. I mean, I wanted to see him too, but I couldn't just go to him whenever. I had a job, whether I particularly wanted to do it or not. And I didn't think Dean or Sam was going to take the fact that I wanted to him as an excuse to take a break from hunting. He wasn't exactly my boyfriend.

"You okay?" Sam said, turning around. "You're quiet"

"I'm fine" I smiled, jumping back into my normal case mode. "So, is that the old house?" I asked, pointing to where we had stopped. Sam gave me a worried look, but nevertheless nodded. "Let's go then" I said, and got out of the car.

"Hey" Sam said, walking up to a neighbor. "Have you lived in the neighborhood very long?"

"Yeah, almost twenty years now. It's nice and quiet" he said, with a shrug. "Why, you lookin' to buy?"

"No, no, actually, we were just wondering if you might recall a family that used to live right across the street, I believe" Sam said, pointing.

"Yeah, the Millers. They had a little boy named Max" Dean said.

"Yeah, I remember" the man sighed sadly. He leaned on his rake. "The brother had the place next door" he pointed out. "So, uh, what's this about? That poor kid okay?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in my life, I've never seen a child treated like that. I mean, I'd hear Mr. Miller yellin' and throwin' things clear across the street" he sighed. "He was a mean drunk. He used to beat the tar out of Max. Bruises—broke his arm two times that I know of"

I grimaced. "And this was going on regularly?" I asked.

"Practically every day" he said. "In fact, that thug brother of his was just as likely to take a swing at the boy, but the worst part was the stepmother. She'd just stand there, checked out, and never lifted a finger to protect him. I must have called the police seven or eight times, never did any good"

"Now, you said stepmother?" Dean said, curiously.

"I think his real mom died. Some sort of accident—a car accident, I think" he said. Sam put a hand on my shoulder, clutching his head again. I tried to hold him up. "Are you okay, there?" the man asked.

"Sammy?" I asked, when he didn't say anything.

"Yeah" he said, gripping my shoulder harder. I grimaced in pain, but ignored it as I helped him to the car.

"Thanks for your time" Dean said, helping me lug him back.

"Yeah, thank you" I added. Sam stared ahead; just looking like his head was going to break. He sat in the passenger seat rocking a little. "Sammy?" I asked.

"Dean" he said, looking up. "Drive to the Millers. Now"

Dean hesitantly got in the car, as did I, and started to drive. "Sam, you wanna tell us what you saw?" he asked.

"Max is doing it" he said. "Everything I've been seeing"

"You sure about this?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I saw" Sam said, taking more pills.

"How's he pullin' it off?" I asked, shaking my head.

"I don't know. It looked like telekinesis"

Dean and I both gave him looks of disbelief. "So, he's psychic? He's a spoon-bender?" Dean asked.

"I didn't even realize it, but this whole time he was there" Sam sighed. "He was outside of the garage when his dad died, he was in the apartment when his uncle died. These visions, this whole time, I wasn't connecting to the Millers, I was connecting to Max" he sighed, massaging his forehead. "The thing I don't get is why, man? I guess because we're so alike?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked. "The dude's nothing like you"

"Well, we both have psychic abilities" Sam listed. "We're both—"

"Both what?" I asked.

Sam looked at me uncertainly. "Sam, Max is a monster. He's already killed two people, and now he's gunnin' for a third" Dean stated.

"Well, with what he went through—the beatings. To want revenge on those people, I'm sorry, man, I hate to say it, but it's not that insane" Sam said.

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, but it doesn't justify murdering your entire family"

"Dean—" Sam sighed.

"He's no different than anything else we've hunted" Dean said, cutting him off. "Alright, we've gotta end him" he pulled the car over and shut it off.

"We're not gonna kill Max" Sam said.

"Then what? I hand him over to the cops and say, "Lock him up, officer, he kills with the power of his mind."" Dean asked.

"Forget it. No way, man" Sam said, shaking his head.

"Sam—"

"Dean" I said, "Sam's right on this one. We can't just kill him"

"He's a person. We can talk to him" Sam said. Dean looked annoyed and angry. "Hey, promise me you'll follow my lead on this one"

Dean paused, but I could tell that he was going to listen. "Alright, fine. But I'm not lettin' him hurt anybody else" he said. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out his gun.

We headed to the front door, and Sam stopped me. "Are you really backing me up on this one?" He asked. "Because I really need your support" I nodded, slowly. "Lex, I'm serious. Please?"

"I am too, Sam" I said. "But if he pulls something, do we really have much choice?"

"Just follow me, okay?" he asked. I nodded again. Sam and Dean broke down the kitchen door.

"Fathers?" Mrs. Miller asked in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Max demanded, his eyes read and puffy.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt" Dean sighed, looking hesitant.

Sam jumped in, stepping forward. "Max, could we, uh—could we talk to you outside for just one second?" he asked, glancing towards the knife.

"About what?" Max questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"It's—it's private" Sam said. "I wouldn't wanna bother your mother with it. We won't be long at all, though. I promise"

Max glanced at his stepmother, and then nodded. "Okay"

"Great" Sam sighed in relief. Dean put his hand on my shoulder, and pushed me to the front door. I walked out, and I heard the door slam behind me. All the windows shut, and locked, leaving me locked out.

"You're not priests!" I heard Max exclaim.

"Let me in!" I screamed, pounding on the door. I kicked at it, but I was nowhere near as powerful as Dean, and there was no knocking the door down. Frustrated, I walked around the house, looking for a way back inside. My head was pounding now, and I knew we were in trouble.

"Five minutes" I heard Max groan, and the door clicked open. He pulled me in, pointing the gun at my head. "Go" he said. Dean helped Mrs. Miller, who was lying on the floor unconscious up, and motioned for me to follow.

We went into a bedroom, and Dean helped Mrs. Miller to sit on the bed. "What happened?" I asked.

"He agreed to talk to Sam" Dean said, using a towel to wipe Mrs. Miller's forehead. "This was stupid. We should've just taken him out"

"Yeah" I sighed. "But we can't just kill him now, Dean" I scoffed. "I mean, we run down there, I don't think that we'll even make it past the steps. He can move things with his freaking _mind_"

"Well what do you want to do?" he asked. "Just sit here and let him kill us?"

"Let Sam have his five minutes" I said, feeling my head pounding. Dean motioned for me to sit. He held my shoulders as I groaned. "God" I sighed.

"Your powers are acting up too" he said, with a sigh. "You still think this is a good plan?"

"No!" I heard Sam yell. "No, Max!" I looked to Dean, and readied myself. Dean handed Mrs. Miller the washcloth. Footsteps on the stairs matched my heartbeat. The door opened on its own, and Max entered, shutting the door behind him without lifting a finger.

Dean took a step towards him, and Max threw him into the wall with little more than a blink. "Max!" Mrs. Miller cried, looking terrified. Max smiled, and let go of the gun, letting it hover in midair.

"No. Max" I stated, and was thrown into the wall. The air was knocked out of my lungs, and I was left crumpled on the ground gasping for breath.

"Stay back" he insisted, as Dean got up. "It's not about you"

Dean glared at him coldly. "If you wanna kill her, you gotta go through me first" he stated, stepping in front of Mrs. Miller protectively.

Max gave a cold, harsh smile. "Okay" He cocked the gun, and the trigger moved backwards.

"No, don't! Don't!" Sam screamed, toppling into the room. "Please. Please, Max. Max, we can help you, alright? But this—what you're doing—it's not the solution. It's not gonna fix anything" he said, practically vomiting out the words.

Max stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. "You're right" he stated slowly. The gunshot was loud, and so was the thump as he fell to the ground. I was in shock. I could barely even move. I just watched the blood pour out of this head, and make a puddle on the ground. I swallowed, and choked back everything.

Maybe we were cursed.

The police showed up not more than minutes later. "Max attacked me" Mrs. Miller said, sounding more rehearsed than ever. Which she had been, by us. "He threatened me with a gun" she added.

The police officer nodded. "And these three?" he asked, looking at us.

Mrs. Miller looked at us uneasily. "They're….family friends. I called them as soon as Max arrived, I was scared" Her voice broke, and she whimpered. "They tried to stop him. They fought for the gun"

"Where did Max get the gun?" he asked.

"I don't know" she said, now sobbing. "He showed up with it, and—" she cried, not able to say anymore.

"It's alright, Mrs. Miller" the officer said, uncomfortably.

"I've lost everyone!" she sobbed.

"Okay" the officer said with a sigh. "We'll give you a call if we have any further questions" he said to us.

"Thanks, officer" Dean sighed. He looked at us. "Come on" I followed his out of the house.

"If I just said somethin' else" Sam said, shaking his head. "Gotten through to him somehow"

"Don't do that" Dean said.

Sam gave him a funny look. "Do what?"

"Torture yourself" Dean said. "It wouldn't have mattered what you said, Max was too far gone"

"When I think about how he looked at me, man, right before—" He paused, and I remembered the look the Max had on his face. He looked, relieved. "Should've done something" Sam sighed.

"Sam, you're wrong" I said.

"Come on, man, you risked your life" Dean added. "I mean, yeah, maybe if we had gotten there twenty years earlier"

"Well, I'll tell you one thing—" Sam sighed. "We're lucky we had Dad"

"I never thought I'd hear you say that" Dean laughed slightly.

"Well, he could've gone a whole 'nother way after Mom. A little more tequila, a little less demon-hunting, and we would've had Max's childhood" Sam sighed. "All things considered, we turned out okay—thanks to him"

"All things considered" Dean scoffed, and got in the car.

We went back to the motel room, and I sat on the bed, looking at my voicemail. "I'll be back" I said, and headed out the door without another word. I called it, and listened to what Logan said.

"Hey" it said, sounding sad. "I think we have to talk. I'm sorry. I never should've—just, we should talk about when we're gonna see each other again, because, um, just call me Lex" I pressed the next button.

"Lex, we don't have to argue over this. I just don't want you to be a stranger, but if you can't, you know, make it back, its okay. Call me"

"Lexie, its Logan. Call me back"

I sighed, and dialed. "Hey" I said, as he answered. "You called me three times?"

"Yeah" he said uneasily. Then there was silence.

"So we figured out the case. It was weird" I said, trying to ease him back into conversation. He wanted to talk, and now was saying nothing. Wonderful.

"Weird how?" he asked, sounding worried.

I thought about that. There was really no way to explain this case without telling all of Sam's secrets, which I wasn't sure if I wanted to do. "I don't know" I said. "I got slammed into a wall though"

"Are you okay?"

"Peachy" I giggled, leaning on the hood of the car. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Yeah" he laughed. "Sorry. I just, felt bad about earlier. You didn't deserve the crap I gave you. Your dad is missing; I shouldn't expect you to be on my beck and call because I miss you"

I smiled to myself. "You talked to your dad, didn't you?"

He paused, "Possibly"

I laughed. "It's okay" I sighed. "I miss you too, though. It's just, this is my life, and I can't really change that. Maybe we should just take it easy?"

"Just, promise you'll drop in when you pass by, and call me. Okay?" he said. "I want to know your alive"

"Deal" I smiled. I remembered why I liked him so much. "Hey, listen, I got to go, but I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright" he said. "Miss you"

"Miss you too" I said, and hung up. I sighed, feeling a little better, and went back into the room. Dean shot me a curious look as he reloaded the bags with the weapons. "What?" I asked, with a small smile.

"Nothing" Dean smirked. "You seem happy"

"Is that a crime now?" I asked, rolling my eyes. I picked up my clothes that were scattered on the floor and threw them into my bag. "Can't I just be happy for once?" Dean shrugged.

"Dean, I've been thinking" Sam said out of the blue.

Dean smirked. "Well, that's never a good thing"

"I'm serious. I've been thinking—" he said. "Why would this demon, or whatever it is, why would it kill Mom and Jessica and Max's mother, you know, what does it want?"

"No idea" Dean replied.

"Well, you think maybe it was after us?" Sam asked. "After Max and Lexie, and me?"

Dean stopped what he was doing and paused. "Why would you think that?"

"I mean either telekinesis or premonitions or, whatever you wanna call what Lexie does" I glared at him. "Sorry" He relented. "But we all had abilities, you know? Maybe it was after us for some reason"

"Sam, if it wanted you, it would've just taken you, okay?" Dean said. "This is not your fault. It's not about you"

"Then what is it about?" Sam asked.

"It's about that damn thing that did this to our family" Dean said gruffly. "The thing that we're gonna find, the thing that we're gonna kill. And that's all"

Sam squirmed a little. "Actually, there's, uh, somethin' else, too"

Dean huffed. "Oh, jeez, what?"

"When Max locked me in that closet, that big cabinet against the door—I moved it" Sam said.

Dean laughed. "You've got a little bit more upper body strength than I give you credit for"

"I don't think that's what he meant, moron" I said, rolling my eyes. "You mean, you moved it like...like Max?"

Sam nodded. Dean stared at him for a second. "Oh. Right" he said. He grabbed a spoon and held it up. "Bend this"

Sam scoffed. "I can't turn it on and off, Dean"

"Well, how'd you do it?" he asked, lowering his arm.

"I don't know, I can't control it" he said. "I saw you die, and it just came out of me, like a punch. You know, like a freak adrenaline thing"

"You saw him die?" I asked.

"When I was in the closet, my vision was of Max shooting Dean, and then you" he admitted. "And then I moved the cabinet"

"Well, I'm sure it won't happen again" Dean sighed.

"Yeah, maybe" Sam said. "Aren't you worried, man, aren't you worried that I could turn into Max or something?"

"Nope. No way" Dean said shaking his head. "You know why?"

"No. Why?"

"'Cause you've got one advantage that Max didn't have" Dean smiled.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Dad? Because Dad's not here, Dean"

"No" he scoffed. "Me" He grinned stupidly.

"You got me too, Sammy" I smiled, as Dean put an arm around my shoulder.

"Yeah" Dean nodded. "As long as we're around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you" He paused in thought. "Now then, I know what we need to do about your premonitions. I know where we have to go"

"Where?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "Vegas" he said matter-of-factly. Sam scoffed and grabbed his bag, heading for the car. I just rolled my eyes at him. "What? Come on, man. Craps table. We'd cleanup" he laughed. I grabbed my bag and shut the lights off on him. He grinned and followed, and we headed away from this place.

Sam drove, and Dean quickly fell asleep, snoring loudly. "Lex" Sam whispered over the snores. "Tell me the truth. Are your…feelings, the only thing?" he asked.

I thought about that for a second. "I think so" I said. "But I….Why?"

"Because…it's me and you here" he said slowly. "I mean, Dean doesn't get it"

"I don't think there was ever anything else" I said honestly. "If there is, I promise, you will be the first to know"

He paused for a second as he rounded a corner. "Are you and Logan okay?" he asked.

"Fine" I smiled. "We came to an agreement"

"And?"

"And we're going to be okay" I said. "Just, were not going to be together. We have to deal with the whole separation thing. It'll be fine"

"Okay" Sam said, and I could tell he didn't believe me, but that was okay.

I never really believed myself either.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. I was thinking of doing one more original chapter before i finish out season one. What do you guys wanna see? This is me telling you to give me some ideas! Please let me know and review! **

**Chapter Seventeen**

I was only in the backseat of the impala for what felt like the millionth time. I guess I say that a lot, but I spent more time in that little home than I did anywhere else. We had only been driving around for the past two weeks with no new case. However, the only thing that broke it up was my birthday. That's right, I, Alexis Winchester is sixteen now. Not that I got anything for it. Dean grabbed me a chocolate bar and they both gave me a happy birthday, but that was it. I didn't expect much more. We didn't usually pay much attention to birthdays.

"Got something" Sam said, coming out of his usual daze. "A guy named Alvin Jenkins disappears from his apartment's parking lot. A boy claims that something pulled him away"

"Awesome" Dean said, making a turn off the highway. "How far?"

"About twenty minutes" Sam said, and gave me a glance in the backseat. "How you feeling?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Amazing" I had gotten a small cold over the last few days. It was just fabulous. I downed a couple more aspirin.

We got to the kid's apartment building faster than twenty minutes later since Dean was, of course, speeding. They changed into sheriff's outfits and went to talk to the kid about what he saw. I took out the EMF and swept the parking lot with it. I walked back and forth, just trying to find something. Anything. But the EMF wasn't getting anything.

"A whining growl" Dean scoffed, walking out of the building. "Nice. What are you thinking?"

Sam sighed. "I don't know. Could be a vengeful spirit? A ghoul? Who knows?"

"I got absolutely nothing on the EMF" I stated, tossing it to Dean. "Not even a little spark"

Dean sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, well…" he trailed off. "I think we should go get a beer, you up for it?" He looked to me, not Sam. "We can drop you off at a room if you wanna sleep"

"Nah" I said, shaking my head. "I'm good. Besides, I still have to beat your ass in darts"

"God, your language" Dean sighed, smacking me on the back. "You know you can't beat me"

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, giving him a toothy grin.

Sam shook his head and got in the car. "I think it is, ankle biter" he replied, getting into the car at the same time as me. "So do you accept?"

"I think I do" I stated, happily. We got to the bar, called Kugel's Keg, and Dean and I headed for the dart board. Sam grabbed them two beers, and sat down to does his little research while Dean and I had fun. Don't get me wrong, I know that doing the research was a vital part of every case; I just thought that you had to have a little fun too.

I threw my first dart, landing close to a twenty. Dean threw his after a sip of his beer, getting close to a bulls eye. He smirked. "Loser" he scoffed, and drank another sip of Bud Light.

I rolled my eyes and threw another, getting a direct bull's eye. Dean gave me a suspicious glance and tossed his, getting a twenty. I smiled, throwing a second bull's eye. "I'm a loser, huh?"

"Shut up" he said. "Best two out of three"

"No" I scoffed. "I totally won. You're just jealous"

"Guys?" Sam asked. "Can we focus for a minute? I think we got go over this" Dean and I walked to the table, giving each other irritated glanced. Sam sighed. "So, local police have now ruled out foul play. Apparently, there are worse signs of a struggle"

"Well, they could be right, it could just be a kidnapping" Dean sighed. "Maybe this isn't our kind of gig"

"Yeah, maybe not" he sighed. "Except for this—Dad marked the area, guys" I glanced at the journal over Sam's shoulder. "Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker"

"Why would he even do that?" I asked.

"Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night" Sam sighed. "Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this too—this county has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state"

"That is weird" Dean remarked. "Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds? Jenkins was taken from a parking lot"

"Well, there are all kinds" Sam nodded. "You know, Springhill Jacks, phantom gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime" He sighed at Dean's skeptical look. "Look, Dean, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either"

"Yeah, you're right, we should ask around more tomorrow" Dean said with a smile.

"I saw a motel about five miles back" Sam said, taking out his wallet.

"Whoa, whoa, easy" Dean sighed. "Let's have another round. I still gotta beat Lex at least twice"

"If you can" I laughed.

"We should get an early start" Sam said, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Yeah, you really know how to have fun, don't you, Grandma?" Dean scoffed.

Sam and I smiled. "Sam's probably just trying to save you the humiliation, Dean" I stated. "Maybe we should go"

"Yeah. Whatever" he scoffed. "Alright, I'll meet you outside, I gotta take a leak." He grabbed his coat and headed for the bathroom.

"C'mon" Sam said. I coughed a little, trying to hold it in to be honest. I hated when I got sick. Dean and Sam were all in my face. "You alright?" He asked, shooting me a look.

"Yeah" I said, holding back another cough. "I'm cool" We exited and I felt my pocket for my ID. "Oh, Sam?" I said, shaking my head. "I think I left my ID"

"Want me to come with you?" he asked. I shook my head. "Meet me at the car!" he called after me.

I went to where we had been sitting and found my ID on the table, right where I had left it. I grabbed it as Dean came out of the bathroom. "Where's Sam?" he asked.

"I forgot my ID" I said, holding it up. "He went to the car" He nodded and we left the bar for a second time. I walked with him to the car, and he paused, looking at the hood.

"Why is the journal—" he stopped, casting me worried glance. "Sam?" he said, opening the door. "Sammy?" There was no one in there.

"Sam!" I shouted, getting no answer. "Where is he?" I asked Dean.

"You tell me" he scoffed, giving me a suspicious glance. "Did you see him go to the car?"

"No" I said, shaking my head. "Dean, I went back in and then met up with you"

He turned around. "Hey, you guys been outside, around here in the last hour or so?" he asked them. They just shook their heads. "Sam!" he called, walking off.

I pulled out my phone, and dialed him. It rang to the voicemail "Hey, this is Sam. Do your thing" it said. I rolled my eyes at his gay voicemail, and sighed. "Sam, this isn't funny" I said angrily. "Where are you?"

"Sammy!" Dean said, walking to the street. I followed. He looked up at the surveillance camera on top of a streetlight.

"He didn't answer his phone" I stated. Dean just glanced up and down the street frantically.

"Sam" he said, unhelpfully. He took me by the arm, and led me back to the car. "Stay" he commanded, and I did. He was freaking out. I called Sam's phone again, except this time I could hear it ringing.

I got out of the car and spotted his phone on the ground. I picked it up, in fear. "Dean!" I shouted. He came running over. I held up the phone. "Sam's gone"

"Are you sure about this, Dean?" I asked the next morning. We were standing outside the county sheriff's office.

"We searched all night, Lexie" he sighed. "Do we really have another choice? Besides, they can give us access to those security tapes" I nodded slowly, and he put his arm around my shoulders. "Just let me do all the talking, though, okay? I don't want you to say something stupid"

"I wouldn't say anything stupid" I scoffed. "C'mon" We walked in, and Dean immediately pulled out his fake ID to show the cop. I watched him ask to talk to someone, and we were directed to a Kathleen Hudak.

"So, what can we do for you, Officer Washington?" she asked as she glanced at Dean's ID.

"I'm working a missing persons" he said, giving me a keep-your-mouth-shut glance.

"I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police" she said, confused.

"Oh, no. No, there's someone else" he said. "Actually, it's my cousin. We were havin' a few last night at this bar down by the highway. And I haven't seen him since"

"And she is?" she asked, looking at me.

"His sister" he replied.

"Does your cousin have a drinking problem?" Kathleen asked.

"Sam?" Dean scoffed. "Two beers and he's doin' karaoke. No, he wasn't drunk. He was taken"

Kathleen nodded and sat down. Dean followed and sat down too, so I sat next to him. "Alright. What's his name?" she asked, ready to type.

"Winchester" Dean said. "Sam Winchester"

"Like the rifle?"

Dean smirked. "Like the rifle."

She nodded, and started clicking around. "Samuel Winchester" she sighed. "So, you know that his brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis. And, uh, was suspected of murder?"

Dean tensed, but tried to look nonchalant. "Yeah, Dean. Kind of the black sheep of the family. Handsome, though"

"Yeah" I scoffed. "The whole family thought he was a _moron_"

Kathleen gave me a small smile. "Uh-huh" she looked back at her computer. "So you're Alexis, then?" I nodded. "A misdemeanor for graffiti?"

"I was…uh…" I stuttered. I actually had been trying to draw an Ansasi symbol, but like the cops would listen to that. "I was being dumb"

"Right" she sighed. "Well, he's not showing up in any current field reports" she said.

"Oh, I already have a lead" Dean said. "I saw a surveillance camera by the highway"

"Uh-huh. The county traffic cam?" she asked.

"Right. Yeah" Dean nodded. "I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took him. Or, whoever"

"Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the county works department, but—well, anyhow, let's do this the right way." She stood up and grabbed a bunch of paperwork. "Why don't you fill out a missing persons report and sit tight over here?"

She held out the clipboard, but Dean just shook his head. "Officer, look, uh, he's family. I kind of—I kind of look out for the kid and her" Dean sighed. "You gotta let me go with you"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that" She sighed.

"Well, tell me something. Your county has its fair share of missing persons…" Dean said. "Any of 'em come back?" Kathleen shot him a sad look. "Sam's my responsibility. And he's comin' back. I'm bringin' him back"

"I want to let you. I really do—"

I sighed and made tears well up in my eyes. "He's my brother" I cried. "He's all I have. You have to let us come help him. He…" I choked back my sobs. "He could _die_ out there" I held my head in my hands and just let the tears come out.

"You know what?" Kathleen said, standing up. "C'mon. Let's go get that camera footage" She let us follow her to the County Works Department, and Dean and I waited outside.

"Nice acting" Dean remarked as soon as she was gone. "I almost even believed you"

"Well you were floundering" I scoffed. "Had to help you out there"

"Oh yeah" he remarked. "That reminds me" He punched me hard in the arm. I winced in pain. "That's for calling me a moron" He sat down on the bench, and I sat too.

"I hope Sam's okay" I stated. I looked at Dean, but he showed me no emotion. He sighed.

"He's fine, ankle biter" he smiled. "Trust me" I squirmed uncomfortably. I felt like my head was going to explode, but it was more than that. I was actually getting sick, and I knew it. I sneezed and coughed a few times before Dean sighed and handed me more medicine to take. I downed four pills instead of two. I had to be okay to find Sammy.

"Greg" Kathleen said, coming out of the building.

"That's you" I said, nudging Dean. He stood up.

"I think we've got something" she said. She handed him printed pictures from the camera.  
"These traffic cams take an image every three seconds, as part of the Amber Alert program. These images were all taken around the time that your cousin, Sam, disappeared."

"This really isn't what I'm looking for" Dean said, glancing at them. They were all pretty much empty. No camera flares. No anything.

"Just wait, wait—next one" she said. He sighed and turned to the next page. "This one was taken right after Sam left the bar. Look at the back end of that thing. Now, look at the plates"

Dean glanced down at the photo, and I pulled his arm so I could see too. "Oh, the plates look new" he said, pointing them out to me.

"It's probably stolen" I stated.

Kathleen shot me a curious look, but said nothing. I had to remember to be normal. And normal sixteen year olds had no clue about stolen trucks. "So, whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved"

"Hear that engine?" Dean asked, shooting me a look. I listened.

I raised my eyebrows in shock. "Kind of a whining growl, isn't it?" I asked. Dean slowly nodded.

"Sure" Kathleen nodded, giving us confused looks. "We should go to the car" She walked off.

I looked up to Dean. "I'll be damned" I said. "They're _people_?"

"We don't know that for sure" Dean said, walking to the car towards Kathleen.

"Dean" I scoffed, following. "How many phantom attackers drive a truck?" He just shook his head and got into the car. I reluctantly followed.

Kathleen drove back to the bar, where the traffic camera was. "Okay, the next traffic cam is fifty miles from here, and the pickup didn't pass that one, so…."

"So, it must've pulled off somewhere" Dean said. "I didn't see any other roads here"

Kathleen shrugged. "Well, a lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads" she stated.

I rolled my eyes. "Great"

A pinging noise came from her little computer screen high tech thing. "So, Gregory" she said nonchalantly. I tensed. Something was wrong.

Dean didn't seem to notice. "Yeah?"

"I ran your badge number" she said. "It's routine when we're working a case with state police. For accounting purposes and what have you" Dean narrowed his eyes a little, but just nodded. " And, uh, they just got back to me"

The car pulled over. "It says here your badge was stolen" she said. Dean tried to look surprised. "And there's a picture of you"

My heart sank, and I thought about making a run down the road, but I forgot that I used my real name. God that was stupid. She turned the computer to face us. The picture of a heavy set black guy was most certainly not Dean. "I lost some weight" Dean chuckled. "And I got that Michael Jackson skin disease"

I rolled my eyes with a huff as Kathleen took off her seatbelt. "Okay, would you two step out of the car, please?"

"Look, look, look" He said, stopping her. "If you wanna arrest me, that's fine. We'll cooperate, I swear" he said, pointing to me. "But, first, please—let us find Sam"

"I don't even know who you are" she scoffed. "Or if this Sam person is missing"

"He is" I insisted. She casted me a sideways glance.

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this" Dean said, staring at her, just trying to get us out of this.

"Identity theft?" she asked. "You're impersonating an officer"

"Look, here's the thing" Dean sighed. "When we were young, I pretty much pulled them from the fire. And ever since then, I've felt responsible for them. Like it's my job to keep Sam and her safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find him fast—please" His voice broke, and I knew he was trying to pull this off. "He's my family" he added.

"I'm sorry. You've given me no choice. I have to take you in" she said sadly. She glanced forward, and slowly sighed. "After we find Sam Winchester" She fastened her seatbelt, and got ready to keep going.

I glanced at Dean and shrugged. I don't know what changed her mind, but at this point, I didn't really care. Sam was out there still. We had to find him.

"Hey, Officer?" Dean said. "Look, I don't mean to press my luck…"

She raised her eyebrows. "Your luck is so pressed"

"Right, but I was wondering—why are you helping us out, anyway?" he asked. "Why don't you just lock me up?"

She paused for a second. "My brother, Riley, disappeared three years ago. A lot like Sam. We searched for him, but—nothing" She stopped for a second, drinking her coffee. "I know what it's like to feel responsible for someone, and for them—"She shook her head and got back in the car. "Come on. Let's keep at it"

We drove back down the empty road. I was starting to wonder if Sam did get taken by a phantom attacker, and if it could fly. "Wait, wait, wait—pull over here. Pull over" Dean said, pointing to a small turnoff.

I hopped out of the car and glanced towards the trees. "It's the first turn-off we've seen so far" I sighed.

"You both stay here, I'll check it out" Kathleen said, walking towards the road.

"No way" Dean said, shaking his head. I followed his lead to go with Kathleen.

"Hey" she said, stopping us. "You're a civilian. And a felon, I think. I'm not taking you with me" she insisted.

"You're not goin' without me" Dean said. "She can stay behind, but I'm going with you" I shot him an annoyed glance. I didn't want to stay behind either, asshole.

Kathleen sighed. "Alright. She stays, but you promise you won't get involved?" she asked. "You'll let me handle it?"

"Yeah, I promise" Dean nodded, and I could almost see the gears working in his head, trying to figure his way out of that promise.

"Shake on it" She said, extending her hand. Dean shook, and she slapped a cuff on him. I smirked and shook my head.

"Oh, come on" Dean sighed. She pulled him back to the car and cuffed him to the door. "Seriously?" he asked. She just smirked.

"You are not cuffing me to the car" I persisted, folding my arms.

"Get in the back" she said, motioning. "Now"

"No" I scoffed.

"I could do it by force, but I really don't think you want to add interference of a kidnapping to your record" she said, opening the door. I scoffed, and hesitantly got in.

She slammed the door shut, and started walking off. "This is ridiculous" Dean called. "Kathleen, I really think you're gonna need my help"

"I'll manage. Thank you" she smiled, and disappeared.

"I gotta start carrying paper clips" Dean scoffed, jimmying with the handcuffs. I started to try to pry the door open, but the locks were hidden in the door frame. This was a cop car after all. There was a bar separating the front from the back. I tried to reach through them to get the lock button. My hand barely fit. "Can you get out?" Dean asked me.

"Yeah" I said, squeezing farther. "I just like it in here. Its cozy" I heard the screech of car tires, telling me that someone was coming. It sounded like the whining growl truck.

"Oh, son of a bitch" Dean scoffed, trying to reach for the car antenna. I reached for the lock, just barely able to flick it up with my finger tips. I pulled my hand away with a huff. I looked around. The seatbelt. I pulled the seatbelt so that it was pulling the one side of the grate wider. I could reach it now, and hit the switch. The doors unlocked, and I quickly got out. I grabbed the car antenna, unscrewing it from the car, and helped Dean Get his cuffs unlocked right as two men walked around the bend.

"Well, I've never seen him so angry before" the one with a hat on scoffed.

"I've never been followed by the police before" the other remarked. Dean pulled me away, basically dragging me into the woods. They both got into the car and drove back up the road.

"C'mon" Dean said, pulling me forward. "We gotta find Sam"

I followed him back to where there was some sort of barn. "You think we should check that out?" I asked. He slowly nodded. "Awesome" I remarked.

He rolled his eyes and pulled me inside. It was nasty and it smelled. I grimaced, and Dean shook his head.

"Sam?" I heard him ask happily. I ran to where I could see Sam in a cage.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, kneeling next to him.

"No" Sam said, shaking his head with a smile.

"Damn, it's good to see you" Dean sighed.

"How did you get out of the cuffs?" said Kathleen from the other cage opposite Sam.

I turned around, as did Dean. "Oh, I know a trick or two" Dean smiled.

"But I locked the car" she said, staring incredulously at me. "I've never seen anyone break out of the backseat of one of our cop cars"

I grinned. "Trust me" I sighed. "I'm awesome" She stared at us confused.

"Alright" Dean sighed pulling me up. He pointed to the locks on the cage. "Oh, these locks look like they're gonna be a bitch"

"Well, there's some kind of automatic control right there" Sam pointed.

I walked over, and opened it. "Have you seen 'em?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" Sam nodded. "Dude, they're just people"

"Insanely messed up people" I scoffed, trying to figure out what the hell all the buttons did.

"And they jumped you?" Dean laughed. "Must be gettin' a little rusty there, kiddo" He pushed me over, also looking at the panel. He pressed some of the buttons, doing nothing. "What do they want?" he asked.

"I don't know" Sam said. "They let Jenkins go, but that was some sort of trap. It doesn't make any sense to me"

"Well, that's the point" Dean sighed. "You know, with our usual playmates, there's rules, there's patterns. But with people, they're just crazy"

"See anything else out there?" Sam asked.

"Uh, he has about a dozen junked cars hidden out back" Dean said, pointing to outside the barn. "Plates from all over, so I'm thinkin' when they take someone, they take their car, too"

"Did you see a black Mustang out there? About ten years old?" Kathleen spoke up.

"Yeah, actually, I did" Dean said. She glanced sadly at the dirt ground. "Your brother's?" he asked. She nodded. "I'm sorry" he said. He paused for a second and then sighed. "Let's get you guys out of here, then we'll take care of those bastards"

"This thing takes a key" I stated, pointing to it.

"Key?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam shook his head. "I don't know"

"Alright, we better go find it" he said to me. I nodded.

"Hey" Sam called after us. "Be careful"

I followed Dean into the cellar of the house. It was dark and musty. Shelves were filled with various body parts. Dean turned on a flashlight. I grimaced. "Ew" I stated, looking at the jars.

Dean picked one up, staring at it in disgust. "Yikes" he remarked, putting it carefully back down. "Look" he said, a moment later. He was pointing to a wall full of Polaroid pictures of the two men who took the car with dead bodies. "I'll say it again—demons I get" he sighed. "People are crazy"

I looked at the stairs. "You can go first" I smiled. He rolled his eyes.

"Just wait down here" he said, and headed up. I waited for a few minutes, until I heard a clatter.

I ran upstairs to see Dean being dragged to a chair. I stopped in my tracks, ready to make a run for it. "Pa, we got another one" the one with the hat smiled at me. I backed up, only to run into another.

I screamed as they wrestled me, pinning my arms behind me. I kicked and flailed, but it was two grown men against a five foot one girl. I didn't really have much of a chance. They shoved me into a closet, and shut the door. I panted, and tried to kick down the door. "Let me out!" I screamed. "Dean!"

They only laughed. My heart pounded. How were we going to get out of this one? We were trapped. I slid down the wall, just waiting. I could hear them talking.

"Come on. Let us hunt him" the one said.

"Yeah, this one's a fighter" the other said. "Sure would be fun to hunt"

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me. That's what this is about?" said Dean's voice. I perked up. "You yahoos hunt people?"

"You ever killed before?" an older voice said.

Dean hesitated. "Well, that depends on what you mean"

"I've hunted all my life" the elder man started. "Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once. But the best hunt is human" He paused with a laugh. "Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive"

"You're a sick puppy" Dean remarked.

I pounded on the door a little, trying to get the frame to give a little. "Shut up" said a voice, and someone pounded back.

"We give 'em a weapon. Give 'em a fightin' chance" the father said. "It's kind of like our tradition passed down, father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we never been that sloppy"

"Yeah, well, don't sell yourself short. You're plenty sloppy" Dean stated.

"So, what, you with that pretty cop?" he asked. "Are you a cop?"

"If I tell you, you promise not to make me into an ashtray?" Dean said, and I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. A loud smack made me jump. Dean groaned.

"Only reason I don't let my boys take you right here and now is that there's somethin' I need to know" he said.

"Yeah, how 'bout it's not nice to marry your sister?" Dean remarked.

"Tell me—any of the cops gonna come lookin' for you?" he asked.

"Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait—"Dean said. "You actually might"

"You think this is funny?" the father growled angrily. "You brought this down on my family. Alright, you wanna play games? We'll play some games. Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all, boys" he paused. "And you get to pick the animal. The boy or the cop? Or maybe the little girl?"

"Okay, wait, wait—look, nobody's comin' for me, alright?" Dean said. "It's just us."

"You don't choose, I will" he said. Dean screamed in pain, and I angrily kicked the door. I had to get out of here. I felt around, and touched a hanger. I started to bend it.

"Oh, you son of a bitch!" Dean screamed.

The father laughed. "Next time, I'll take an eye"

"Alright, the guy, the guy!" he yelled. "Take the guy!"

"Lee, go do it" the father said. "Don't let him out, though. Shoot him in the cage"

"What? I thought you said you were gonna hunt him" Dean said frightened. "You were gonna give him a chance"

"Lee, when you're done with the boy—shoot the bitch, too" he remarked. "We'll take care of the kid" I started to undo the lock with the hanger. "Better clean this mess up before any more cops come runnin' out here"

I felt someone coming to the closet. I heard them pause when a gunshot went off. "Sam!"I screamed, on impulse.

"You hurt my brother, I'll kill you, I swear" Dean said, through clenched teeth. "I'll kill you all. I will kill you all!"

"Lee!" I heard the father shout. "Lee!" there was no answer. I took that as a good sign. "Jared, you come with me. Missy, you watch him now" he said, and I heard the door slam.

I quickly finished picking the lock, and slammed the door open. Missy, the girl probably a year or so younger than me, turned to glare at me. Her hair was long, and she was the scariest thing I had seen in awhile. She had a sadistic way about her for a kid. "Whoa" I said, putting my hands up. She had a knife on her.

She sneered and came at me. She stabbed, hitting my arm and nicking it. I angrily kicked her down. "Bitch" I scoffed. She dropped her knife, and went to grab for it, but I kicked to towards Dean. She groped for my feet, so I kicked again. I didn't want to hurt her, but by this point, I was bleeding and pissed. I punched her twice, knocking her out.

I held my arm, and glanced at Dean. "Hold on" I said, getting up. Sam entered, looking at us like we were nuts. "Put her in the closet" I said, pointing to it. Sam dragged her over and locked her in. I untied Dean.

"Where's the girl?" Kathleen asked as we exited the house.

"Locked her in a closet" Dean said. "What about the dad?"

She paused. "Shot" she replied. "Trying to escape" I think we all knew that she had killed him in response to him killing her brother. I didn't say anything.

"I think the car's at the police station" Dean said to Sam.

Kathleen was on her radio. "Backup unit en route to your location" said a woman's voice. I was too tired and still bleeding a little. "So, state police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna wanna talk to you. I suggest that you're both long gone by then" she smiled.

"Thanks" Dean sighed. "Hey, listen, I don't mean to press our luck, but we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?"

"Start walking" she said, rolling her eyes. "Duck if you see a squad car"

"Sounds great to me. Thanks" Sam smiled, pulling me along.

"Listen, uh….I'm sorry about your brother" Dean said.

"Thank you" she said, tearing up. "It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth—but it isn't really" She paused. "Anyway, you should go"

Sammy, Dean and I walked the long road back to the police station. "Never do that again" Dean said to Sam after a moment.

"Do what?" Sam asked.

"Go missin' like that" Dean scoffed.

Sam laughed. "You two were worried about me"

"All I'm sayin' is, you vanish like that again, I'm not lookin' for ya" Dean remarked.

"Sure, you won't" Sam sighed, grinning.

Dean shook his head. "I'm not" he said. He looked at me. "That goes for you too" I nodded, grinning along with Sam.

"I'm not the one who got captured by a thirteen year old girl, Dean" I said. "I had to save you from her"

"Shut up" he scoffed. "She had a knife"

"So, you got sidelined by a thirteen-year-old girl with a knife, huh?" Sam said.

"Oh, shut up"

"Just sayin', gettin' rusty there, kiddo" Sam sighed.

Dean smiled. "Shut up"

Sam and I laughed and continued walking. I coughed loudly. Damn cold. "You still sick?" Sam asked, putting a hand on my forehead.

"No" I said. "I'm fine"

"Yeah" Dean said, pointing to my arm, where there was blood. "She's fine"

"Did I ask you?" I remarked.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine,"

"You look sick," he added.

"I'm _fine_," I insisted.

"You're sick," Dean sighed.

"Oh? Did you get a medical degree and forget to tell me?" I demanded. I choked on a cough again. "Damn it"

Dean leaned down. "Get on" he said. I smiled and he carried me the rest of the way back to the car. I was nearly falling asleep as he laid me in the back. I fell asleep, and when I woke up again, I was being carried into a motel room.

"Dean" I said slowly, now kind of in a daze. "There are two of you" He lay me down on the bed, and then started to bandage my arm. I just sort of let him, freezing my butt off. I shivered slightly at the antiseptic. It was really cold in here. "I feel funny" I stated.

"You're sick" he said, handing me some pain reliever. I took it, with the water he gave me.

"Where's Sammy go?" I asked, and then frowned. That hadn't made sense. Dean smirked.

"To the store"

"Why?" I asked.

He handed me a thermometer, and I stuck it in my mouth reluctantly. I just wanted to lie down. "Just keep your mouth shut for a minute" he said. I nodded, and heard the beep. "102" he scoffed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I grinned. "I like hunting" I was brought down by a coughing spurt. "Ow" I shivered, and wrapped up in the blanket.

Dean sighed, watching me. "Scoot" he insisted, pushing me over. I did so.

"You'll get sick too" I said, watching him snuggle up next to me.

He shrugged. "I don't care" He moved so that I had my head on his chest, like I used to when I was little, and scared or upset. I could hear his heartbeat, and somehow, that made me feel better.

"Dean" I said softly, closes to sleep.

"What?" he asked.

"You would come get me right?" I asked, remembering our conversation from just a little while ago. "If I was missing? You would save me?"

"Yeah" he replied, looking down at me like I was crazy. "Every time"

"Okay" I nodded, satisfied. "Thanks"

Dean chuckled and closed his eyes. "You're welcome"


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Heys guys! i know that i promised an original chapter, but i already had this one written! plus this is Shadow, and it will allow me to add more angst to the next chapter! So i promise to have the original chapter up before Christmas! i swear! lol. And its going to have a lot of what you asked for... big bro drama, logan, and sam momentsI So without further ado, enjoy and Please Review! **

**Chapter Eighteen**

We got out of the impala close to two weeks later, dressed up in our new fake jumpsuits. Sam had got them. I glanced down at mine in annoyance. I hated this idea.

"All right, guys" Sam sighed, pointing to the apartment building across the street. "This is the place"

"You know, I've gotta say Dad and me did just fine without these stupid costumes" Dean scoffed, looking at himself. "I feel like a high school drama dork" He suddenly smiled. "What was that play that you did? What was it – Our Town. Yeah, you were good, it was cute."

"What?" I laughed, looking at Sam for some details.

"Look, you wanna pull this off or not?" Sam asked, changing the subject.

"I'm just sayin', these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?" Dean said as we crossed the street.

Sam gave him a deadpan look. "Whose?"

"Ours" Dean said, shaking his head. "You think credit card fraud is easy?"

"Come on" I scoffed, going in. Sam got the lady at the desk to lead us upstairs.

"Thanks for lettin' us look around" Sam said, with a smile.

"Well, the police said they were done with the place, so…." She said, walking us in. "You guys said you were with the alarm company?"

"That's right" Dean nodded, showing off his jumpsuit.

She scoffed. "Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man" she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, that's why we're here" I said. "To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again" She just glared at us.

"Now, ma'am, you found the body?" Sam asked her. She nodded. "Right after it happened?"

"No. Few days later" she said. "Meredith's work called—she hadn't shown up. I knocked on the door. That's when I noticed the smell"

"Any windows open? Any sign of break-in?" Dean asked.

"No, windows were locked, front door was bolted" she said. "Chain was on the door, we had to cut it just to get in"

"And the alarm was still on?" I asked, confused.

"Like I said, bang-up job your company's doin'"

I nodded, rolling my eyes. "You see any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of struggle?" Dean asked.

She shook her head. "Everything was in perfect condition—except Meredith."

"And what condition was Meredith in?" Sam asked.

The landlady grimaced. "Meredith was all over. In pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of a whackjob" she paused. "But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said a wild animal did it"

I glanced at the ground in the next room over, where they apparently found her. "Yeah" I said, looking at the bloodstains all over the ground. "I can see why you'd say that"

"Ma'am, do you mind if we take some time?" Sam asked. "Give this place a once-over?"

"Oh, well, go right ahead" she said, going to exit. "Knock yourself out. Just tell me before you leave so I can lock up"

Dean opened his tool box and pulled out the EMF. "So, a killer walks in and out of the apartment—no weapons, no prints, nothin'" he sighed.

"I'm tellin' ya, the minute I found that article, I knew this was our kind of gig" Sam said.

The EMF beeped frantically, nearly going nuts. "I think I agree with you" I stated, staring at it.

"So, you talked to the cops?" Sam asked. Dean.

"Uh, yeah" he smirked, and I immediately rolled my eyes. "I spoke to Amy, a, uh, charming, perky officer of the law"

"Yeah? What'd you find out?" Sam asked.

He smiled dreamily. "Well, she's a Sagittarius. She loves tequila, I mean—wow" he laughed. "Oh, and she's got this little tattoo—"

"Dean!" I shouted, stopping him.

"What?" he said. "Oh, yeah. Uh, nothin' we don't already know. Except for one thing they're keepin' out of the papers" Sam and I turned to him expectantly. "Meredith's heart was missing"

"Her heart?" Sam asked.

"Yeah" Dean nodded. "Her heart"

"So, what do you think did it to her?" Sam asked.

"Well what eats hearts?" I asked, glancing at the blood.

"Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack" Dean sighed. "Maybe it was—werewolf?"

"No, no werewolf, the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace" Sam said. "It's probably a spirit"

Dean looked down at the blood and frowned. "See if you can find any masking tape around" Sam went into the kitchen and came back out holding a roll of tape. Dean started to connect each little pool of blood. To my surprise, it connected to make a weird design.

"Ever see that symbol before?" Sam asked, staring at it.

"Never" I said, shaking my head.

Sam sighed. "Me neither"

"Do you want to go grab Dean out of the bar, or should I?" Sam asked, looking at the entrance wearily. Dean had wanted to go do research on Meredith's job, while Sam and I did actual research. I was still a little shaken up from the cold, so I didn't want to go. Besides, I didn't want to watch Dean cruise for a hook up.

"We'll go together" I stated, and got out of the car.

We sat down in the back, and Dean came up not much later. "I talked to the bartender" Dean said.

"Did you get anything?" Sam asked.

"Besides her number?" I smirked.

"Lexie, I'm a professional. I'm offended that you would think that" he remarked. I gave him a blatant look. "All right, yeah" he laughed, holding up a napkin with a number scribbled on it. (

"You mind doin' a little bit of thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?" Sam stated.

"Huh? Look, there's nothing to find out" he said. "I mean, Meredith worked here, she waited tables, everyone here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so—what about that symbol, you find anything?"

"Nope, nothing" Sam sighed. "It wasn't in Dad's journal or in any of the usual books. I just have to dig a little deeper, I guess"

"Well, there was a first victim, right?" Dean asked. "Before Meredith?"

"Right. Yeah" he said, pulling out a newspaper clipping. "His name was, uh—his name was Ben Swardstrom" I took the clipping and glanced at it. "Last month he was found mutilated in his town house. Same deal—the door was locked, the alarm was on"

"Is there any connection between the two of them?" I asked.

"Not that I can tell—I mean, not yet, at least" Sam sighed. "Ben was a banker, Meredith was a waitress. They never met, never knew anyone in common—they were practically from different worlds" he glared at me. "Which you would know if you helped"

"I was busy" I said innocently. I had been talking to Logan on the phone.

"So, to recap, the only successful intel we've scored so far is the bartender's phone number" Dean smirked.

Sam and I shook our head. Sam stood up, staring at something across the room. "What?" I asked. He walked off. "Sam?"

Dean and I shared a look, and then followed Sam. He tapped on a girl with short blonde hair's shoulder. She turned around. "Sam!" she exclaimed happily.

"Meg" he stated, not happy, but more confused.

"Sam! Is that you? Oh, my God!" she laughed, giving him a hug. Sam just looked puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just in town, visiting friends" he replied.

"Where are they?" Meg asked with a short laugh.

"Well, they're not here right now, but what about you, Meg?" he asked. "I thought you were goin' to California"

"Oh, I did. I came, I saw, I conquered" she said. "Oh, and I met what's-his-name, something Michael Murray at a bar"

"Who?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter" she laughed. "Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while"

Dean cleared his throat at Sam. "You're from Chicago?" Sam asked her ignoring us.

"No, Massachusetts—Andover" she said. "Gosh, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?"

"Yeah, I know, I thought I'd never see you again" Sam stated.

Meg smiled. "Well, I'm glad you were wrong" Dean cleared his throat again. "Dude, cover your mouth" Meg said, glaring at him.

I cracked a small smiled, and Dean nudged me. "Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean. And sister Alexis"

Meg looked shocked. "This is Dean?" she asked.

Dean smiled brightly. "So, you've heard of me?"

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of you. Nice—the way you treat your brother like luggage." She scoffed.

"Sorry?" he asked.

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do?" she demanded. "Stop dragging him over God's green earth"

"Meg, it's all right" Sam said. There was an awkward pause.

"Okay, awkward" I said. "Dean and I are gonna get a drink now" I pulled him with me to the bar, and he ordered himself another beer, while I watched Sam talk to Meg. "I don't like her" I stated. I looked to Dean, but he was already flirting with the girls. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey" said the bartender. "You looking for a job by any chance?"

I turned around, confused. "Uh, no not really"

"You sure?" she asked, desperately. "We could really use the help. It's six fifty an hour plus tips"

"I would but—"

"We're from out of town" Dean said, cutting her off. "She can't"

"Shut up, Dean" I scoffed. "Geez, calm down" The bartender walked off, looking confused, and I gave Dean an annoyed glance before heading out of the bar. "What the hell was that?" I asked, as soon as we were clear. "She asked me if I wanted a job, Dean not if I wanted to do some drugs. And I said no"

"And I'm glad" Dean stated. "End of conversation"

I opened my mouth to argue some more, but stopped when I saw Sam leave the bar. "Who the hell was she?" I asked him.

"I don't really know. I only met her once" he admitted. "Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird"

"And what was she saying? I treat you like luggage?" Dean scoffed, irritated. "What, were you bitchin' about me to some chick?"

"Look, I'm sorry, Dean" Sam sighed. "It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana. But that's not important, just listen—"

"Well, is there any truth to what she's saying?" Dean cut him off. "I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?"

"No, of course not" Sam sighed, frustrated. "Now, would you listen?"

"What?" I asked, when Dean still didn't say anything. I wanted to know what Sam was so worked up about this girl.

"I think there's somethin' strange going on here, Lex" he sighed, when Dean still ignored him.

"Yeah, tell me about it" Dean scoffed. "She wasn't even that into me"

"No, man, I mean like our kind of strange" Sam huffed. "Like, maybe even a lead"

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar?" he explained. "I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?"

"I don't know random coincidence" Dean said. "It happens"

"Yeah, it happens, but not to us" he said. "Look, I could be wrong, I'm just sayin' that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on"

Dean happily smirked. "Well, I bet you'd like to" he smiled. "I mean, maybe she's not a suspect, maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?" Sam just rolled his eyes. "Maybe you're thinkin' a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?" he pointed to his head and grinned.

"Do me a favor. Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can't dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith's floor" Sam said, walking off.

"What are you gonna do?" I asked.

Sam sighed. "I'm gonna watch Meg"

Dean laughed. "Yeah, you are"

"I just wanna see what's what" Sam said innocently. "Better safe than sorry"

Dean grinned. "All right, you little pervert"

I rolled my eyes and got in the car. "You two disgust me" I scoffed. Dean smirked, and got in the car, and Dean and I let Sam then take the car back to the bar after we got back to the motel.

"You get Meg, I get the symbol" I said, sitting at the laptop.

"Why do you get the symbol?" he asked.

I sighed and looked at him. "Sorry Dean. Do you want the symbol?" I asked slowly.

He glared at me for a second and then smiled. "No" he grinned. I rolled my eyes. "Can I have the laptop?" he asked. I handed it to him.

I started with the journal and found absolutely nothing on the damn symbol. There wasn't even anything close to the symbol we found. When Dean was done with the laptop, the internet wasn't much help either. I ended up having to call Logan, and even he didn't know. He ended up looking it up in some old book for me. It was a Daeva, which I had never even heard of before. They sounded nasty, I had to admit.

"You good?" he asked me. "Can I call Sam now?" I smiled and nodded. It had taken me a lot longer than him. He dialed.

"Put it on speaker" I insisted.

"Let me guess. You're lurkin' outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?" he smiled.

"No…" Sam scoffed. There was a pause. "Yes"

"You've got a funny way of showin' your affection" Dean laughed.

"Did you find anything on her or what?" Sam asked, annoyed.

Dean picked up the paper with her info on it. "Sorry, man, she checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook" he sighed. "I even pulled up her high school photo" He paused.  
"Now, look, why don't you go knock on her door and, uh, invite her to a poetry reading, or whatever it is you do, huh?"

"What about the symbol?"Sam asked, ignoring him. "Any luck?"

"Yeah" I sighed, jumping into the conversation. "It's, uh—turns out it's Zoroastrian. Very, very old school, like two thousand years before Christ" I sighed. "It's a sigil for a Daeva"

"What's a Daeva?" Sam asked.

"It translates to "demon of darkness". Zoroastrian demons, and they're savage, animalistic, you know, nasty attitudes—kind of like, uh, demonic pit bulls" I stated.

"How'd you figure that out?" he asked.

"I called my boyfriend" I smiled. "He told me"

"Yeah" Sam sighed.

"Anyway, here's the thing—these Daevas, they have to be summoned, conjured" I said, reading from what I wrote down.

"So, someone's controlling it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying'. And, from what I gather, it's pretty risky business, too" I stated.  
"These suckers tend to bite the hand that feeds them. And, uh, the arms, and torsos"

"So, what do they look like?"

"Well, nobody knows, but nobody's seen 'em for a couple of millennia" I said. "I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone really knows their stuff. I think we've got a major player in town"

"And now that we're all caught up and happy, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram?" Dean smiled, taking the phone closer to him.

"Bite me" Sam scoffed.

"No, bite her" Dean grinned. "Don't leave teeth marks, though—" The phone clicked off. "Sam? Are you—?"

I took the phone away from Dean and hung up. "Nice" I sighed. "So Sam can go hook up with some random girl he met, and I can't get a job?"

"Sounds about right" he smiled. His phone rang and he smiled, picking it up. "Amy" he laughed. "How are you?"

I groaned and flipped over on the bed. I hate them two sometimes. Dean talked for a moment and then looked at me. "Actually" he said. "You can do me a favor. What would it take to get the complete records of those two victims?" There was a pause, and he smirked. "I would be very, _very _grateful" I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Okay. I can come pick them up" he said, glancing at me.

He hung up and smiled. "You'll be okay by yourself?" he asked. I nodded, and he was out the door in seconds.

I lay down and closed my eyes. I was so tired of all this. I picked up my phone, contemplating calling Logan, but he was probably either busy or asleep. It was pretty late. I didn't care. I dialed.

"Hey" Logan said sleepily. "What's up?"

"Did I wake you up?" I asked, with a smirk.

"Yeah" he sighed. "But I don't care. I miss you"

"I miss you too" I replied, "We didn't get to talk earlier. What's been going on?"

"Nothing really" he sighed. "I went to see a movie with Jason"

"Oh" I said, getting more comfortable on the bed. "What did you see?"

He paused for a second. "Well we were going to see Spiderman three, but…" he trailed off. I waited expectantly. "We ended up seeing some chick flick"

I snorted. "What?"

"Well…I" he stuttered as I laughed. "Jason saw some girl he liked there so I got roped into seeing it too"

I couldn't help it, I kept laughing. "I can just picture you two watching a dumb date scene" I said, "I hate those movies"

"Why?" he asked. "Aren't they called chick flicks for a reason?"

I shrugged. "I just think they're totally unrealistic. I mean, I don't necessarily want to go to a really nice restaurant. I think it should be something special"

"Like what?" he asked.

"I don't know" I replied. "Just something special" there was a long pause. "Roses are overrated too"

He scoffed. "You just ruined everything I know about girls"

"No" I said with a laugh. "I just have higher expectations. Any guy can take his girl to a romantic restaurant, or buy her a rose. I mean, he should at least think on it a little"

He sighed. "Please tell me you at least like chocolate"

I smiled to myself. "Yeah. I like chocolate"

"Good" he said. "So let me get this straight. The next time I see you I should order pizza and give you a dandelion?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes" I said. "At least it will show you were listening"

"Alright then" he laughed. "I got to go, I have school tomorrow"

"Bye" I said. I hung up and sank down into the bed more. I slowly felt myself dozing off. "Lex" said a voice, smacking my foot. I groaned and flipped over. "Alexis, ankle biter, get up, I gotta tell you something"

"What?" I moaned, flipping onto my stomach. "I don't want to hear about how you got laid, Dean"

He smacked me in the stomach with a pillow. "I didn't get laid" he scoffed. "I found something"

I sat up, now more interested. "What?" I asked. He smirked and handed me a file. I glanced up at him, confused, but just opened it. "I don't get it" I said, looking at the same files I had already seen Sam look at. "We already looked at this"

"No" he said, pointing to the other pages. "Keep looking"

I sighed and looked back down again. There was added birth certificates and stuff. "Dean…" I stopped, noting where they were both born. "Lawrence Kansas" I breathed.

"Exactly" he smiled.

Sam entered, looking determined. "Dude I gotta talk to you" they said to each other at the same exact time.

"You go first" Dean said, sitting back down.

"It's Meg" he said, sitting on the bed. "She's doing it" he said, and went on to explain this whole story about following her to a warehouse and finding a black alter and something about her talking into a bowl. I got a little mixed up in the middle.

"So, hot little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Dean smirked.

"Looks like she was using a black altar to control the thing" Sam sighed.

"So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl" he chuckled. Sam just rolled his eyes. "And what's the deal with that bowl again?" he asked.

"She was talking into it. The way witches used to scry into crystal balls or animal entrails" he explained. "She was communicating with someone"

"With who? With the Daeva?" I asked.

"No, you said those things were savages. No, this was someone different" he stated. "Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse"

I glanced at the papers that Dean made me look at. "Sam" I said.

"What?" he asked.

"What I was gonna tell you earlier—I pulled a favor with my –" he cleared his throat. "– _friend_, Amy, over at the police department. The complete records of the two victims—we missed something the first time"

"Well what?" Sam asked, looking at the papers.

"The first victim, the old man—he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here" Dean explained. "Look where he was born"

"Lawrence, Kansas" Sam read.

"Yeah, and…" he pulled out another paper. "Meredith, second victim—turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from"

Sam sat down in shock, not even having to read the second paper. "Holy crap"

I scoffed. "Yeah"

"I mean, it _is_ where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started" Sam sighed. "So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?"

"I think it's a definite possibility" Dean replied.

"But I don't understand" Sam said, his forehead wrinkling. "What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?"

"Beats me" Dean said, shrugged.

"But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation" I smiled.

"No, we can't" Sam said. I gave him a confused look. "We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showing' up to meet her"

"I'll tell you one thing" Dean said, pulling out his phone. "I don't think we should do this alone" Sam went out to the car, as Dean and I listened to dad's voicemail for the millionth time. "Hey dad" Dean sighed. "We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mom. So, uh, this warehouse—it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, gets to Chicago as soon as you can"

"Voicemail?" Sam asked, coming back in with what seemed like the entire trunk.

"Jesus, what'd you get?" I asked, looking at the bulging bag.

Sam chuckled and gave me a smile. "I ransacked that trunk. Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about a half dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should just expect everything"

I took out a gun and we began loading and preparing in silence. "Big night" Dean said finally.

"Yeah" Sam sighed. "You guys nervous?"

Dean shook his head. "No. Why, are you?"

"No. No way" Sam scoffed.

"Me neither" I added softly. I think we all knew that we were lying out of our asses. I checked the magazine of this gun and laid it next to me.

"God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing?" Sam asked. "That demon?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right?"Dean sighed.

"I know. I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight?" Sam asked excitedly. "Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school—be a person again"

I glanced up at him. "You wanna go back to school?" I asked.

"Yeah, once we're done huntin' the thing" Sam said.

Dean looked at him. "Huh" he remarked.

"Why, is there somethin' wrong with that?" Sam asked innocently.

"No. No, it's, uh, great" Dean said uncomfortably. "Good for you"

"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?" Sam asked, looking at both of us.

I shrugged. "I never thought about it"

"It's never gonna be over" Dean scoffed. "There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt"

Sam looked confused. "But there's got to be somethin' that you want for yourselves—"

"Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam" Dean snapped, saying exactly what I was thinking, but would never say. He got up in anger, leaning on the dresser.

"Dean" I sighed, trying to calm him down.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Sam asked.

"Why do you think I drag you two everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?" he asked.

"'Cause Dad was in trouble. 'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mom" Sam said, shaking his head.

"Yes, that, but it's more than that, man" he said. He was silent for a second. "You Lexie and me and Dad—I mean, I want us….I want us to be together again" he said. "I want us to be a family again"

"Dean, we _are_ a family. I'd do anything for you guys" Sam insisted. "But things will never be the way they were before"

Dean looked heartbroken. "Could be"

"I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever" he said. "Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way"

Dean nodded, taking the keys off the dresser. "I'll be right back" he said, and slammed the door behind him. I heard the roar of the Impala moments later.

"Do you think I'm wrong?" Sam asked, annoyed and ticked off.

"No" I said, shaking my head. "But there's no right answer here, Sam. You want to go back to school, Dean wants us to be a family. Nobody can really win" I scoffed and sat back on the bed. "God, for college boy, you are really stupid sometimes"

"What?" he asked, looking at me like I was nuts.

"Sam, Dean didn't come get you to help with dad at all" I scoffed. "Dad's always gone. He missed you. He wanted you to come back. And now you just told him you were going to up and leave. Did you expect him to be happy?"

"He…" he stuttered, at a loss. "No. I don't know. Why can't you two just be happy for me?"

"We are, Sam" I exclaimed. "But the moment Dean backs you up, dad would be pissed. And I would rather have you upset than dad. Because dad's just scared"

"Scared?" he asked.

"Yeah" I said. He looked at me like I was crazy again. I scoffed. "I swear—Sam all dad did was tell everyone he knew that you were at Stanford. We checked on you every month. He was proud, Sam. He just couldn't tell you. If he told you, you would never want to hunt again"

"So he pushed me away?" he said, not getting it.

"He was scared to let you go off on your own" I said. I paused. "But Sam, if that's your dream, if that's what you want, don't let that stop you. You never have before"

"What about you?" he asked. "What do you want?"

I took a deep breath and just sat there for a moment. I didn't really know what I wanted. I loved hunting. It was hard and physically demanding, and I barely slept at night. My life was on the line more than I would have preferred, and I was pretty sure that my muscles hated me at times, but I couldn't deny the thrill. "No one ever asked me that before" I said, still in thought. "I don't know"

"Well if you weren't hunting, what would you want to do?" Sam asked. "Go to school? Have a family? A boyfriend, I mean like Logan?"

"I really don't know, Sam" I said, now worried. I must be some sort of freak. I mean, I really had no clue. "I guess I would…I would want to…go to college"

"Do you know what for?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Uh…." I sighed, thinking. "I want to be a nurse. I like helping people, you know? And it's fast paced" I could feel myself blushing.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Lex" he smiled, sitting next to me. "And you don't have to be afraid to go and be a nurse. Be normal. I did it"

"Sam" I said, motioning around me. "You're sitting in a motel room getting ready to fight a demon. I wouldn't call that normal"

He chuckled. "All I'm saying is don't let dad stop you either"

Dean reentered the room. "You guys ready?" he asked, grinning. "I need to kick some demon ass" Apparently, his little moment to think made him feel a lot better. We drove quickly to the warehouse, and loaded ourselves up on weapons. I put a knife in my boot and a gun in my pants.

We had to climb the elevator gate to reach the top. Dean gave me a boost to start, and then I was able to shimmy my way up like them. I made it to the top first, and could see Meg standing at the altar, chanting. Dean motioned for me to get out of the grate, so I did. I drew my gun and stealthily made my way behind some boxes.

"Guys" Meg said, looking up. We paused, glancing at each other, stunned. "Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?"

"Well, that didn't work out like I planned" Dean whispered.

Meg turned around, looking at us. "Why don't you come out?" I looked to Dean, and he stepped in front of me, heading into the open. I followed. Meg smiled. "Sam, I have to say, this puts a real crimp in our relationship"

"Yeah, tell me about it" Sam said, not returning the smile.

Dean glanced around. "So, where's your little Daeva friend?"

"Around" She said lightly. She looked at my gun. "You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good"

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. The shotgun's not for the demon" Dean said, with a smile.

"So, who is it, Meg? Who's coming?" Sam asked. "Who are you waiting for?"

Meg shrugged, giving us a small smile again. "You"

I felt a force deliver a huge blow to my stomach, and then I was knocked backward, flying into the crates. I groaned and felt a long slash on my leg bleed. I couldn't see these damn things. I could feel the wind of the claw as it came towards me. "Dean" I yelped in pain, and then another blow to my head sent me falling into a black pit of nothingness.

I woke up to find myself tied to a pole or something, sitting on the ground. I struggled a little, squirming around to try to loosen the ropes. "What the—"I started, then stopped when Meg came to stand in front of me. "You bitch" I scoffed, feeling the rope rub at my wrists.

"Such language out of such a little girl" she said, tsking a little. "Aren't you going to scold her big bro?" she asked Dean, who was staring ahead in annoyance.

"I can't scold her if it's true" Dean said, with a smirk. Sam groaned and looked up, confused. "Hey, Sam?" Dean said, watching him realize what was going on. "Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend...is a bitch"

"I agree" I added, feeling the ropes give just a little bit. I tried not to look too excited.

"This, the whole thing, was a trap" Sam growled. "Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?" Meg just laughed. "And that the victims were from Lawrence?"

"It doesn't mean anything" she shrugged. "It was just to draw you in, that's all"

"You killed those two people for nothin'" Sam said angrily.

Meg smirked happily. "Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less"

"You trapped us. Good for you. Its Miller time" Dean smiled. "But why don't you kill us already?"

"Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" she said, walking to Dean and leaning in close. "This trap isn't for you"

"Then who's it for?" I asked, confused.

"Dad" Sam said, looking stunned in realization. "It's a trap for Dad"

I looked at Meg in surprise. That honestly hadn't even occurred to me. "Oh, sweetheart—you're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this" Dean said. "He's too good"

"He is pretty good. I'll give you that" she said, walking over to him. She sat down, straddling his legs. "But you see he has one weakness"

"What's that?" Dean asked.

Meg grinned. "You. He lets his guard down around his kids, lets his emotions cloud his judgment" she said. "I happen to know he _is_ in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the Daevas will kill everybody—nice and slow and messy"

"Well, I've got news for ya" Dean glared. "It's gonna take a lot more than some…._shadow_ to kill him"

"Oh, the Daeva are in the room here—they're invisible" She explained. "Their shadows are just the only part you can see"

"Why you doin' this, Meg?" Sam asked. "What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?"

"I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do—" she said. "loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy—and Jess"

"Go to hell" Sam said, narrowing his eyes.

"Baby, I'm already there" she laughed. She slid over to Sam, and batted her eyes at him. I grimaced in disgust. "Come on, Sam. There's no need to be nasty" she sighed. She leaned in close. "I think we both know how you really feel about me. You know, I saw you watching me—changing in my apartment. Turned you on, didn't it?"

"Get a room, you two" I called, over Dean.

"I didn't mind. I liked that you were watching me" she said, ignoring me. "Come on, Sammy. You and I can still have a little dirty fun"

She laid a kiss on his neck. "You wanna have fun? Go ahead then" Sam said. "I'm a little tied up right now" She smiled and continued to kiss him.

Dean looked at me and grinned. First I thought he was just being a pervert, but he flicked out a knife. I grinned. Sam was still kissing on Meg. I watched Dean work at his ropes, and then make a loud noise. Meg turned and glared.

She stood up and took the knife from Dean, and tossed it away. Dean smiled guiltily. "Now, were you just trying to distract me while your brother cuts free?" Meg asked, sliding back on top of Sam.

"No" he said. "No. That's because I have a knife of my own" He quickly broke free and slammed his head into Meg's. She fell to the floor, and he groaned in pain.

"Sam! Get the altar" Dean said, and he did. He walked over and overturned the altar.

Out of nowhere, something dragged Meg. She screamed as it pulled her to the window and tossed out of it. I gasped in shock. I figured the Daeva would come after us now, but they didn't. Sam cut me free, and then Dean. I walked over to the window and peered down. Meg was sprawled face down on the ground. She was dead. "So, I guess the Daeva didn't like being bossed around" Sam said, standing next to me.

"Yeah, I guess not" Dean said. "Hey, Sam?"

"Hm?" Sam asked, turning away.

"Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" he smiled. He patted him on the shoulder, and walked off.

I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. It felt like there was something I should know. I just had no clue what it was. But it was there, taunting me. "You okay?" Sam asked, carrying a bag.

"Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean asked Sam, as we walked back to the motel room.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again—better safe than sorry" Sam said. He looked to me for my response.

"I 'm fine" I mumbled. As we got to the door, I realized what it was. "Dean" I said, looking at the door.

He opened it and glanced at me in confusion. "What?" I ran in, praying, wishing that my gut wasn't lying to me. As I entered, I could see the dark figure standing by the window. I could feel the tears in my eyes. "Hey!" Dean shouted.

Sam turned the lights on, and I smiled. "Dad" I breathed in relief.

"Dad?" Dean asked, in shock.

"Hey, kids" he smiled.

I ran at him, gripping him so tight in case this was all a dream. "Omph" he said, catching me and hugging back. "Hey baby girl" he whispered, putting a hand on my head. I smiled up at him like the little baby I was. But at this point, didn't really care. I let go as Dean came up behind me. He gave dad a long hug, much like me. Sam just stood back, smiling sadly. "Hi, Sam"

Sam looked at the floor. "Hey, Dad" He put the weapons on the floor.

"Dad, it was a trap" Dean said. "I didn't know, I'm sorry"

"It's all right. I thought it might've been" dad sighed.

"Were you there?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive" he stated. "She _was_ the bad guy, right?"

"Yes, sir" Dean, Sam, and I all said in unison.

"Good" he sighed. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before"

"The demon has?" Sam asked.

Dad nodded. "It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it" I must've looked confused, because he went on. "Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell—actually kill it"

"How?" I asked.

Dad smiled. "I'm workin' on that"

"Let us come with you" Sam insisted. "We'll help"

"No, Sam. Not yet" my dad said, shaking his head. "Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in a crossfire. I don't want you hurt"

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us" Sam said.

"Of course I do. I'm your father" he said, with a sigh. He paused. "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight"

Sam looked like he was going to get upset. "Yes, sir" he said softly.

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time" my dad said, tears in his eyes.

Sam smiled. "Too long" They hugged, and then slowly pulled apart, still looking at each other. I glanced at my feet.

When I looked back at my dad, he was thrown backwards. I could see the shadow of the Daeva on the wall. I gasped in shock as I was also tossed aside like garbage. "No! Dad!" I screamed, as a claw came down on my neck. It missed me narrowly, by inches, and only slashed my shoulder.

I groaned and flipped over, to get to my feet, but was knocked sideways. A claw slashed my forehead. Blood came down my face, and I had to scramble sideways to get out of the target range.

"Shut your eyes!" Sam yelled. "These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!" I shut my eyes, and heard him light a flare. The room was filled with smoke. I coughed, as Sam helped me to my feet. They seemed to be gone for now.

"Dad!" Dean yelled.

"Over here!" he yelled back. "Sam? Lex?"

"I've got her, dad" Sam said, pulling me and the bag of weapons out the door. We went down the stairs into the alleyway where the cars were parked. Sam put the bag in the backseat. I leaned on Dean, trying to catch my breath. I smeared blood out of my eyes.

"All right, come on. We don't have much time" Sam said. "As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back"

"Wait, wait. Sam, wait" Dean said, stopping him. "Dad, you can't come with us"

I stopped, looking up at him like he was crazy. "What?" I asked

"Dean, what are you talkin' about?" Sam asked.

"You boys—Lexie—you're beat to hell" Dad sighed.

Dean just stood up straighter. "We'll be all right"

"Dean, we should stick together" Sam persisted. "We'll go after those demons"

"Sam! Listen to me!" Dean sighed. "We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop, they're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us" He was trying to convince us. Or maybe he was trying to convince himself. "He's—he's stronger without us around"

"Dad, no" Sam said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "After everything, after all the time we spent lookin' for you—please. I gotta be a part of this fight"

"Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son" dad said, sadly. "Okay, you've gotta let me go"

Everyone was silent for a minute. I wanted to kick and scream, and tell dad that he was not going to leave me again. Ever. I had spent the last six months looking for him, and I wasn't going to do I all again. Sam patted his shoulder, and then let go.

My dad looked to Dean, and then gave me a smile. I walked over. I gave him a hug and then looked up at him, choking back tears. "Be safe" I said, and took a step back. He walked to his truck, and turned to us one last time. "Be careful, kids " he said. "Take care of each other" He got in, and drove off.

"Come on" Dean said, pulling me to the Impala. I got in, watching the truck disappear. I felt the feeling in the pit of my stomach slowly become empty and dead. I turned away, tears streaming down my cheeks, and forced myself not to look back.

I just leaned back, as Dean sped off into nothing and drove. I put my iPod on, hoping that the music would tell my mind to shut up. I used to be scared that I would dissolve if I showed too much emotion.

At that minute, I didn't mind dissolving.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Okay guys, here it is! Sorry it took me so long to update, but the holidays were nuts this year! Haha. I tried to incorporate all the requests I could! Lemme know what you think! **

**Chapter Nineteen**

We were driving down the interstate in silence. Dean was softly singing Metallica, and Sam was staring moodily out of the window. We were all in a mood since we ran into our father. I wanted to kill Dean. I hadn't wanted to just let my father go, even if it killed all of us. It wasn't fair.

"I gotta pee" said Dean, the only thing he had said in the last three hours. He pulled into the rest stop and got out of the car without another word. I glanced at Sam and he gave me a sad look. He was pissed too. I wasn't sure any of us thought that we should have just let dad go.

I got out and went to the bathroom. We hadn't stopped at a motel in awhile. I wasn't even sure where we were anymore. Dean insisted that we just keep driving. I think he was scared that we were being followed by those Daeva. I still had cuts all over me, even though they had scabbed over. They were shallow and shouldn't scar.

I stared at myself in the mirror, all beat up and a pathetic look on my face. Tears welled up in my eyes. I let them fall for once. I sobbed and leaned on the sink. I was just so tired of all this. I needed something to fix it. I came out of the bathroom to run into Sam. He gave a blatant look. He knew. He always freaking knew. "There was a line" I said.

He glanced at the empty parking lot. "Yeah" he said. "I know what you mean" And that was that. He put his arm around me and led me back to the car. "It's going to be fine, squirt" he said as I got in.

"I know, sasquatch" I replied. "I know" Dean didn't say anything either as we got into the car. That was something I loved about them two. They understood.

"We're going to Joshua's" Dean stated.

I immediately perked up. "Why?" I asked, "Does he have a case?"

"I don't know" he replied. "We're going there because he called and told us to stop by if we got the chance"

"Oh" I said, lying down. "Okay then" I put my IPod on, and went to sleep almost immediately. It would take about six hours to get there from here.

We pulled up to the familiar house and driveway. I excitedly burst out of the car and jumped into Logan's arms. "I missed you" I stated, with a big smile. I kissed him on the cheek, and let go.

"Missed you too" he grinned back. "And I have a surprise for you"

"What?" I asked, confused. I had just gotten here, what could he possibly have done?

I squirmed uncomfortably in the passenger seat of Logan's car. I was wearing my only jean skirt I owned, that had gotten a little too small in the past year. Dean had barely let me out of the house with it, until I assured him that I was going to dinner with Logan, and if he tried anything I gave him permission to shoot him with his pearl handled pistol. And even then, I felt uncomfortable.

It wasn't that short, but I never wore skirts. I never wore much other than jeans and my jacket and with a t-shirt underneath. Only in the past year had I even thought about showing off my boobs. I had to admit, I wasn't ugly or anything. I just didn't try too hard to be pretty. I'd rather kill stuff.

But tonight, Logan really wanted it to be special. He was wearing a polo shirt and jeans that weren't ripped or even faded. He had cologne on too. I mean friggen _cologne_. And he was nervous, since he kept tapping the steering wheel and fidgeting even more than me. I smiled at him, and he shot me a grin back. He wanted it to be special, so I gave in. I wore make-up and a nice baby doll top that showed my boobs off, and a jean skirt. It was even purple.

"Where are we going?" I asked for the millionth time. I stared out the window in anticipation. He hadn't told me crap.

"It's a surprise" he grinned again.

I groaned and adjusted my rising skirt for the millionth time. "I want to know"

"And I want it to be a surprise" he stated, with small laugh. He looked over at me as he drove. "Don't you trust me?"

I smirked. "Not in the slightest"

He squeezed my hand and looked back to the road. "We're almost there" he said. I could read the worry on his face. I guess that was what you got when you dated someone you've known forever. He pulled over and I realized that we were at the park.

"A walk in the park?" I questioned.

He grinned nervously. "There's more"

I smiled, taking his hand and walking forward, letting him lead me. "You know I'll like whatever it is, right?" I asked, with a small smile.

He looked at me. "Okay?"

"You just look nervous" I said grinning. I smirked in excitement. "I make you nervous"

"You do not" he said. "I'm not nervous"

I smiled wider, wanting to laugh. "Whatever you say Lo"

"I'm not" he insisted. I opened my mouth to argue and he stopped me, grabbing my shoulders. He leaned into me, kissing me full force. I happily obliged, putting my hands on his sides. I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows. "I needed to shut you up" I laughed and just turned to look around. I could see lights.

"Is that it?" I asked, motioning. He nodded, pulling me forward. I laughed as he pulled me closer to him and made me close my eyes. "Seriously?" I asked, as he put a hand over my eyes.

"Just humor me" he chuckled in my ear. I squirmed slightly and nodded in response. He pushed me forward and I could feel my heart beating. I was so nervous to see what he had done. Not that I was scared, just anxious. "Okay" he said, and he let go.

I stared into the most awesome sight that I had seen in awhile. Lo had put a blanket under a tree, and there was food next to it. He had put two lanterns with candles in them on the edge of the blanket, giving the scene a romantic glow. I grinned broadly, a little in shock.

"Do you like it?" he asked. "It's not like the movies. No nice restaurant, no roses, just me and you"

I grinned up at him. I had no idea what he had been saying, because I was in awe. "You made it special" I smiled, and kissed him.

"Hey" he said, pulling me away. "We haven't even started the date yet" He pulled me over and showed me the Chinese take-out he got. "I know you love Chinese food"

"Lo" I sighed, taking it all in. He handed me a flower. It was a yellow daffodil. I grinned even wider, if that was even possible at this point. "It's not a rose" I laughed.

"Not a rose" he repeated. "I listened"

I smirked. "Are you trying to impress me?" 

He grinned. "You're so out of my league that I don't think that would work, so I'm hoping against all odds that you like me just the way I am." He paused and leaned closer on the blanket. "I could try to impress you though if that would help."

I picked up the Chinese food and smiled. "Just you is fine with me"

We ate and then took a short walk. Then we headed back to the blanket and just lay back staring at the stars. I had my head on his chest. "We used to do this when we were little on the shed roof" I laughed, remembering.

"Yeah" he sighed. "Except now it's better" He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer. I sighed, and blinked slowly. I had to admit, this was worth the weeks I had been away.

My cell phone rang. I looked at it, saw it was Dean and rolled my eyes. "What?" I asked, sitting up a little.

"Hello to you too" Dean scoffed. "Where are you?"

"Why?" I asked, nervously. "Is something wrong? Or are you just calling to annoy me on my date?"

"Oh definitely the second one" Dean smiled. "But seriously, everything okay?"

"Fine" I said, and hung up. I grinned at Logan. "They are so annoying"

"They care" he said, hugging me close again. We lay like that for awhile, just breathing and looking up at the stars. Finally, as the night grew darker, we headed home.

We walked to the house together, hand in hand, just happy to be together. He walked me all the way to the porch before pulling me back and pressing his lips into mine. I slowly let him in, deepening the kiss. His hands were on my waist, gripping me closer. I moaned happily.

He pulled away and gave me a smile. "I wanted to do that before your brothers can kill me"

I snorted and we went inside. "That was a long walk from the car" Dean said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Goodnight, Dean" I said, pulling Logan upstairs with me. We made it to our room before I turned and kissed Logan again. "Goodnight" I smiled, and walked to my room. I entered, sitting on the bed with a happy sigh.

"I take it you had a good time?" Sam asked.

"Mmhmm" I smiled, and changed into my pajamas. "Thanks for convincing Dean to let us stop for one night, Sasquatch"

"How did you-?"

"Please, Sam" I scoffed.

"No problem squirt" he smiled. "But we got a case, so we're heading out tomorrow"

"Okay" I said, leaning back. Dean came in and smiled at me, not even saying a word. "Thanks De" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Uh-huh" he said, plopping down. "We got an early rise tomorrow. So go to sleep"

I woke up and immediately got into the car. I had said goodnight to Logan last night after Dean had said that we were leaving early the next day. It was easier to say goodbye at night instead of making him wake up early and say goodbye. Plus that usually ended up with me more upset since I usually had to wrench myself out of his arms. If we said goodbye at night, the next day I could walk to the car half asleep, and by the time my groggy and realized I was going to miss him it was midday and I had something else to concentrate on.

I walked to the Impala in a stupor, and then opened the car door, my eyes still half shut. I went to get in and was greeted with a bright and shining face. I shot awake. "You're coming?" I asked surprised. I wasn't sure my half awake mind was processing this correctly. Logan smiled and nodded. "What about school?" I asked.

"I'm on break" he laughed, patting the seat.

I scrambled in next to him, and grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, De" I said, thumping him on the back of the head. I knew he had probably convinced Joshua to let Logan come. "You're the best"

"I know" he stated, with a smile. "I know" He put on his Metallica and pulled out of the driveway. "But this is still a case, so no fooling around"

"Since when do I fool around?" I asked innocently. Logan snorted to himself, and I smacked him on the leg. "I can kick you out of this car" I argued.

"I'd like to see you try" he taunted with a smirk.

"Don't tempt me" I smirked back, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You couldn't overpower me for more than ten seconds even if you wanted to, Lex" Logan scoffed. "I could pin you in two seconds flat"

"Challenge accepted" I remarked, with a wicked grin. "You better watch your back, Lo"

"You better watch your back, Lexie" he said back. He stared me down for a second, and then gave me a quick peck on the lips. I scowled.

"Hey" Dean said, glaring at us in the rearview. "No kissing in my baby or I will turn this car around"

"Oh, relax Dean" Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you've done much worse in here"

From the pleased expression on Dean's smirking face, I knew I was now disgusted and really didn't want to be in the backseat anymore. "Ew, De" I scoffed. "I have to sit back here!"

"Shut up" he replied, with a glare. He pulled into a rest stop. "Bathroom breaks" he insisted, hopping out of the car.

"We just left" Sam complained.

"Yeah" Dean said. "But I gotta pee and buy my m&ms before we hit the back roads"

Sam rolled his eyes and got out too. "You guys want anything?" he asked us. I shook my head, as did Logan, and he left.

Logan and I stared out of our respective windows, trying not to seem suspicious. I knew he was planning to attack. I was just waiting. It was tense, and I considered saying something, but before I could process anymore, he was on top of me.

I reached behind me and popped open the car door. It was too hard to flip us over inside. I scrambled my way out on my stomach, until I was lying on the concrete. Then I crawled backwards. Logan was able to get out way easier than me. He was trying to pin my arms already.

I used my legs to flip us over, so I was on top. Logan was quick to flip us over again. I flipped us over a third time, and stopped him from doing it again by wrapping my legs around him. He grinned and tried to wiggle his way out. "Six more seconds" I taunted.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, munching on some M&Ms. His appearance made me loosen my grip and Logan climbed out from under me.

"Damn" I stated, as I watched him climb back into the car. "Almost won, Sammy"

"You two aren't going to give this up, are you?" he asked, shutting the car door behind me after I got in.

"No" we said in unison. We looked at each other and glared, both smiling slightly. Someone would win, no matter what. I would…well not die, but try my damned hardest before I let him win. You could bet on it.

Dean got back in the car and gave Logan and I confused looks. We were a little disheveled. My hair all over and Logan's jacket was falling off. "What happened?"

"Nothing" I said, with a grin.

Dean just blinked and started driving. We drove in silence for awhile. I rested my head on Logan's shoulder, and we listened to my IPod together. It was easy and simple. We had to drive all the way to uptown New York, which was like almost a day away. We had already been driving for twelve hours when Logan fell asleep. His soft snores put me to sleep too. I woke up almost six hours later, my head on his lap.

I sat up. He smiled. "Why didn't you wake me up?" I grumbled, wiping the sleepiness out of my eyes.

"You're cute when you're asleep" he stated, giving me his winning smile.

"Thanks, I guess" I laughed, yawning. "How far are we?"

"Four hours" Dean said, from the passenger seat. I guess he needed a break from driving, since Sam was driving now. "You guys hungry?" I nodded.

We hit up the next diner, and I ordered chicken tenders like always. I ate happily, my boyfriend next to me. I still noticed Sam's discontented glances. Whether my boyfriend was here or not, my father was still gone again, and we were all still hurting. I was pretty sure Dean had gone to Logan's for me just to shut me up for awhile. I had always been more vocal about it when someone pissed me off. Sam preferred the silent and brooding style.

I was still upset though. "So what happened with those Daeva that got you that?" Logan asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. He pointed to the three lines on my forehead from the claws.

"Those sons of bitches are evil" Dean nodded, taking a bite of his bacon cheeseburger. "Never go near one"

"Gotcha" Lo nodded, still looking at me. "You got pretty messed up" he said, touching the lines on my head.

"We all did" I said, catching Sam's eyes. _In more ways than one_, I wanted to add. But I didn't. "So what is this case?" I asked, eating another fry.

"Three deaths all in the last month" Sam said. "All the same M.O."

"They show up with their heads chopped off and a mark on their right arm" Dean smiled, taking another bite happily. If only decapitation made everyone this happy. "But its not a typical psycho case" Dean said, to my questioning stare.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because of the mark" Sam replied, showing me a copy of it. "It's from the revolutionary times" He pulled up an article on his laptop. "See?"

It was a picture of a crude drawing of some kind of bird holding three rings that overlapped into what resembled a venn diagram. "Okay" I said, nodding, and pushing the laptop back towards him. "So?"

"So why the hell do three seemingly unrelated people all have marks burned into their skin?" Sam asked. "They don't even all go to the same schools, churches, or any other places. They don't even love close to each other"

"I don't know" I replied. "Maybe it's a cult"

"But they don't have any connections?" Logan asked. "I don't think so"

"Then I don't know" I stated, rolling my eyes. "So sorry to disappoint"

Dean threw a twenty down on the table, and stood up. "Our first stop is the city morgue" He ate one last fry and headed out the door, winking at the waitress as he walked out. Sam and I shared and confused look and sighed. Logan took my hand and we followed him out to the Impala.

"I just want to get this hunt started with so that we can hunt some stuff down" I stated to Logan. "I'm excited"

He gave me a funny look. "You're very nonchalant about this" he said."We're talking about decapitated people"

"No" I said, "We're talking about my job" I paused. "Every hunt I see decapitated—"I thought for a second. "I see dead people all the time"

"Okay Haley Joel" Logan smiled. "Don't let me ruin your fun"

"Don't worry" I laughed. "I won't"

We entered the morgue, all four of us together. I wondered silently what our story was this time. Reporters? Med students? We hadn't collaborated on it or anything. I guess we were just going to roll with whatever Dean or Sam came up with. The man at the desk was already shooting us skeptical glances the moment we walked in. "Can I help you?" he asked us, looking Dean over.

"Uh…" Dean stuttered. I guess he really didn't think it through either. Now that there were four of us, stories were harder to come up with on the spot.

I glanced at the pile of papers to the right of the man, and read the names. Apparently, there were some people coming to identify a body, a Martha Wexler, at noon. The clock said eleven forty five. The people had just arrived.

"We're here to identify my aunt" I said, tearing up, and grabbing Logan's hand. "They said to come here?"

"Name?" he asked us.

"My name or her name?" I asked. "Her name was Martha Wexler"

Sam and Dean and Logan all shot me surprised looks. "We really would just like to get this over with" Sam said, going with my story right away. That was just how we worked. It was easy as breathing to us sometimes.

The man looked to his left at the paper that I had spied, and then nodded. "Alright" he said."Follow me back"

We did, and he pulled the woman out of the cold chamber, and unzipped the body bag. I tried not to grimace. This was supposed to be my aunt after all. Sam nudged me lightly on the shoulder, so I started bawling, and leaned into him for support. "I'm sorry" Sam said, holding and patting me on the back. "Can we have a few minutes alone to say goodbye?"

The technician looked uneasily at my tear-stained face and nodded. "Sure, sure" he said, backing away. "Take all the time you need" He shut the door behind him. I stopped the tears and sighed, wiping my face.

"Nice one" Dean slapped me on the back. "Quick thinking"

"Thanks" I remarked, slightly confused. Dean usually didn't give me pats on the back like that. It just didn't happen. I glanced at where Logan and Sam were searching through the cabinets for our victims.

"It says cause of death on these two were blunt trauma to the head" Logan said. "Also abrasions like they were dragged and the burn of course"

"Same" Sam said, going to pull out the latest body from its chamber. "Brace yourself" he stated, and unzipped the bag. The head was in a container next to the body, closed airtight. The body was open for all to see. It was disgusting. I can spare all the grisly details.

I groaned in disgust and watched him look at the burn. "It's definitely fresh" I stated. I watched Sam turn over the arm and note the burn, which was still red and puffy. It was definitely done post mortem. I looked at the nub where the head had been at. "Looks like it was chopped off ny an axe" I said with disgust.

Sam pushed the thing back in. "Okay" he said. "I think we should go"

"I agree" Logan complied, looking a little green.

"Cool" Dean said, snapping his gloves off. "Wanna catch some dinner?" he asked us. We all looked at him like he was crazy and shook our heads.

"Tears" Lo instructed me as we headed back out to the lobby. I leaned into him, sniffling again. "Thanks" he said to the man as we headed out. The man nodded.

We got into the Impala. "Research time" Sam remarked. "Library?"

Dean groaned, but pulled out a map and scanned it. "About ten minutes away" he said. "Let's get this over with"

I sat in my chair at the four person table with all my boys, and sighed. "This is pointless" I stated. "There's nothing in these files. Nothing!" I closed the current death report Sam had insisted in "borrowing" from the morgue.

"There are no similarities?" he asked me. "Absolutely nothing?"

"I'll check again" I sighed, and kept going at it. I looked at everything with the three victims, then stopped. "They were all by the cemetery?" I said, with a shrug. "Or found close by"

"That's a start" Dean sighed, clicking around on the computer.

"Whoopee" I said. "But why would they all be at the cemetery? And what killed them?"

"That's what we're trying to find out" Sam snapped, annoyed at me.

I sat back in my chair. "Sorry" I scoffed. "I'm just annoyed"

"Yeah?" He asked. "Well I am too" He went back to what he was doing, and I looked to Logan for some explanation to Sam's snippy behavior, but he was just as confused looking as I was. I sighed, and went to the computer.

I googled the cemetery, and then figured out it had a plot location system set up. That made my life a lot easier. I looked up all the victim's last names, and found out that all their families reserved plots were really close to each other. In fact, they all surrounded this mausoleum that was there. "Well I found the connection" I said, showing them my findings. "I just don't know what it has to do with anything"

"Yeah" Dean said. "Maybe a vengeful spirit there is pissed about something, and they all got in its way or something?"

"And cut their heads off?" Sam asked. "And what about the symbol?"

"You said it was revolutionary war, right?" Logan asked. Sam nodded. "Well then the solution is obvious!" he grinned. We all stared at him expectantly. "It's the headless horseman!"

We were all silent for a moment. "Nice" Dean said. He closed his books. "I think we all better head back to a motel, hit the sack for the day"

"I think we should visit the victim's families first" Sam said. "Get a scope on whether they were all at the cemetery around the time they died"

"Fine" Dean groaned. "I call the girl"

"Me and Logan will hit up the college kid" I said, standing up. "Meet back here at seven?"

"Sure" Sam sighed. "I'll go to the old guy's house"

Logan and I headed out the door and walked the three blocks to the college campus. I picked it because I knew it wasn't far. We walked hand in hand into the student center. Some guy had said that the kid's brother hung out in here a lot on weeknights, studying. "That's gotta be him" Logan said, motioning to the kid sitting at a table, his eyes on his laptop. "He looks just like his brother"

I walked over and thought for a second before speaking. "Stay here" I said to Logan. "Hey" I said, sitting down. He glanced at me, and then Logan. "You're Greg Patterson, right?"

"Yeah" he said, shutting his laptop. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Lexie" I said, holding out my hand. "I'm writing an article? About your brother?"

He tensed. "Oh" he said, and sighed. "You work for the paper?"

"Yes" I stated, with a nod.

"Really?" he asked me in surprise. "You look to beautiful to work for the paper" I felt myself blush a deep red. "I thought all paper kids were dorks"

"I'm different I guess" I choked out. I could feel Logan glaring at my back.

Greg glanced me over. "Yeah, I can tell" he smiled.

"Right—so, uh" I stuttered. "About your brother?"

Greg gave a sad smile. "He was a great kid" he sighed. "He was two years younger than me. We lost our dad young, so I took care of him a lot"

"How sweet of you" I stated.

"You think so?" he asked, hopefully.

"Yeah" I said, not wanting to completely turn him off. If I did that, he probably wouldn't be so keen to answer my questions, which were about to get weird. "When did your dad die?"

"Actually, it would be a fifteen years as of two weeks ago" Greg said. "That's probably why Paul was found near the cemetery. He was going to visit my dad, like we do every year"

"Huh" I said, nodding. "Interesting"

"I guess" Greg said, uncomfortably. "So, uh, what is your article about?"

"It's about the recent deaths by…well, you know" I said. "Like what happened to Paul , your brother"

"The cops think it's some whack job" Greg said. "I hope they catch him"

"Me too" I smiled. "Well" I said, going to stand up. Greg grabbed my hand. "What?" I smiled. Logan was approaching now.

"Maybe you should give me your number?" he asked. "In case I remember something you should know? About Paul I mean?"

Logan stared at me expectantly. I really didn't want to turn him down, in case he did actually remember something, but if I did give him my number, it was safe to say Logan would be pissed. "I'll give you the number to my editor" I said, and gave him Dean's number.

"Thanks" he said, happily. I got up and walked back to Logan, who put his arm around my shoulder.

"What was that?" he asked me as we exited. "You gave him your number? Do you normally do this on hunts? Flirt around?"

"Lo" I sighed. "I gave him Dean's number, in case he remembered something. And no, I don't usually "flirt around" Would you calm down?"

"Whatever" he scoffed, and started walking a lot faster than me. I kept up as best as I could. "I just can't believe you did that right in front of me"

"I'm sorry" I said, with a sigh. "I promise, I don't usually do that"

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and sighed. "You look so damn cute when you're begging for forgiveness"

"I know" I perked up, leaning on him. "I'm just cute like that"

"I guess I can't blame him for thinking your great" he said, taking my hand. He kissed me on the forehead, which let me know he was still a tad upset. I silently prayed that Greg would not call. Ever.

We met Sam and Dean back at the library, and then proceeded to get a motel. Logan was going to have to sleep on the couch like I usually did, while Sam and I shared a bed. Logan and I lounged on the couch after telling Sam and Dean about what we found out. I was grateful that Lo left out the details of the kid hitting on my. Overprotective Dean wasn't something I wanted to deal with right now.

Logan gave me a smile when I looked at him, and dived on me again, trying to pin me down. I squirmed under him, laughing as he tickled me. "No fair!" I shouted. "That's cheating!"

"We never set up rules" he said back, holding me down.

"Fine!" I yelled, through laughter, and pinched him hard. He yelped, and I flipped us over. I smiled wickedly, and he pushed me off.

"Well" he said. "Now that is cheating"

"We never set up rules" I giggled.

Logan gave me a glare that just made me laugh more. He was sent out to get food a little later with Sam while Dean and I sat in silence. Dean glanced at me. "So" he said, shutting the laptop. "What's up with the silent treatment?"

"I'm not giving you the silent treatment" I said. "I just don't have anything to say right now"

Dean stared me down. "You always have something to say" he said. "Unless you're avoiding a subject, or hiding something. So let's get this over with. Which is it?"

I paused, leaning over the arm of the chair to stare at him. "I'm glad you let Logan come and everything," I started. "But you're just trying to keep my occupied. You don't want me to talk about dad, and you know Sam isn't going to say anything, so to shut me up you brought my boyfriend along"

He stared at me. "We don't have to talk about dad" he said finally. "We were a danger to him"

"He's in danger whether we're with him or not!" I exclaimed, annoyed. "We might as well have stayed together!"

"You heard what Meg said" Dean stated. "He'll come if we're in trouble. We're his weakness! Why would we let him be weak?"

"Better weak with us than weak without" I scoffed, sinking into the couch. "And Sam thinks so too"

"Well he's not saying anything" Dean replied.

"Oh please" I replied. "You've seen his moody attitude lately. He's totally upset. You just don't want to deal with it"

The door opened, and we immediately shut up. That was just what Dean and I did. We fought, but kept it to ourselves most of the time. It was easier to deal with that way. Logan and Sam brought in the food and we ate in silence. Dean and I avoided each other's gazes, Sam brooded, and Logan just looked confused. Welcome to the Winchester world of avoiding our feelings.

I took a walk after dinner. I needed some time to clear my head. Today had been stressful. I thought having your boyfriend around was supposed to be great. So far, it was just making things more complicated, all thanks to Dean. I kicked a stone, and walked with my head down. Before I knew where I was, I found myself on the opposite side of the street as the cemetery where the bodies were found. We were going to be coming here the next day to check it out.

I took this opportunity to peer in the padlocked gates. It was empty. No one was inside. It was only dusk, but it already creeped me out a little. I went into cemeteries a lot, and they still gave me the willies when I was alone.

I felt the bars to the gate grow colder. I let go, staring at them in confusion. When I glanced back up, I thought I saw someone inside. I squinted through the slight fog, and saw a…horse? I backed away slightly, and stared. It was moving quickly towards me now, and my eyes widened. The horse was in a full gallop. I looked to the rider. He had no head.

I reached into my boot for my knife, and dropped it. I reached down to grab it, and when I looked back up, there was nothing there. The headless horseman was gone.

I put the knife back and ran the way back to the motel. "Guys" I said, bursting through the door. "Guys, I saw the ghost"

"What?" Sam asked. "You went to the graveyard alone? I thought you were going for a walk?"

"I just sort of ended up there" I panted, still out of breath. "But—"

"So you went to a supposedly haunted graveyard all alone without any weapons or knowing anything?" Dean asked, deadpan. He looked at me like he always did when he wanted me to admit something I did was wrong. I swear it was like he was my father sometimes.

"Yeah" I said. "Like I said, it wasn't planned. But listen"

"We are" Dean said. "What happened?"

"I saw a…well I don't know" I admitted. "I think it really was the headless horseman"

Logan, Sam and Dean all stared at me like I was crazy. "You know I was completely kidding when I said that, right?" Lo asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know" I said. "But I'm not. I swear that's what I saw"

"I really doubt it was the headless horseman, Lex" Sam said. "I mean, this isn't Sleepy Hollow, or whatever"

"I know" I said, earnestly. "Maybe it's a copycat. Just, can we go check it out? Please?"

Dean and Sam shared a glance. "Sure" Dean said. "We'll EMF it up, but if we don't find anything…"

"Okay" I said. "Deal"

We headed back to the cemetery, and this time even went inside. The grave keeper let us in. There was no sulfuric scent. No spike on the EMF. Nothing. Zippo. Nada. I was even started think I was going crazy. "I swear I saw something, you guys"

"Well whatever it is, it's not showing up on anything" Sam sighed. "You sure you aren't just upset, and seeing things? Or that that's what you saw?"

"I'm positive" I stated, annoyed. Did they really think I dragged them all the way out here on a hunch? I may be crazy, but I had not been hallucinating earlier. I knew what I saw.

"Well I'm tired" Dean said, heading out. "We'll check out the cemetery in the morning"

"Fine" I stated, following him out, begrudgingly. "Whatever"

I went into the motel room, and went on the computer, back to the cemetery's website just to see if there were any local legends or anything. I noticed something that I hadn't before. The mausoleum that all three victim's families were next to was the one of a revolutionary soldier, unnamed. It was being moved across the cemetery. That would definitely upset a ghost.

I showed Sam, but he wasn't impressed. "Yeah" he said. "I don't know, Lex"

"What do you mean you don't know" I said, showing it to him. "It's attached to the victims; they're right by the place. It's a soldier. He could've had a horse. What aren't you sold on?"

"The fact that we swept all around the area, and we saw nothing. There are no sightings. No local legends" Sam said. "Just head to bed, we'll check it out tomorrow. Promise"

"Okay" I said, getting into bed. Dean was already passed out in his spots. I stared at the ceiling in determination to figure this out. Why was I the only one that this thing came for? Why did the SMF not catch it? Just what the hell in general?

I sat up after Sam was snoring, and Logan glanced at me. "Okay" he sighed. "Even in the dark I know that look"

"What look?" I whispered.

"The, I'm-going-to-do-whatever-the-hell-I-want-look-whether-my-brothers-want-me-to-or-not, look" he replied. "You're going to the cemetery aren't you?"

"You gonna come?" I asked, silently pulling on my boots. "Because we're going to have to be stealthy about it. Open the door, Dean will wake up. He has like a sixth sense for things that are wrong"

"No" he said. "I'm not going to piss you're brothers off right now. I'd like to get home safely with all my body parts intact, thank you"

"Fine" I said. "Then I'll go alone"

"No you won't"

"It's either you come with me or I go alone" I replied.

Logan looked in distress for a second, and then sighed. "Fine" he said. "How do we get out?"

I smiled. "Glad you asked" I stated. I headed to the bathroom and started the sink, so Dean couldn't hear me open the window. "C'mon" I said, shutting the sink off. I had the door closed and the light on so that if he did wake up, he would think I was in here. As for where Logan was, I didn't think he's notice. The couch wasn't in his direct line of vision.

I hopped out the window, Logan close behind. "You sneak out a lot?" he asked me.

"Nope" I said.

"Well you have this very well thought out" he said, as we walked to the graveyard.

"I never said that I never have snuck out" I smiled.

"And what do you do on these nightly escapades?" he asked me, snaking his arms around my waist.

"I can't tell you" I said, leaning in for a kiss. "I could be arrested"

"I like a girl with a bad streak" he chuckled, his lips meeting mine. I let him kiss me for a few minutes before I pulled away. "Hey" he moaned, annoyed.

"We gotta get this job done" I said, with a smile. "Then fun"

"Don't I come before work?" he asked.

"No" I smiled, with a laugh.

"Good to know where your priorities lie" He said, rolling his eyes. I kissed him and we hopped the fence into the cemetery. We staked out by the gate with binoculars and the EMF. And then we waited. And waited. And waited.

Nothing was happening. I looked over to the mausoleum. "Okay, wait here" I said. "I'm going to check the place out"

He said nothing as I stalked towards the building with my flashlight in hand. I kicked the lock off, and entered silently. It was eerie inside, cobwebs covering every surface. Although, it looked disturbed. Something, or someone, had been in here recently. It was probably from the moving crew.

I noted the symbol on the grave. It was the same one from the burns on the victims. I couldn't believe that Sam and Dean hadn't believed me. This was all way too much of a coincidence for me. I headed out, to notice that a dense fog had set in.

I walked back to Logan. "The symbols from the victims was on the grave inside" I said. "Believe me now?"

"I believe you" he said, with a sigh. "I just can't believe it's the headless horseman"

I shook my head and sighed. Then I paused. "Well you're about to find out" I said, hearing hoof beats. Logan just stared at me. "Can't you hear that?" I asked. He shook his head.

I glanced around. "I can't see much in this fog" he said.

I saw a figure move past him. "There" I said, as the headless horseman galloped towards us, "Run!"

I took off, running for the woods. I figured that it was my best bet. We could lose him in the tree cover. Logan and I sprinted through the woods, the hoof beats close behind the entire time. I tripped, and then Logan tripped over me, and we landed in thick mud. We got back up and kept running until we crossed a small creek. Then they suddenly stopped.

We paused, panting, and then silently headed back to the motel. I was going to just go in through the window again, but the lights were on. "Busted" Logan whispered.

"I can't believe you!" Dean shouted. "How am I supposed to trust you if you sneak off with your boyfriend the moment I go to sleep?"

"I—"

"And you go to the cemetery all alone and unarmed?" He yelled. "You couldn't have taken a gun? Or at least made me go with you? You could've gotten hurt! And I'm supposed to be taking care of Logan. What if something happened? What would I tell Joshua?"

"Dean" I said. "We saw it" I looked to Logan. "Tell them"

He looked uneasy. "We found the burn symbol on the mausoleum" he said.

"That's not what I meant" I scoffed. "We were chased by the damn thing into the woods. That's why we're all muddy" I looked to Logan. "Tell them about _that_"

"I can't'" he said with a shrug. "I didn't even see it"

My stomach dropped. "What?" I asked.

"It was foggy…"He trailed off. "You freaked and I just followed"

Dean looked at me expectantly. "Dean, can you and Logan go grab coffee? Me and Lex need to talk alone" Sam said suddenly.

Dean looked from him to me and sighed. He wanted to yell at me some more. Logan stood up and followed him out. Sam looked at me. "What?" I asked. "I went with my intuition, and I'm not sorry. So you can skip the lecture"

"I just…" He stopped. "This is about dad, isn't it?" he asked. "You're acting out because your mad at us"

I just rolled my eyes. "You need to lay off the Dr. Phil"

"I'm serious!" he said. "You can't just do these things and then expect us to believe you! You sound nuts, Lex"

"Sam" I said. "I swear this has nothing to do about dad. This is about the fact that all these things in the case add up, and none of you even care that I solved it. You never believe me. Remember the case with Logan last time? I was right then too"

"I do believe you" he said. "I just don't get why you had to go behind my back to do this"

"Can we just check out the cemetery tomorrow night?" I said. "I'll prove it then"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead like he always did when I pissed him off more than he could handle. "Fine" he stated. "But if we don't find anything, you're done on this case, you hear me?"

"Okay" I said. "Deal"

The next day and a half was pure torture. All I got was no alone time, and Dean and Sam had a constant eye on me. They thought I was going to do something stupid. I just let it go, telling myself that this time I would prove it.

This time, I would be right.

We waited until dusk, and then headed to the cemetery. I walked directly to the mausoleum. Everyone was following me, and I hoped that I wasn't wrong. I wasn't crazy, right?

We waited again, right outside. The dense fog started in about midnight, like last time, and like last time, it was eerily silent. I just sat in silence with bated breath. I was ready. I heard the hoof beats, but said nothing, just looking to Sam, whose eyes widened.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah" Logan and Dean said together.

I smiled happily. "I owe you three the biggest I told you so ever"

"Yeah, yeah" Dean scoffed. "Wipe the damn smile off your face" He cocked his shotgun. "We got work to do"

The hoof beats steadily got louder, and then I could see him. "There!" I shouted.

"Go" Dean said to us. "Burn the sucker!"

Logan and I ran into the mausoleum, and started the chip away at the rock with whatever we could find. I could hear shots going off, and Dean swearing. The horseman was close. I could hear him. He came right through the wall, and took an axe swing at Logan. He avoided him, and I got an idea. "Lo, get him to hit the wall!"

"How?" he shouted back, dodging the swings of the axe.

"I don't know!" I yelled. I desperately moved out of the way, as Dean came barreling in, shotgun blazing. The horseman took one last swing at Logan, chipping at the wall. I was now able to start tearing more away.

Logan and I pulled the coffin out, and Dean shot the ghost with rock salt. He was gone for the moment, but would come back with a vengeance. I poured salt on, and Logan added the lighter fluid. "He's coming!" Sam yelled.

Both he and Dean, who were by the doors, were flung out, and Logan and I were alone. He tried to light the lighter. I could hear Dean and Sam pounding at the doors. My heart was beating wildly. I reached for the padlock, and prayed it was made of iron.

I swung it around, trying to get the damn horseman to leave. "Hurry up!" I yelled.

"It won't light!" he shouted back.

"Well make it!" I screamed, ducking.

"Trying!"

I rolled out of the way as Logan went flying into the wall, and I went to. He passed out, having hit his head, while I rolled around trying to get my breath back. I grabbed for the lighter, and was almost cut up by the axe. I grabbed it, and tried to get it to light.

The horseman was off his horse now, his head in his hand. He was carrying it like a ball. He approached me, and then I smiled. The lighter lit. He went to take a swing, and I tossed the lighter sideways, into the coffin. It lit up like a bonfire.

"Sucker" I coughed, as he disappeared.

Sam and Dean came running in. "You did it" Sam sighed, helping me up.

"I know" I said cockily. Hey, this was my moment, and I was going to milk it for all it was worth. "And I was right"

"And you were right" he agreed with a short laugh. Dean helped Logan up, who was grinning happily, even though he now had a gash on his forehead. "C'mon" Sam said. "Let's get out of here"

We drove all the way back to Logan's over the next day and a half. We slept in the backseat most of the time. When we got there, Joshua patched us all up and Logan and I went out to our pond on the four wheelers, while Dean and Sam explained the case to Joshua.

We lay next to each other just watching the clouds. It was peaceful and easy. Even though this last few days had been more than stressful and full of angst, I couldn't help but wonder where my dad was. I hoped he was okay.

"Hey" Logan said, starting to kiss me. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing" I smiled, and started to kiss him back. I lay almost on top of him now, and deepened the kiss. I backed off for a moment and smiled. "Guess what?" I laughed. "I win"

He furrowed his eyebrows at me. "That doesn't count" he argued.

"What part of we have no rules don't you understand?" I giggled, kissing him again.

He smiled as we kissed. "Okay" he relented. "I guess I don't mind so much"

"I thought you would say that" I laughed again.

"Lex!" Sam shouted. "C'mon, we're heading out!"

I stood up and kissed Logan goodbye. Sam and I stood by the car waiting for Dean. "I'm sorry we didn't believe you right away" he said. "You were right in more ways than one"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You were right about the case, but you were right about dad too" he said. "I still feel like you're my kid sister. But you're smart and a good hunter now"

"Thanks, Sammy" I smiled. "That means a lot"

Dean joined us, and I waved goodbye to Logan as we drove away. I stared out the window, and even though my world was crap right now, I couldn't help but smile. This time, just this time, I could let someone else be strong. I got to finally just be happy. So I smiled to myself and just let myself be. Tomorrow wouldn't be so easy after all.

**Another Author's note: There you go! I should have the next chapter up in a day or so. I'm definitely going to do season two, to all those wondering. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Hit me up with that review button right below! =D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Logan is going to be pretty much absent from these next few episodes, just so you know. I plan on finishing season 1, and then adding more of him back in. Season two is going to be more interesting as far as Lexie's original story line goes. You'll find out exactly how she fits in to the end game and everything. It's gonna be Epic! Okay, I'll shut up now. Haha. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty**

"Lex" Dean said, turning around and hitting me on the arm. "Check this out" He looked at Sam, who was asleep, and put a plastic spoon in his mouth. Sam just kept on snoring.

"Oh yeah, Dean" I said, as he took a picture. "Very mature"

He grinned. "Oh c'mon, it's funny" he said, pointing. He moved the spoon a little. Sam didn't even flinch. He always had been a deep sleeper.

I couldn't help but crack a smile. I pulled out my phone and took a picture. "Okay, wake him up. Let's see what he does"

He smiled and blasted the music in the car. Sam shot up, looking around crazily like something was going to attack him. He immediately spit out the spoon. Dean just ignored all that and drummed his hands on the steering wheel.

Sam turned the volume down and glared. "Haha, very funny"

Dean chuckled. "Sorry. Not a lot of scenery here in east Texas, you kind of gotta make your own" Sam gave him a look and he just laughed. I cracked a smile too.

"Man, we're not kids anymore, Dean" Sam said. "We're not gonna start that crap up again"

"Start what up?" Dean asked.

"That prank stuff—"Sam explained. "It's stupid, and it always escalates"

"You just think it's dumb because you didn't get to see it" I said, holding up my phone. "Want to? I snapped a picture"

Sam growled and tried to take it from me. "Delete that" he insisted.

"Oh, what's the matter, Sammy, you afraid you're gonna get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?" Dean asked. I smiled remembering the past pranks Dean had played on him.

"All right" Sam sighed. "Just remember, you two started it"

"Oh, bring it on, Baldy" Dean grinned.

"Where are we, anyway?" Sam asked, looking out the window.

"Few hours outside of Richardson" Dean said. "Give me the lowdown again"

Sam picked up the paper off the dashboard and started to read. "All right, about a month or two ago, this group of kids goes pokin' around in this local haunted house"

"Haunted by what?" I asked.

"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit" he replied. I wondered what the hell misogynistic meant. "Legend goes, it takes girls and strings 'em up in the rafters. Anyway, this group of kids sees this dead girl hangin' in the cellar"

"Anybody ID the corpse?" Dean asked.

"Well, that's the thing. By the time the cops got there, the body was gone" he said. "So, cops are sayin' the kids were just yankin' chains"

"Well, maybe the cops are right" Dean said.

"Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids' firsthand accounts. They seem pretty sincere" Sam said, putting the paper back down.

"Where'd you read these accounts?" Dean asked.

Sam was hesitant. "Well, I knew we were gonna be passing through Texas. So, uh, last night I searched some local….paranormal websites" I rolled my eyes. Those sites were filled with loads of crap stories made up to scare people. The real stuff was much scarier. "And I found one" Sam added.

"And what's it called?" I asked.

Sam reluctantly sighed. "Hell Hound's Lair dot com"

"Let me guess, streaming live out of Mom's basement" Dean said, with a smirk.

I laughed. "Yeah, probably" Sam replied.

"Yeah, most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the persqueeter" Dean added.

"Look, we let Dad take off"

"Which was a mistake, by the way" I cut him off.

Sam sighed. "And now, we don't know where the hell he is, so, in the meantime, we've got to find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checkin' this thing out"

"All right" Dean sighed. "So, where do we find these kids?"

"Same place you always find kids in a town like this" I said, with a grin. We pulled up to the drive in not much later, and I was not happy to have to go and investigate these stupid teens story. I sat down with four different ones, and got four completely different stories.

"It was the scariest thing I ever saw in my life. I swear to God"

"From the moment we walked in. The walls were painted black—"

"Red—"

"I think it was blood"

"With all these freaky symbols"

"Crosses and stars—"

"And pentagons—"

"Pentecostals"

"Whatever. I had my eyes closed the whole time"

"But I can damn sure tell you this much, no matter what anybody else says"

"That poor girl"

"With the black—"

"Blonde—"

"Red hair, just hanging there"

"Kicking—"

"Without even moving"

"She was real"

"A hundred percent"

"And kinda hot" the last one said. "Well, you know, in a dead sort of way"

"Okay, uh…." Dean sighed. After hearing this story about a girl, with black, blonde and red hair that was just hanging there while kicking and yet not moving, in a house with red and black walls with symbols painted in blood, I knew why I hated teenagers again.

"And how'd you find out about this place, anyway?" I asked all of them.

"Craig" they all said.

Well at least they could agree on something.

We walked into the record store, looking for Craig. "Gentlemen, can I help you with anything?" said a kid, a little older than me.

"Yeah, are you Craig Thurston?" Sam asked him.

He nodded. "Well, we're reporters with the _Dallas Morning News_. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Alexis" he said, pointing to us.

"No way" he said excitedly. "Yeah, I'm a writer, too. I write for my school's lit magazine."

"Oh, good for you, Morrison" Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"We're doing an article on local haunting, and rumor has it you might know about one" I said, shooting Dean a look.

"You mean the Hell House?"Craig asked.

"That's the one" I nodded.

"I didn't think there was anything to the story" he shrugged.

"Why don't you tell us the story?" Sam asked.

"Well, supposedly, back in the thirties, this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in the house with his six daughters" he began. "It was during the Depression. His crops were failing. He didn't have enough money to even feed his own children. So, I guess that's when he went off the deep end"

I narrowed my eyes. "How?"

"Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick rather than starve to death" he said. "So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop. But he just strung them up, one after another. And then, when he was all finished, he turned around and hung himself. Now, they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringin' up any other girl who goes inside"

"But where'd you hear all this?" Dean asked, looking skeptical.

"My cousin, Dana, told me. I don't know where she heard it from" he said. "You've gotta realize I didn't believe this for a second"

"But now you do?" Sam asked.

"I don't know what the hell to think, man" he said. "Guys, I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, okay? That girl was real, and she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, okay?"

I looked at Sam in confusion. "Thanks" Dean said, pulling us out with him. He got in the car and smiled. "I think it's time we pay this hell house a visit"

We pulled up to the road to get back to the house, and walked the rest of the way up. It was too far away from the road to take the car. It would get stuck. As we got closer, and I could see the house, I knew why everyone thought I was haunted. It was desecrated and falling over. The wood was rotted and it looked like no one had been there for years.

"Can't say I blame the kid" Sam said. "I wouldn't want to come here either"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, so much for curb appeal"

We got closer and Dean pulled out the EMF. It started beeping. "You got somethin'?" I asked.

"Yeah. The EMF's no good" Dean replied.

"Why?"I asked.

Dean nodded towards the telephone pole. "I think that thing's still got a little juice in it. It's screwin' with all the readings"

"Yeah, that'd do it" Sam said, looking up at the pole.

"Yep. Come on, let's go" Dean replied, and entered the house.

The walls were ragged and there was peeling wall paper on them. The symbols on the walls and floor were red, but nowhere near close to blood. Blood was thicker, darker. "Looks like Old Man Murdoch was a bit of a tagger during his time" Dean said, looking at the symbols.

"And after his time, too" Sam said, pointing to the one called the sigil of sulfur. "The reversed cross has been used by Satanists for centuries, but this sigil of sulfur didn't show up in San Francisco until the sixties"

Dean and I just rolled our eyes. Leave it to Sam to make it all technical. "This is exactly why you never get laid" Dean scoffed. "Hey, what about this one? You seen this one before?" he asked, pointing to the picture.

Sam glanced at it. He took a picture on his phone. "No"

"I have" Dean said thoughtfully, staring at it. "Somewhere"

"It's not even blood" I said, touching it. "It's paint. Seems pretty fresh, too"

"I don't know, guys" Dean sighed. "I mean, I hate to agree with authority figures of any kind, but the cops might be right about this one"

"Yeah, maybe" Sam said, with a shrug.

There was a small noise from the other room. I followed Dean and Sam towards it. We moved slowly, trying to sneak up on it. They crashed through the door. Two of the geekiest looking boys scoffed and sighed at the sight of us. I let go of the hand I had protectively on the gun in my pants. They had a bunch of technical equipment on them including a camera.

"Cut! Just a couple humans" said one with red hair and a beard. "What are you guys doing here?"

"What the hell are _you_ doin' here?" Dean ased.

"Uh, we belong here" he said cockily. "We're professionals"

"Professional what?" I asked, stepping forward.

"Paranormal investigators" he said, as though it should've been obvious. He seemed annoyed that we were so dumb. He handed Sam, Dean, and I three business cards. "There ya go. Take a look at that, guys"

I looked down and rolled my eyes. "Oh, you've gotta be kiddin' me" Dean scoffed.

"Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler. Hell Hound's Lair dot com, you guys run that website" Sam said in shock. Ed nodded.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, we're huge fans" Dean said moving to the other side of the room.

"And, uh, we know who you guys are, too" Ed said, with a smile.

I caught Sam's eye nervously. "Oh, yeah?" Sam asked, anxiously.

"Amateurs" Ed stated. I huffed and looked to Dean. "Lookin' for ghosts and cheap thrills" Ed went on.

"Yeah" Harry said, waving his camera. "So, if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here"

"Yeah? What do you got so far?" I asked, feigning interest.

"Uh, Harry, why don't you tell 'em about EMF?" Ed said, as thought we should be shocked and awed at his magic.

Sam smirked, and pretended to be confused. "EMF?" he asked.

"Electromagnetic field" Harry said, talking to us like we were retarded or something. "Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector, like this bad boy right here" He pulled out an EMF that buzzed a little. "Whoa, whoa. That's 2.8" he said, looking at it in shock.

"2.8" Ed repeated to us.

"It's hot in here" Harry added.

"Wow" I said, looking impressed. "That is so cool" A 2.8 was like a friendly reminder that there could possibly be an outlet in the area.

Dean nodded. "So, have you guys ever really seen a ghost before, or—?"

"Once. We were, uh—we were investigating this old house, and we saw a vase fall right off the table" Ed said.

Harry nodded vigorously. "By itself"

"Well, we didn't actually see it, but we heard it" Ed corrected, looking at me. What, did he expect me to throw myself at his feet and cower at his cool vase hearing skills? He took a step towards me "And something like that, it, uh—it changes you"

I nodded, trying to look even more impressed. "That sounds sooo scary" I said. "You're so lucky you didn't get hurt"

"I know" Ed said with a bored sigh. "It just comes with the job, you know? Danger around every corner"

"Yeah. I think I get the picture" Dean said. "We should go—let them get back to work"

"Yeah, you should" Harry nodded.

"Sam? Lexie?" Dean said, leading us out. I rolled my eyes and followed.

"Well that was interesting" I said, looking at them. We got in the car. "Now what do we do?"

"Library" Sam said, pointing to the road. I groaned and we headed there. Dean left to go to the station and left Sam and I at the library. "This is weird" Sam said after awhile.

I spun around in my chair again. "Really?" I asked. "What?" I spun again. Sam put out a hand and stopped me.

"Would you help?" Sam asked. "Maybe then it would go faster"

I rolled my eyes and looked down and the records in front of me. I glanced at the page, not taking any of it in. "Okay" I said, "I'm not seeing anything"

"You barely looked" Sam said in annoyance. He spotted Dean waiting outside. "C'mon" he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm done anyway"

"Hey" I said, greeting Dean.

"Hey. What do you got?" he asked.

"Well, I couldn't find a Mordechai, but I did turn up a Martin Murdoch who lived in that house in the thirties" Sam replied. "He did have children, but only two of 'em—both boys. And there was no record he ever killed anybody"

"Huh" Dean said.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Well, those kids didn't really give us a clear description of that dead girl, but I did hit up the police station" Dean said. "No matching missing persons—it's like she never existed" We got to the car, and stopped. "Dude, come on, man. We did our digging, this one's a bust, all right? For all we know, those Hell Hound boys made up the whole thing"

"Dean's right Sam" I said with a sigh. "We got nothing"

"Yeah, all right" Sam said reluctantly.

"So, I say we find ourselves a bar and some beers, and leave the legend to the locals" Dean said, getting in. I went to get in too, but Sam stopped me. I gave him a confused look.

Dean turned on the car, and gasped when everything was on. The windshield wipers were going, the music was blasting, and the air conditioner was going nuts. Dean jumped, turning everything down. "What the—?" he said, looking at us. I put my hands up in surrender and got in, giving a small laugh.

Sam got in. He licked his finger, drew a one in the air, and pointed happily to himself. "That's all you got?" Dean asked. "That's weak. That is Bush-league"

"Would you two give it a rest?" I asked.

"You're just scared for when you get what's coming to you" Dean smiled. I glared at him, and then grinned.

"Bring it on"

I was awoken the next day by Dean throwing my jeans on me. "What?" I asked, pulling them on. "Something happen?"

"Sirens towards the Hell House" he said. "C'mon, we're going to check it out"

We went back to the hell house, sirens still blaring. A body was being carried out of the house. There were police and ambulances everywhere. "What happened?" Dean asked a random person.

"Couple of cops says that poor girl hung herself in the house" they replied.

Sam looked surprised. "Suicide?"

"Yeah" he nodded. "But she was a straight-A student, with a full ride to UT, too. It just don't make sense"

"What do you think?" Sam asked, as the person walked away.

I glanced at the body bag that was being loaded into the morgue truck. "I think maybe we missed somethin'" I said, glancing at the house.

"We gotta wait until nightfall" Dean said, walking off. Which was exactly what we did.

When the sun set, we headed back. There were still tons of cops around. We hid up behind some trees, and watched. "I guess the cops don't want anymore kids screwin' around in there" Sam said.

"Yeah, but we still gotta get in there" Dean said. He looked to the left and scoffed. "I don't believe it"

I looked over to see Ed and Harry coming up the hill to the house. "Seriously?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"I got an idea" Dean grinned. He stood up. "Who ya gonna call?" he yelled.

The sheriff closest to us turned around, spotting Ed and Harry. "Hey! You!" he yelled, chasing after them. Dean grabbed my arm and pulled me up. We sprinted into the house.

I pulled out my gun as we headed farther into the house. "Man, where have I seen that symbol before?" Dean asked, staring at the same one from the other day. "It's killin' me!"

"Come on, we don't have much time" Sam said, going into the cellar.

I headed down the steps slowly. There were shelves with jars of substances on them. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what they were. "Hey, Sam, I dare you to take a swig of this" Dean smiled.

Sam glared at him. "What the hell would I do that for?"

Dean paused. "I double-dare you" he smirked.

I laughed, picking up a jar. "I second that" Sam just shook his head. There was a scuffle noise in the other room. It seemed to be coming from the cabinet. Dean nodded for Sam to open the door.

I held my gun steady, ready for whatever was coming out. When he threw open the doors, several rats came out. "Ugh, I hate rats" Dean scoffed, looking disgusted.

"You'd rather it was a ghost?" Sam asked.

"Yes" Dean nodded. I scoffed and turned around to see Mordecai looking at me. I yelled and shot him a few times, as did Sam. He just disappeared, not hurt at all.

"You got your wish" I said clenching my teeth.

"What the hell kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?" Sam asked, looking around wildly.

"I don't know" Dean said. "Come on, come on" he urged, heading for the exit. We had nothing to fight this thing with. Mordecai reappeared and started smashing the shelves. He took a big swing at me and I ducked. The axe was closer to my head than I would have liked.

Sam pushed me out of the way, stopping the axe with his gun. "Go!" he yelled. "Get out of here"  
Dean and I ran, Sam on our heels seconds later. We busted out of the house, not stopping for anything. Ed and Harry were standing there.

"Get that damn thing out of my face!" Dean said, pushing their camera out of the way. We kept running.

"Sweet Lord of the Rings—run!" Harry screamed, running with us. The cops stopped them, putting them in the car. I just laughed and kept going.

We headed back to the motel room. Sam went right back to research on his laptop. Dean lay on the one bed trying to figure out where that symbol had come from. I turned on my IPod, and frowned. "Dean!" I exclaimed, holding it up. "Seriously? You erased all my music?"

"This stuff is better" he grinned. "You're welcome"

I groaned and flipped him off. Stupid pranks. "What the hell is this symbol? It's buggin' the hell outta me" Dean groaned. "This whole damn job is buggin' me"

"Well you're bugging me" I said, going through my IPod. He seriously deleted everything I had on there, and replaced it with his Metallica, Led Zeppelin, and Def Leopard. Oh I was going to get him back if it was the last thing I did.

"I thought the legend said that Mordecai only goes after chicks" Dean asked, ignoring me.

"He does" Sam replied.

"Right. Well, then that explains why he went after you and Lexie, but why me?"

Sam glared at him. "Hilarious" he stated. "The legend also says he hung himself, but you see those slit wrists?"

"Yeah" I nodded.

"What's up with that? And the axe, too. I mean, ghosts are usually pretty strict, right?" he asked. "Following the same patterns over and over?"

"But his mood keeps changing" I said. I flipped onto my stomach.

"Exactly" Sam nodded. "I'm tellin' you, the way the story goes—"he stopped. "Wait a minute"

"What?" Dean asked him. I glanced down and was stunned. Blue Oyster Cult.

"Someone added a new post into the Hell Hounds' site. Listen to this" he said. "They say Mordechai Murdoch was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity. Where the hell is this going?"

"Dean" I said, jumping onto his bed. "Look"

I pointed to the album cover on the IPod. It was Blue Oyster Cult's album, which had symbols on it. Including the one from the wall that Dean couldn't remember. "I don't know, but I think I might have just figured out where it all started" Dean smiled at Sam. "Good job ankle biter" He stood up and we followed him out of the motel room, back to Craig.

"Hey, Craig. Remember us?" I said with a smile as we entered the record store.

Craig looked up and grimaced. "Guys, I'm really not in the mood to answer any more of your questions, okay?" he said frustrated.

"Oh, don't worry, we're just here to buy an album, that's all" Dean said, starting to browse. He looked through and pulled out the Blue Oyster Cult album. "You know, I couldn't figure out what that symbol was, and then I realized, it doesn't mean anything. It's a logo for Blue Oyster Cult" he said, finally explaining the situation to Sam. "So, tell me, Craig—are you into BOC? Or just scarin' the hell outta people?" He handed the album cover to Craig and smiled. "So, why don't you tell us about that house without lyin' through your ass this time"

Craig sighed. "All right, um—my cousin, Dana, was on break from TCU, and I guess we were just bored, lookin' for something to do, so I showed her this abandoned dump I found" He paused, looking at the symbol on the album. "We thought it'd be funny if we made it look like it was haunted. So, we painted symbols on the walls—some from some albums, and some from some of Dana's theology textbooks. And then we found out this guy Murdoch used to live there, so we made up some story to go along with that" He looked up at us guiltily. "So, they told people, who told other people, and then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own. I mean, I thought it was funny at first, but….now that girl's dead" He started to cry a little. "It was just a joke, you know, I mean—none of it was real, we made the whole thing up, I swear"

"All right" Dean said, pulling me out. I was super confused. "If none of it was real, then how the hell do you explain Mordecai?" Dean asked, thinking the same way as me. Too bad I couldn't answer.

We headed back to the motel, and I was determined to get Dean back for erasing all my music. I waited until he was in the shower, and then took an empty bottle outside with me. Sam shot me a look, but said nothing. I went to the driver's side, and rolled down the window to where you couldn't see it anymore. I broke the bottle, leaving it on the ground and inside the car. It looked like the window had shattered.

I went back in as Dean was coming out of the bathroom. "Dean" I said, pretending to be frantic. "I didn't mean to I swear! The Impala just—"

"What?" he demanded, pulling jeans on still soaking wet. He ran outside and gasped when he saw the window. "Son of a bitch!" He glared at me and ran at me. I screamed, ducking around the car. He tackled me and sat on my stomach, stopping me from getting myself out from under him. "What did you do?" he demanded.

I tried to look afraid, but couldn't manage it. I laughed, nearly choking. "Did you try rolling the window up, dumbass?"

Sam rolled it up, looking at Dean expectantly. I smirked as Dean climbed off of me and checked out the window. He glared at me. "Oh, you are so dead"

"Think of it as payback for my IPod" I said, narrowing my eyes. We went back in the room, Dean sulking silently. He was mad that I got him so good. I had to admit, I was pretty good.

The next morning, we hung out for awhile, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It made no sense. If Mordecai wasn't even real, how in the hell was he swinging an axe at me. Dean had left not long ago without a word. I had a feeling he was up to something. I could however mess with Sam while he was gone.

I smiled and pulled out Sam's laptop. I only needed a few minutes. I right clicked on the internet icon, and made it so that every time you clicked on it, it would immediately shut the computer down. Dean came back, smiling like an idiot. He grinned even wider when he realized that Sam was in the shower. He took out a packet of itching powder and started to pour it on Sam's underwear. "What are you doing?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"What are _you_ doing?" he asked, looking at the computer.

I grinned. "Nothing"

"Yeah me neither" he said, pouring more on. "Hey, I'm back" he called to Sam happily.

"Hey. Where were you?" he called back, and I heard the water turn off.

"Oh, I went out" Dean said nonchalantly.

"So, I think I might have a theory about what's goin' on" Sam said.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. What if Mordecai is a tulpa?" Sam said.

"A tulpa?" I asked.

Sam came out, and Dean jumped, dumping tons of powder on his clothes. I snorted as he quickly tried to hide the powder. Luckily, Sam didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, a Tibetan thought form" he went on.

"Yeah, I know what a tulpa is" Dean scoffed. "Hey, why don't you get dressed? We'll go grab somethin' to eat" He went into the bathroom, and I stood up.

We went to the restaurant and ordered our food. Sam shifted uncomfortably, and Dean smirked. "Hey, what's your problem?" Dean asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine" Sam said.

We sat down, and I couldn't help but want to laugh at the grimace on Sam's face. "All right, so, keep goin', what about these tulpas?" I asked.

"Okay, uh, so there was this incident in Tibet in 1915. A group of monks visualized a golem in their heads" Sam explained. "They meditate on it so hard, they bring the thing to life—out of thin air"

"So?" I asked.

"That was twenty monks. Imagine what ten thousand web surfers could do" Sam said. "I mean, Craig starts a story about Mordecai, and it spreads, goes online. Now there are countless people all believing in the bastard"

"Okay, wait a second" Dean said, putting a hand up to stop him. "You're trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordechai, he's real?"

"I don't know, maybe" Sam replied, squirming again.

"People believe in Santa Claus. How come I'm not gettin' hooked up every Christmas?" Dean asked.

Sam pulled out his laptop. "'Cause you're a bad person" he clicked on something, opening a page that he had saved. My plan hadn't worked, yet. "And because of this" he said, showing us a picture. "That's a Tibetan spirit sigil on the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet you they painted this not even knowing what it was. Now, that sigil has been used for centuries—concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass. So, people are on the Hell Hounds' website, starin' at the symbol, thinkin' about Mordechai—I mean, I don't know. But it might be enough to bring a tulpa to life" 

"It would explain why he keeps changin'" Dean said.

"Right" Sam nodded. "As the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes, like a game of telephone. That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work"

"Yeah, 'cause he's not a traditional spirit, per se" I said, understanding.

Sam scratched. "Yeah" he agreed.

"Okay, so, uh, why don't we just get this spirit sigil thingy off the wall and off the website?" Dean asked.

"Well, it's not that simple. You see, once tulpas are created, they take on a life of their own" Sam replied.

"Great" Dean sighed. "All right, so, if he really is a thought form, how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?"

"Well, it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us" Sam said. "Check out their video" he showed us. It was of us from the previous night. "Since they posted the video, the numbers of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone"

He clicked on the internet, and his computer shut down. I grinned. "What happened?" I asked.

"Doesn't matter, I got an idea. Come on" Dean said, pulling me with him. Sam pressed something on the laptop, and groaned. I wanted to laugh, but said nothing. He just shut it.

"Where are we going?" I asked Dean.

"I gotta find a copy store" Dean said.

"Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or somethin'" Sam said, shifting around uncomfortably. I looked at Dean, who had busted out laughing. Sam glared. "You did this?" Dean walked off, still laughing to himself. "You're a friggin' jerk!" Sam called after him.

"Oh, yeah!" Dean shouted happily, opening the door. I rolled my eyes, laughing too, and left. Sam followed quickly.

Dean found his copy store, and we went to Ed and Harry to implement our plan. I hoped it would work. "This stuff right here—this is our ticket to the big time" Ed said inside their trailer. "Fame, money, sex. With girls, okay? Be brave" he urged. "Okay, WWBD. What would Buffy do? Huh?"

"What would Buffy do?" Harry asked. "I don't know, but, Ed, she's stronger than me"

"It's okay" Ed sighed.

I looked at Dean and wanted to laugh, but he just knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Harry called.

"Come on out here, guys, we hear you in there" Dean called. There was a pause, and then the door opened. "Oh, look at that. Action figures in their original packaging" Dean said, looking at their trailer. "What a shocker"

"Guys, we need to talk" Sam said.

"Yeah, um, sorry, guys" Ed said, not sounding sorry at all. "We're, uh—we're a little bit busy right now"

"Okay, well, we'll make it quick" Dean smiled.

"We need you to shut down your website" I stated.

Ed laughed, looking at Harry. "Man, you know, these guys get us busted last night, we spend the night in a holding cell"

"I had to pee in that cell urinal in front of people" Harry said, glaring at us. "And I get stage fright"

"Why should we trust you guys?" Ed asked, narrowing his eyes behind his glasses.

"Look, guys, we all know what we saw last night, what's in the house" Sam said. "But now, thanks to your website, there are thousands of people hearin' about Mordecai"

"That's right, which means people are gonna keep showin' up at the Hell House, runnin' into him in person—somebody could get hurt" I said.

"Yeah" Dean nodded.

"Ed, maybe he's got a point" Harry said slowly.

"No, no" Ed insisted.

Harry looked back at us and shook his head. "Nope"

"Okay, we have an obligation to our fans, to the truth" Ed added.

Dean glared. "Well, I have an obligation to kick both your little asses right now—"

"Dean, Dean, hey, hey. Forget it, all right?" Sam said. "These guys—I could probably bitch-slap them both. I could probably even tell 'em that thing about Mordecai –" Both Ed and Harry perked up. "-But they're still not gonna help us. So, let's just go""

"Yeah" I added. "I mean, if they aren't gonna help, we can't tell them about what we found"

"Yeah, you're right" Dean sighed. We started to walk off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Ed said, as they followed us. "What did you say about—? Hold on a second here"

"Wait, wait!" Harry called. "Yeah, what thing about Mordechai, you guys?"

"Don't tell 'em, Sam" Dean said slowly.

"But if they agree to shut their website down, Dean—" Sam said.

"They're not gonna do it" I said, shaking my head. "You said so yourself"

"No, wait, wait. Don't listen to him, okay? We'll do it" Ed said. We stopped walking and turned around. "We'll do it" Ed repeated.

"It's a secret, Sam" Dean said, warningly.

"Look, it is a pretty big deal, all right? And it wasn't easy to dig up" Sam said. "So, only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down"

"Totally" Ed nodded vigorously.

"All right" Sam smiled. Dean handed him the fake certificate from the copy store. "It's a death certificate from the thirties. We got it at the library. Now, according to the coroner, the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound"

"That's right, he didn't hang or cut himself" Dean nodded.

Harry looked at the paper. "He shot himself?"

"Yup. With a .45 pistol" Sam replied. "To this day, they say he's terrified of 'em"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, they say if you shoot him with a .45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds, you could kill the son of a bitch" Dean smiled.

Ed and Harry shared a smile. Then Harry booked it back to the trailer, with Ed not far behind. They were so going to put that on their website. We had tricked them. Now, it's just a waiting game.

We headed back to the motel, and Sam immediately went onto his laptop. I lay on the bed, and watched in glee as he tried to go onto the internet, only to have his computer shut down. He did this two more times, before I was holding back a laugh. "What the—"he said, annoyed. "I think my computer is messed up" I heard it shut down again, and busted out laughing. "Alexis!" Sam shouted, standing up. "What did you do?"

"Nothing" I said, innocently. "Why?"

He walked over and I stared at him, trying to look innocent. "Fix it" he demanded.

I smiled. "I don't—"

"Lexie" he said, pinning me down. "Fix it" I just laughed, and he started tickling me, making me laugh harder.

"Stop" I yelled, trying to kick him off of me. "SAM!" He just kept going, until I was able to flip myself off the bed and sit on him. He hooked his leg around mine, and flipped himself back to sitting on me.

"Fix it" he said, a smirk on his face.

I groaned and pushed him off. "Relax Sasquatch, I'll _fix_ it" I went over and changed it back. "There" I said, handing to him. "It's fixed"

"Thank you" he smirked.

"If you two are done" Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Can we go get something to eat? I'm starving" He headed out the door, not even waiting for our answer. I rolled my eyes, flattened out my hair, and then followed, closing the motel room door behind me.

We sat in a booth. I got chicken tenders, and ate them as Sam checked out the website on his fixed laptop. There was a wooden fisherman on a plaque that was holding a fish. Dean stared at it, and then pulled the string. It gave this high laugh, which was the most annoying thing on the planet. He grinned.

Sam pulled on the string to turn it off. Dean turned it on again. Sam turned it off again. "If you pull that string one more time, I'm gonna kill you" Sam said, looking at him over the computer screen.

Dean smiled and pulled the string again. Sam reached over me and stopped it. "Come on, man. You need more laughter in your life, you know, you're way too tense" Dean laughed. "Besides, it's not bothering Lexie"

I grinned. "I've just learned to ignore you" Dean threw a fry at my face. I ducked. "Very mature, Dean" I scoffed. Another one was launched at me. I threw one back. Sam smacked me on the arm.

"Just eat" he said.

"They post it yet?" Dean asked, shooting me a grin. Sam just turned the computer to face him. "We have learned from reputable sources that Mordecai Murdoch has a fatal fear of firearms."Dean read. "All right. How long do we wait?"

"Long enough for the new story to spread and the legend to change" Sam said." I figure by nightfall, iron rounds will work on the sucker" He picked up his beer and held it up.

"Sweet" Dean remarked, tapping his against Sam's. They both drank. Sam grinned as Dean took his sip. I looked at him, confused, and watched him laugh.

When Dean tried to put the bottle down, he couldn't. It was glued to his hand. I smirked, and Sam busted out laughing. Dean glared at it. "You didn't"

Sam held up a bottle of superglue. "Oh, I did" Sam laughed. I couldn't help but laugh at the shocked look on Dean's face. I pulled the fisherman string, making it laugh. Dean just glared, and went to the bathroom to scrape it off his hand.

I took a sip of my coke and was glad I was drinking out of a straw. That was, until Sam smiled at me. There was an incessant burning in my mouth. It felt like my mouth was on fire. I stupidly took another sip, and then realized that he had put something in my drink. "What?" I asked, sticking my burning tongue out. "What the hell?" I asked, and glared at him. He pointed to the bottle of hot sauce that was sitting next to me. "Sam!" I yelled.

I needed something to drink that wasn't hopped up on spices. I ran to the bathroom, and drank right out of the damn sink. Dean and I got in the car, annoyed as hell. It didn't matter that we probably deserved it, it was still not fair that my mouth felt like someone had set fire to it. We headed to the Hell House since it was dark out now.

"How are we going to get past the cops this time?" I asked, as we pulled up. I could see them paroling outside the house.

"I've got that covered" Sam smiled, pulling out the fisherman from the restaurant.

"You nicked a fisherman?" I asked. "Why?"

"You'll see" he grinned, and ran into the woods. I could hear the laughing start, and Sam came running back to us, where we were waiting in the bushes. The cops ran towards the noise. "C'mon" Sam said, pulling Dean and I towards the house.

We entered hesitantly. I had no gun, since Sam took mine. I only had a flashlight. "I barely have any skin left on my palm" Dean complained.

"I'm not touchin' that line with a ten-foot pole" Sam scoffed. Dean shone the flashlight in his face angrily. I smacked his hand down and pointed to the cellar.

"So, you think old Mordechai's home?" I asked.

"I don't know" Sam said.

"Me neither" said an unknown voice from behind us. I jumped and Sam and Dean aimed their guns at them. Ed and Harry gasped and screamed. "Whoa, whoa! Hey!" Ed said, stopping us.

"What are you tryin' to do, get yourself killed?" Sam demanded,

"We're just tryin' to get a book and movie deal, okay?" Ed said, putting his hands up. There was a noise that sounded like knives coming from the other room. "Oh, crap" Ed said, looking at the door. "Uh, guys, you wanna go open that door for us?"

"Why don't you?" Dean asked. Not more that a second later, Mordecai burst through the door. Sam and Dean shot him, and he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Dean motioned for me to stay put with the dweebs. I did, reluctantly. If these idiots got me killed….

We moved into the next room to see where he had gone. And why the rounds didn't kill him. "Oh, he's gone. He's gone"

"Did you get him?" Harry asked,

"Oh, yeah, they got him" Ed panted.

Harry scoffed. "No, on camera, did you get him on camera?" he demanded.

Ed looked innocently at him. "Uh, I…." Harry grabbed the camera in annoyance. Mordecai appeared and hit the camera out of his hands onto the ground. I ducked out of the way. Harry fumbled on the ground, and Mordecai just disappeared.

"Didn't you guys post that BS story we gave you?" Dean asked, coming back.

"Of course we did" Ed said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but then our server crashed" Harry said, looking around in a panic.

"So, it didn't take?" I asked. Ed looked at me guiltily. "So, these guns don't work?" I asked, motioning to him. Ed nodded.

"Great" Dean scoffed. "Sam, any ideas? "

"We are getting out of here" Harry said, picking up the remains of his camera and turning. "Come on, Ed" They went to the front door, and I looked to Dean.

We heard screams from the front, and I figured Mordecai had come back to play. "The power of Christ compels you" Ed said, as we found them backs against the wall. "The power of Christ compels you!"

"Hey!" Sam yelled. Mordecai turned to look at us. "Come and get it, you ugly son of a bitch!"

He swung his axe, narrowly missing Sam's head. "Sam!" I yelled. Mordecai was swinging like a mad man.

"Get them out of here! Now!" he yelled, as Mordecai pinned him to the wall.

Even though it was stupid, and I knew Sam was asking for a freaking death wish, I left, pulling Ed and Harry with me. Once they flung open the front door, I ran back to where Dean was spreading lighter fluid over the floor. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Keep going" he said, handing me the bottle. I looked at him like he was crazy. "Just do it!" he yelled, running to save Sam. I finished off the bottle and ran to where Dean was picking Sam up off the floor. "Go, go, go! Come on!" he yelled. "Look, if Mordecai can't leave the house, and we can't kill him, we improvise" Dean sighed.

He threw the lighter on the floor, and pulled Sam and I out of the house, which burst into flames. We ran past the bushes, and I looked back. Mordecai was standing in the doorway, just glaring at us. "That's the solution?" Sam asked, panting. "Burn the whole damn place to the ground?"

"Well, no one will go in anymore" Dean said. "I mean, look, Mordecai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty, but it works"

"But, what if the legend changes again, and Mordecai _is_ allowed to leave the house?" I asked, looking back to the doorway. Mordecai was gone.

Dean sighed. "Well, then, we'll just have to come back"

We were silent for a second. "Kind of makes you wonder—of all the things we've hunted, how many existed just 'cause people believed in 'em?" Sam asked, as the house was burning to the ground.

I looked back, watching the flames lick the place into ashes. Did it matter?

We waited for Ed and Harry, since they called us to come meet them at their trailer. "Gentlemen" Ed said, as they walked up to us.

"Hey, guys" Sam greeted, a hint of a smile on his face. I wondered what he was up too. We had all been a little off this morning. I watched my step. The prank war was still going on after all.

"Should we tell 'em?" Harry asked Ed, grinning.

"Oh, you might as well, you know they're just gonna read about it in the trades" Ed said smugly.

"So, this morning, we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer" Harry said happily, looking at us.

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked. "Wrong number?"

"No, smartass" Ed scoffed. "He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights—maybe even have us write it."

"And create the RPG" Harry said.

"The what?" I asked.

"Role-playing game" Harry replied, rolling his eyes.

"It's a little lingo for ya" Ed said, as though I was the moron here. "Any who, uh, excuse us, we're off to La-La Land"

"Well, congratulations, guys, that sounds really great" Sam said, nodding.

"Yeah, that's awesome" Dean said, holding back a laugh.

"Best of luck to ya" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, yeah, luck—it's got nothin' to do with it" Ed said, as they approached their car. "It's about talent, you know? Sheer, unabashed, talent" He gave us a peace sign. "Later"

They got in there car and started to pull away. "See you around" Harry called. They drove away.

"Wow" Dean remarked, shaking his head.

"I have a confession to make" Sam sighed.

"What's that?" Dean asked. I just looked at Sam expectantly.

"I was the one who called them and told 'em I was a producer" he admitted. I snorted and got in the car, as did Sam and Dean.

"Well, I'm the one who put the dead fish in their backseat" Dean said, grinning. I laughed again.

We started to drive, seeing Ed and Harry next to their car staring at us in annoyance. "I punctured and emptied their gas tank" I sighed, leaning back and waving as we drove by. Dean and Sam busted out laughing.

"Truce?" Sam asked us.

"Yeah" I laughed, "Truce"

We looked at Dean, who grinned. "Yeah, truce" He smiled. "At least for the next hundred miles" he added, and kept driving towards the interstate.

I smiled to myself and went back to staring out the window. My cell phone rang, and I picked it up. The caller ID made me look up in shock. Jacob Wimberly. "Dad" I stated, as I answered.

"Alexis" he said. "Listen close. Write this down. Give it directly to Dean"

"Okay" I said, taking out a piece of paper. "Go"

"43 north -89 west" he said.

"Okay" I said, after writing it down. "But dad—"

There was a click, and then silence. Nice.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

"Yeah, you probably missed somethin', that's why" Dean scoffed, looking at Sam.

Sam sighed. "Dude, I ran LexisNexis, local police reports, newspapers—I couldn't find a single red flag" he insisted. He turned and looked at me. "Are you sure you got the coordinates right?"

"Yeah, I double-checked. It's Fitchburg, Wisconsin" I said, holding up the paper.

"Look, Dad wouldn't have sent us coordinates if it wasn't important, Sammy" Dean said.

"Well, I'm tellin' you, I looked, and all I could find was a big, steaming pile of nothin'" Sam persisted. "If Dad's sending us hunting for something, I don't know what"

Dean shifted as he drove. "Well, maybe he's gonna meet us there"

"Yeah, 'cause he's been so easy to find up to this point" Sam scoffed.

"You're a real smartass, you know that?" Dean said. "Don't worry, I'm sure there's somethin' in Fitchburg worth killin'"

"Yeah?" Sam asked. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well, because I'm the oldest, which means I'm always right" Dean smirked.

"No, it doesn't" Sam and I scoffed together.

"Yeah, it totally does" he grinned. The sign outside said "Fitchburg. Population 20,501." We were here. Dean got out of the car and went to get coffee. Sam and I waited outside, looking around. There didn't seem to be anything wrong.

"Why didn't you question dad?" he asked me. "You had him on the phone"

I scoffed. "You know as well as I do that the minute I started to ask questions, he hung up. That's just dad for you"

"Well, the waitress thinks that the local freemasons are up to somethin' sneaky, but, uh, other than that, nobody's heard about anything weird goin' on" Dean sighed, handing him the coffee.

"Dean, you got the time?" Sam asked Dean out of the blue.

"Ten after four. Why?" Dean asked him.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Sam asked, looking towards a park. There was a playground with no one on it except for one small girl.

"School's out, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah. So, where is everybody?" Sam asked. "This place should be crawlin' with kids right now"

Dean went over and talked to the lady sitting on the bench. Sam and I waited. I didn't want to go talk to some lady. I was just wondering why my dad called me and not Dean, like usual. He never did that. "Kids are like, sick man" Dean said, walking back. "Like in the hospital"

"Then let's go to the hospital" Sam said, getting back in the car. We drove there in silence, we changed into formal looking stuff. Dean pulled out the box of IDs. "Dude, grab a new one" Sam called, getting out of the car. "I've used this one like four times now"

Dean handed Sam one and we went inside. I adjusted my skirt as we walked in. "You wanted to be included" Dean scoffed, as I glared at him.

"I didn't think you'd actually make me wear a skirt" I said, glaring at him.

"Dude, dude, I am not using this ID" Sam said to Dean.

"Why not?" Dean asked.

Sam glared at him. "Because it says "bikini inspector" on it"

Dean laughed. "Don't worry, she won't look that close. Hell, she won't even ask to see it. It's all about confidence, Sam" He pushed him up to the reception desk, and smiled at me.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Kaplan, Center for Disease Control" Sam said, as the receptionist looked up at him.

She nodded. "Can I see some ID?"

Dean and I held back snickers of laughter. Sam turned and glared at us. "Yeah, of course" he smiled. He pulled out the ID and quickly showed it to her, then put it away. "Now, could you direct me to the pediatric ward, please?"

"Okay, just go down that hall, turn left, and up the stairs" she said, and went back to her computer.

He smiled, and turned back to us. "See?" Dean said, as Sam glared at him. "I told you it'd work"

Sam shook his head. "Follow me. It's upstairs" Dean and I followed along, heading to the pediatric ward. Dean suddenly stopped, staring into a room. "Dean" Sam said, nodding for him to hurry up.

He looked back at us, then back in the room, and finally followed. I paused as we approached the pediatric ward, and watched a mother and father with their child. They came down the hall looking stricken. I wondered if their kid was in the hospital. If their kid was sick.

"Well, thanks for seein' us, Dr. Hydecker" Dean smiled. I rushed to catch up.

"Oh, I'm glad you guys are here" he said. "I was just about to call the CDC myself. How'd you find out, anyway?"

"Oh, some GP, I forget his name, he called Atlanta, and, uh, must have beat you to the punch" Dean lied with a smile.

"So, you say you got six cases so far?" Sam asked, putting us back on topic.

"Yeah, in five weeks" he sighed. He turned to where six kids were all lying in beds. They were pale and sickly looking. "At first, we thought it was garden-variety bacterial pneumonia—not that newsworthy. But now…."

"Now what?" I asked, wanting him to go on.

"The kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their white cell counts keep goin' down. Their immune systems just aren't doin' their job. It's like their bodies are wearing out" he said. He narrowed his eyes. "You look really young to be a CDC member"

"Thanks" I smiled, "You're too kind"

"Excuse me, Dr. Hydecker" a nurse said, shoving a clip board at him. He took it and signed it.

"You ever see anything like this before?" Sam asked him.

"The way it spreads—that's a new one for me" the nurse said, looking at us.

I looked at her. "What do you mean?"

She glanced at me, then at the kids. "It works its way through families, but only the children—one sibling after another"

"Do you mind if we interview a few of the kids?" Dean asked.

The nurse shook her head. "They're not conscious"

I looked over at Sam in shock. "None of them?" he asked. The nurse shook her head.

"Can we, uh—can we talk to the parents?" Dean asked.

"If you think it'll help" Dr. Hydecker said, shrugging.

"Yeah" Dean nodded. "Who was your most recent admission?"

"There" he pointed to man sitting in the hallway. "Miles Tarnower"

We headed over, and I stopped when I saw the look on his face. He was destroyed. I wanted so much to tell him that everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. Because I couldn't lie to him. "Mr. Tarnower" I said, walking up. "Can we talk?"

"Who are you?" he asked, looking.

"We're with the CDC" Sam replied. "May we have a word?"

He nodded, and we headed into the hallway, away from the pediatrics. "What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Your kids" Dean said "They're sick?"

He nodded. "Mary and Bethany" he said. He looked behind him. "I should get back to my girls"

"We understand that, and we really appreciate you talkin' to us" Sam said slowly. "Now, Mary's the oldest?"

Miles nodded. "Thirteen"

"Okay" Sam said. "And she came down with it first, right? And then…."

"Bethany the next night" he said, glancing behind him again. He was getting anxious.

"Within twenty-four hours?" I asked, trying to keep him on topic.

"I guess. Look, I already went through all this with the doctor" he said.

"All right, now, just a few more questions, if you don't mind" Dean said. "How do you think they caught pneumonia? Were they out in the cold, anything like that?"

"No, we think it was an open window" he replied.

"Both times?"

"The first time, I don't really remember. But the second time, for sure" he said. "I know I closed it before I put Bethany to bed"

"So, you think she opened it?" Sam asked.

"It's a second-story window with a ledge" he shrugged. "No one else could have" He looked behind him for the millionth time. "Are we done here?"

"Yes" I said, and he left abruptly. "Okay" I said, looking at Sam and Dean. "I feel like we got nothing" We started to exit the building.

"You know, this might not be anything supernatural" Sam suggested, looking at Dean. "It might just be pneumonia"

"Maybe" Dean shrugged. "Or maybe somethin' opened that window" Sam and I gave him skeptical looks. "I don't know, man, look, Dad sent us down here for a reason. I think we might be barkin' up the right tree"

"I'll tell you one thing" Sam said.

"What?" I asked.

"That guy we just talked to?" he said. "I'm bettin' it'll be a while before he goes home"

The bedroom was purple, and totally fit for a little girl. I searched over the bed and by the bookcase, but I was getting nothing. "You got anything over there?" Sam asked.

"No, nothin'" Dean said back. "Lex?"

"Nope" I sighed, standing up straight.

"Yeah, me neither" Sam scoffed.

"Lex" Dean said quietly. I looked up at him. "You ever feel like you want a purple room like this?"

I gave him a confused look, and glanced around at the four walls. I knew what he was getting at, but just smiled. "No"

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't like purple" I replied, with a shrug. I gave him a small smile.

Sam went over by the window and stopped suddenly. "Hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean asked, looking at him.

He opened the window. "You were right. It's not pneumonia" he said. We walked over, and leaned to the window. On the ledge was a long, black handprint. And it definitely wasn't human. "It's rotted" Sam said.

"What the hell leaves a handprint like that?" I asked. Dean just stared at it intently. "Dean?"

"I know why Dad sent us here" he said. "He's faced this thing before. He wants us to finish the job" He turned and walked out of the room.

Sam and I shared a look, and then followed. We got in the car, and both looked at Dean for some kind of explanation. "Um, Dean" I said, when he just started driving. "You wanna explain yourself"

"It's a shtriga" he said, as though that would explain everything I needed to know.

"Oh, that's great" I said rolling my eyes. "Thanks, I mean, it wouldn't been really annoying of you hadn't told us anything at all"

"Shut up" he said, pulling into a motel.

We were silent for a second. "Okay, I'll bite" Sam sighed. "So, what the hell is a shtriga?"

"It's kind of like a witch, I think" he said, getting out of the car. I followed him to the trunk. "I don't know much about 'em"

"Well, I've never heard of it" Sam said. "And it's not in Dad's journal"

"Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin about thirteen, fourteen years ago" he said. "You were both there, you don't remember?"

"No" Sam and I said at the same time.

"Yeah, I guess he caught wind that the thing's in Fitchburg now and kicked us the coordinates" Dean replied.

"So, wait, this…."

"Shtriga" Dean finished for Sam.

"Right" Sam nodded. "You think it's the same one Dad hunted before?"

Dean shut the trunk and handed me my bag. "Yeah, maybe"

"But if Dad went after it, why is it still breathing air?" I asked.

Dean shrugged. "'Cause it got away"

"Got away?" Sam asked, skeptically. Things didn't just get away from our father.

"Yeah, Sammy, it happens" Dean said.

"Not very often" I added, looking at him worriedly.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, I mean, maybe Dad didn't have his Wheaties that morning" Dean said, getting irritated.

"What else do you remember?" Sam asked.

"Nothin', I was a kid, all right?" He insisted, and went in to get us a room. Sam and I stayed out, looking at each other.

"What's up with him?" Sam asked me. I shrugged. "He's acting weird"

"He's always weird" I stated. "Besides, its Dean. If he's dealing with something, we're just going to have to let him deal"

"Yeah" Sam said, leaning on the car. "I guess"

Dean came back out, jangling keys in my face. We went in, and while Sam did research, I took a shower. I came out, drying my hair with a towel and sighed, lying on the bed. My computer landed on my lap. "Ow" I said, glaring at Dean.

"Your grades are slipping" he said, holding up a paper with my grades. He was right, I had a c in almost every subject. I took the computer and started to work in silence.

"Well, you were right" Sam said. "It wasn't very easy to find, but you were right. A shtriga _is_ a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about 'em date back to ancient Rome. They feed off of spiritus vitae"

"Spiri-what?" Dean asked.

"Vitae. It's Latin—it translates to "breath of life"" Sam replied. "Kind of like your life force or essence"

"Didn't the doctor say the kids' bodies were wearin' out?" I asked.

"It's a thought" Sam shrugged. "You know, she takes your vitality, maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, shtrigas can feed off anyone, but they prefer—"

"Children" Dean stated.

"Yeah. Probably because they have stronger life force" Sam said.

"Hey Dean" I smiled, "I have a better life-force than you"

"Not if your grades don't go up, you won't" he replied. "Anything else?" he asked Sam.

"Get this—shtrigas are invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man" Sam said.

"That sucks" I said.

"No. That's not right" Dean said. "She's vulnerable when she feeds"

"What?" Sam asked.

"If you catch her when she's eating, you can blast her with consecrated wrought irons, buckshots, or rounds, I think" Dean listed off from memory.

"How do you know that?"I asked.

"Dad told me. I remember" he said.

"Oh. So, uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?" Sam asked.

"No. That's it" he replied. I stared at him. "What?" he demanded.

"Nothin'" I said, looking back at my homework.

"Okay, so, assuming we _can_ kill it when it eats, we still gotta find the thing first, which isn't gonna be a cakewalk" Sam said. "Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting"

"What kind of human disguise?" Dean asked.

"Historically, something innocuous—it could be anything" Sam shrugged. "But it's usually a feeble old woman, which may be how the whole witches-as-old-crones legend got started"

Dean shot up and pulled out a map, spreading it on the bed. "Hang on" he said. "Check this out" I leaned over, putting my laptop down. "I marked down all the addresses of the victims. Now, these are the houses that have been hit so far, and dead center?"

"The hospital" I finished for him, looking down.

"The hospital" Dean nodded. "When we were there, I saw a patient—an old woman"

"An old person, huh?" Sam asked. Dean nodded vigorously. "In the hospital? Whew. Better call the coast guard" He laughed.

I smirked. "I don't know Sam, we might have to call in the feds too" I laughed.

"Well, listen, smartasses, she had an inverted cross hangin' on her wall" he scoffed. Our smiles faded. We all piled into the car.

We made our way back up to where Dean saw the old lady. We waited for the doctors to clear out, and then kept going. We reached the room, and Dean pulled out his gun. I looked at him confused. We were going into an old ladies room, not the devils. He shrugged.

Sam opened the door and we went in. Sam and I stayed by the door while Dean slowly inched forward. Sam and I pulled out our guns too. Hey, she was creepy. She was just sitting there, staring ahead. Dean went forward, leaning in. We watched her intently for anything.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, jumping awake. I jumped, looking at Sam. Dean jumped backwards, slamming himself into a cabinet. "Who's there?" she asked again. Sam turned on the lights. I lowered my gun. "You tryin' to steal my stuff? They're always stealin' around here"

"No, ma'am, we're maintenance" Sam said, looking at Dean, who was still freaking out. "We're sorry, we thought you were sleepin'"

"Oh, nonsense. I was sleepin' with my peepers open!" she laughed. "And fix that crucifix, would ya? I've asked four damn times already"

Dean looked at the inverted cross, and flipped it back up. He looked to us, still shaken. I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Sam covered my mouth, and we abruptly headed out. I was still trying to calm myself down as we got to the car. "Oh my god!" I laughed. "Dean, you should've seen yourself jump!" Dean just pulled away.

We were back to the motel in moments. It wasn't far away. Sam was laughing now too. "I was sleepin' with my peepers open"?" he laughed.

"I almost smoked that old gal, I swear" Dean grunted. "It's not funny"

"Oh, man, you should've seen your face, Dean" Sam and I laughed. I leaned on the side of the building. Sam started to unlock the door.

"Yeah, well, laugh it up, you two" he scoffed. "We're back to square one".

"Hang on" Dean said, walking over to where the little boy, Michael, who's mom owned the motel was sitting. Dean crouched next to him the same way he always used to for Sam and I, the same look on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked him.

"My brother's sick" he replied, choking back tears.

Dean's face fell. "The little guy?"

Michael nodded. "Pneumonia. He's in the hospital" he stated. He looked down at his shoes. "It's my fault"

"Oh, come on, how?" Dean asked.

"I should've made sure the window was latched" he cried. "He wouldn't have gotten pneumonia if the window was latched"

"Listen to me" Dean said, staring at him sadly. "I can promise you that this is not your fault, okay?"

"It's my job to look after him" Michael said, looking up at Dean. Dean nodded, glancing at Sam and I knowingly.

"Michael" his mom said, coming out of the office. She put her handful of stuff in the car. "I want you to turn on the "No Vacancy" sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service, so don't bother with any of the rooms"

Michael hopped to his feet. "I'm going with you"

His mom sighed. "Not now, Michael"

Michael was indignant. "But I gotta see Asher!"

"Hey, Michael. Hey, I know how you feel, okay? I'm a big brother, too" Dean said, trying to calm him down. "But you gotta go easy on your mom right now, okay?"

Michael looked up at him worriedly and nodded slowly. His mom flailed around the car, flustered. She dropped her purse and swore. Sam picked it up for her. "I got it" he said, handing it to her. "Here"

"Thanks" she said, with a heavy sigh.

"Hey, listen, you're in no condition to drive." Dean said. "Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital, huh?"

"No, I couldn't possibly—"

Dean smiled. "No, it's no trouble. I insist"

She paused, and then handed him her car keys. "Thanks" she said. She kissed Michael on the forehead and gave him a pathetic smile. "Be good" she said. She got in the car.

Dean looked at me and Sam, whispering. "We're gonna kill this thing. I want it dead, you hear me?" he said, determinedly. I nodded, and he drove off.

"You wanna call Dean, or should I?" I asked, looking at the screen.

Sam sighed, picking his cell phone out of his pocket. "I will" he said. "Hey. How's the kid?" he said. I leaned onto Sam, so I could hear.

"He's not good" Dean said. "Where you at?"

"At the library, tryin' to find out as much as I can about this shtriga" Sam said.

"Yeah? What do you got?"

"Well, bad news" Sam sighed. "I started with Fort Douglas, around the time you said Dad was there. Yeah. Same deal. Before that, there was Ogdenville. Before that, North Haverbrook and Brockway. Every fifteen to twenty years, it hits a new town. Dean, this thing is just gettin' started in Fitchburg. In all these other places, it goes on for months—dozens of kids, before the shtriga finally moves on. Kids just languish in comas, and then they die"

"How far back does this thing go?" he asked.

Sam looked to me and I shook my head. I didn't know anymore than he did. "I don't know. The earliest mention I could find was this place called Black River Falls back in the 1890s. Talk about a horror show" I scoffed. He repeated that to Dean.

I clicked on the link. A picture of a newspaper came up. There were doctors crowding around a sick kids bed. "Oh my-" I stuttered, and slapped Sam as hard as I could on the shoulder. "Sam" I pointed. One of the doctor's looked especially famililar.

"Whoa" he said, staring as well. "Hold on. I'm lookin' at a photograph right now of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed" Sam said, shutting Dean up on the phone. "One of the doctors is Hydecker"

"And?" Dean asked.

"And this picture was taken in 1893" I said, after snatching the phone out of Sam's hands. He stared at the picture stunned.

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" I said. "Yeah, absolutely" He abruptly hung up without even saying goodbye. I was a little scared of what he was going to do. "C'mon" I said, "We should meet Dean back at the motel room"

We headed back and I paced around the room. Dean entered, slamming to door behind him. I immediately relieved. If he was still pissed, it meant he hadn't shot the doctor in front of pediatrics' ward. "I can't believe this" Dean scoffed.

"We should have thought of this before" Sam said. "A doctor's a perfect disguise. You're trusted, you can control the whole thing"

"Huh" Dean remarked. "That son of a bitch"

"I'm surprised you didn't draw on him right there" Sam said, looking at him.

"Yeah, well, first of all, I'm not gonna open fire in a freakin' pediatrics ward" Dean scoffed.

I nodded. "Good call"

"Second, it wouldn't have done any good because the bastard's bulletproof unless he's chowin' down on somethin'" he listed. "And third, I wasn't packin', which is probably a really good thing 'cause I probably would've just burned a clip in him off of principle alone"

"Gettin' wise in your old age, Dean" Sam stated.

"Damn right" Dean nodded. "So now I know how we're gonna get it"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"This shtriga—it works through siblings, right?" he said, standing up. I nodded, as did Sam. "Well, last night…."

"It went after Asher" Sam finished for him.

"So I'm thinkin' tonight, it's probably gonna come after Michael" Dean stated.

"Then, we gotta get him outta here" I said.

"No." Dean said. "No, that'd blow the whole deal"

"What?" Sam asked. Dean didn't respond. "Then you wanna use the kid as bait?" Dean just said nothing again. "Are you nuts? No! Forget it, that's out of the question"

"It's not out of the question, Sam, it's the only way" Dean stressed. "If this thing disappears, it could be years before we get another chance"

"Michael's a kid" Sam said. "And I'm not gonna dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook"

"Use me" I said, standing up. "I can be bait, and then you two can smoke the sucker"

"It would know you're not Michael" he said. "It's not stupid"

"Dean, we can't use that kid as bait" Sam stated.

"Dad did not send me here to walk away" Dean growled.

"Send _you_ here?" Sam asked. "He didn't send you here, he sent _us_ here"

"This isn't about you, Sam!" he yelled. He turned away from us. "All right, I'm the one that screwed up. It's my fault. There's no tellin' how many kids have gotten hurt because of me"

"What are you saying, Dean?" I asked. "How is it your fault?" He was silent.

Sam sighed. "Dean, you've been hiding something from the get-go. Since when does Dad bail on a hunt? Since when does he let something get away?" Dean sat back down and sighed. "Now, talk to us, man. Tell us what's goin' on"

He sighed and stared at the wall for a minute, before answering. "Fort Douglas, Wisconsin"

It was like a distant memory in my head.

Dean sat at the table, staring at a picture of something. "All right" dad sighed. "You know the drill, Dean. If anybody calls, you don't pick up. If it's me, I'll ring once and then call back. You got that?"

"Mmhmm" the twelve year old answered. "Don't answer the phone unless it rings once first"

"Come on, dude, look alive. This stuff's important" dad said, patting him on the shoulder.

"I know, it's just—we've gone over it, like, a million times, and you know I'm not stupid" Dean replied.

"I know you're not" dad replied. "But it only takes one mistake, you got that?" Dean nodded. "All right, if I'm not back Sunday night?"

"Call Pastor Jim" Dean said, reciting the intended response from memory.

Dad nodded. "Lock the doors and windows, close the shades, and most important—"

"Watch out for Sammy and Lexie" he said, looking at us. Sam was sitting on the chair, glaring at the television. I grinned at the sound of my name. I was coloring on paper with my crayons. "I know" he said.

"All right, if somethin' tries to bust in?" dad asked.

"Shoot first, ask questions later" Dean replied.

"That's my man" he said, with a smile. He grabbed his jacket and left. Dean shut the door behind him, locking it in the process.

"Dee" I said, looking at him. He looked over at me. I smiled. "Daddy go bye byes?"

"Yeah" he said, "He went bye byes" He picked me up and put me on a chair by the table. "C'mon Sam. Dinner's up"

Sam turned off the TV and scrambled over, sitting next to me. I grinned happily at him, glad that I was being included. I got to sit at the table as long as I didn't move too much. Dean poured Sam milk in a big boy cup. "When's Dad gonna get back?" Sam asked Dean.

"Tomorrow" Dean replied. He turned away and went to the stove.

"When?" Sam asked, as Dean poured Spaghetti O's into my bowl, and then going to Sam's.

"I don't know. He usually comes in late, though" Dean replied. "Now, eat your dinner"

"I'm sick of Scabetti O's" Sam said, glaring at the bowl like it was poison.

"Well, you're the one who wanted 'em" Dean scoffed.

"I want Lucky Charms" Sam insisted.

Dean shook his head. "There's no more Lucky Charms"

"I saw the box' Sam insisted.

"Okay, maybe there is, but there's only enough left for one bowl, and I haven't had any yet" Dean said. Sam looked sadly up at him. Dean took his bowl, dumping it in the garbage, and grabbed another bowl from the sink. He put the Lucky Charms box on the table angrily, glaring at Sam.

Sam looked in the box, and pulled out the coveted prize. He stared at it for a second, and then held it up to Dean. "Do you want the prize?" he asked.

Dean sighed, holding back a smile. "Nah" he said, taking it from him. He pulled it out of the packaging and looked at the little toy matchbox car. He handed it to me, and I took it, staring at it strangely. Dean laughed, showing me how it rolled.

I laughed and took it again, rolling it on the table top. Dean smiled and fed me a spoonful of the Spaghetti O's. Hours later, I was half asleep in my play pen that was placed in the bedroom. I watched Dean interested, as he left out the door. Where was he going?

A knock on the window made me sit up curiously. Was Dean coming in through the window? Sammy was asleep in the bed next to me. The window opened, and a hooded figure came in. It was scary looking, with grey skin that was falling off, and eyes that seemed to glare at you evilly. I whimpered. "Dee" I said softly.

It leaned over Sammy, making weird noises and making a light appear. I cried louder. What was that thing doing? "Get out of the way!" said my dad, shooting at it with his gun. It went back out the window. I cried, tears now streaming down my face. I stood, putting my hands on the play pen wall to steady me. "Sammy. Sammy. Sammy! Are you okay?"

"Dad, what's goin' on?" Sam asked groggily.

"You all right?" he asked him, hugging him. I sniffled back a little. It was okay. My dad was here. "What happened?" he asked Dean, looking at him.

"I-I just went out" Dean stuttered. He sounded afraid.

My father looked at him surprised. Like how he looked when I said a new word. Except this wasn't a happy surprise. "What?"

"J-just for a second" Dean said. "I'm sorry"

"I told you not to leave this room. I told you not to let him out of your sight!" he yelled. He held Sam closer. I whimpered again. What had made my dad so mad? He always was allowed to leave, why couldn't Dean? "Get your sister" he said.

Dean came over to me, and picked me up. I held my arms up. I buried my head in his shoulder. "Dee, Sammy okay?" I asked. He nodded, not answering me out loud. "Monster come back?" I whispered.

"No" my father answered, taking me from Dean. "No monster, baby girl. You're safe"

I looked at Dean, giving him a small smile. But Dean was just upset.

Dean was thinking about that memory, tears forming. "Dad just grabbed us and booked—dropped us off at Pastor Jim's about three hours away. By the time we got back to Fort Douglas, the shtriga disappeared. It was just gone. It never resurfaced until now" Dean sighed. "Dad never spoke about it again. I didn't ask. But he, uh—he looked at me different, you know—which was worse. Not that I blame him. He gave me an order, and I didn't listen. I almost got you killed"

"You were just a kid" Sam said.

"Don't—don't" Dean said, cutting off what I was going to say too. "Dad knew this was unfinished business for me. And he sent me here to finish it"

"But using Michael?" Sam asked. "I don't know, Dean"

"I mean, how about I hide under the cover, you know, I'll be the bait?" I asked. "I really don't think it would know"

"No, that won't work. It's gotta get close enough to feed. You can't shoot it, and then it'll see you and know" Dean said. "Believe me, I don't like it. But it's gotta be the kid"

Dean and Sam and I went to talk to Michael. I walked into the motel's office, a little late since I had to get the supplies ready if he said yes.

"You're crazy!" Michael yelled. "Just go away, or I'm calling the cops"

"Hang on a second. Just listen to me" Dean said. "You have to believe me, okay? This thing came through your window, and it attacked your brother. Now, I've seen it. I know what it looks like. 'Cause it attacked my brother once, too. Almost got my little sister too"

Michael stared at him, and then slowly put the phone he was holding down. "This thing—is it, like….it has this long, black robe?" he asked.

"You saw it last night, didn't you?" Dean asked.

Michael grimaced. "I thought I was havin' a nightmare:

"I'd give anything not to tell you this, but sometimes, nightmares are real" Dean replied.

Michael stared at him. "So, why_ are_ you telling me?"

"Because we need your help" Dean shrugged.

Michael raised his eyes. "_My_ help?"

"We can kill it" Dean said, nodding at Sam and I. "Me and them, it's what we do. But we can't do it without you"

"What?" Michael exclaimed. "No!"

"Michael, listen to me. This thing hurt Asher, and it's gonna keep hurting kids unless we stop it, you understand me?" Dean said. Michael said nothing, then turned and left the front desk. Dean slammed his hands on the desk and stalked out. Sam and I shared a look. "Well, that went crappy" Dean said, as we got back to the room. "Now what?"

"What'd you expect?" Sam asked. "You can't ask an adult to do something like that, much less a kid"

"We'll figure this out, Dean" I said earnestly.

There was a knock on the door. Dean opened it, and I was surprised to see Michael standing there. "If you kill it, will Asher get better?" he asked.

Dean glanced back at us. "Honestly, we don't know" he said, looking back to him.

Michael sighed, and thought for a second. "You said you're a big brother?" he asked. Dean nodded. "You'd take care of your little siblings. You'd do anything for them?

Dean nodded again. "Yeah, I would" he said. I couldn't help it, I gave a small smile. Sam put a hand on my shoulder.

"Me, too" Michael stated. "I'll help"

We set up Michael's room with a security camera that would face his bed. Even though the thing was going to try and attack Michael, I was going to lay in the second bed right next to his. It would think I was another sibling, hopefully. But I wasn't going to let this kid almost get eaten all alone.

"Now, this camera has night vision on it, so we'll be able to see as clear as day" Dean said, as he set it straight. "Are we good?" he asked Sam.

"Hair to the right" Sam called. Dean adjusted it and then hopped down. He sat on Michael's bed.

"What do I do?" Michael asked him nervously.

"You just stay under the covers" Dean nodded.

Michael looked at the window. "And if it shows up?"

"Well, we'll be right in the next room, and Lex is going to be in Asher's bed" he said. "We're gonna come in with guns. So, as soon as we do, you roll off this bed and you crawl under it"

"What if you shoot me?" Michael asked.

"We won't shoot you. We're good shots. We're not gonna fire until you're clear, okay?" Dean assured him. Michael nodded. "That's your job" he said, looking at me. I nodded. "Have you heard a gunshot before?" Dean asked Michael.

Michael gave him a confused look. "Like, in the movies?"

"It's gonna be a lot louder than in the movies" Dean smiled. "So, I want you to stay under the bed, cover your ears, and do not come out until we say so, you understand?" Michael nodded, but looked unsure. "Michael, you sure you wanna do this? You don't have to, it's okay. I won't be mad" Dean said.

"No, I'm okay" he replied. "Just don't shoot me"

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you" Dean said. "I promise" He gave Michael a reassuring smile, and walked out.

Michael looked at me. "Do you have a gun?" he asked me.

"Nope" I said, with a sigh. I leaned back on the bed. "I get to hide under the covers, and then when Dean and Sam come in, I help to keep you covered"

"Oh" he said. He scrambled under his covers. "Okay" I turned off the lights and laid still. This was really nerve wracking. After a few hours, I couldn't just lay there anymore. I was going crazy. This shtriga had better get its ass in here.

Around three am, the window opened. I hadn't even seen anything. I held my breath, hoping it would just overlook me. The thing looked just like I remembered. A long black, tattered robe, with a dead face underneath. I stared while it paused inside the window. It just looked at Michael, giving me a small glance. It didn't seem to care that I was there.

It moved closer to Michael, and I could hear his breath hitch. It leaned down, and took a long inhale. I wanted to move so badly. The bedroom door slammed open. Dean and Sam came in.

I dove off the bed, taking Michael down with me. I helped him crawl under the bed, but was stopped and flung out of the way before I could crawl under. The shtriga had friggen pushed me across the room in one blow. I groaned as I heard gun shots go off. "Mike, you all right?" Dean asked, after the thing had fallen silent.

"Yeah" He said from under the bed.

"Lex?" Dean called, looking at me.

I nodded, getting up. My muscles were aching like no one's business. He and Sam walked over to where the shtriga was lying on the floor motionless. Sam lowered his gun a little. The thing suddenly shot up and flung Dean into the closet doors.

I jumped backwards, and dodged out of the way. The shtriga went after Michael, so I shot at it, trying to distract it. It turned around and took a swipe at me, hitting my gun out of my hands. I glanced up only to be pushed backwards into Dean. "Sorry" I groaned.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, as the shtriga pushed him to the ground. It choked him, gross hands on his neck. It slowly lowered its head, ready to suck out his vitae. I went for my gun, but Dean was already up and ready.

"Hey!" he yelled. It turned to look at him, and Dean squeezed the trigger. The bullet went right between the shtriga eyes. It fell to the ground. "You okay, little brother?" Dean asked Sam. Sam gave a thumbs up, panting. "Lex?"

"Awesome" I moaned, getting to my feet. "Is it dead?" I asked, looking at the pile of robes on the floor. Dean, Sam and I all stared at it in silence. Dean lifted his gun, and shot it three times, and then it disappeared into nothing.

"It's okay, Michael, you can come on out" Dean said.

Michael crawled out and walked over. I put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at us gratefully, shooting a distrusting look at the robes. I sighed in relief and leaned back into Sam. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I gratefully accepted the hug that he gave me.

We let Michael stay in out motel room for the rest of the morning, and took him back to his house once the sun was up. The poor kid was exhausted. We loaded the trunk, and his mom pulled into the drive. "Hey, Joanna" Dean called. "How's Asher doin'?"

She grinned. "Have you seen Michael?"

As though on cue, Mike came running out the door. "Mom, Mom!" he yelled, giving her a hug. "How's Ash?" he asked.

She smiled wider. "I've got some good news. Your brother's gonna be fine"

Mike smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, really" she laughed. "No one can explain it. It's a miracle" I glanced at Sam, and we shared a smile. "They're gonna keep him in overnight for observation, but after that, he's comin' home"

"That's great" Dean smiled.

"How are all the other kids doin'?" Sam asked.

"Good. Real good" she said. "A bunch of them should be checkin' out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward's gonna be like a ghost town"

"Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"Oh, he wasn't in today—must've been sick or something" she said.

"Yeah" I said. "Yeah, must have"

She turned to Michael. "So, did anything happen while I was gone?"

Michael shrugged. "No. Same old stuff" he said, hint of a smile on his face.

"Okay" she said. "You can go see Ash"

He literally did a double take on the car. "Now?"

"Only if you want to" she said. Mike smiled, shooting Dean a look. I smiled at his happy expression. He jumped into the car, rearing to go. His mom laughed. "I better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself"

She walked away, and I loaded the last bag before Dean shut the trunk. "It's too bad"

Dean shrugged. "Oh, they'll be fine"

"No, that's not what I meant" Sam sighed. "I meant Michael. He will always know there are things out there in the dark. He'll never be the same, you know?" He paused, and I watched them pull out of the parking lot. I sighed. "Sometimes I wish that…" Sam trailed off.

"What?" I asked.

"I wish I could have that kind of innocence" he said, leaning on the car.

"If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could, too" Dean said, giving Sam a look. "Both of you"

"A purple room" I said, giving Dean a small smile. He nodded, and got in the car. I followed, and Sam came in last.

Innocence is not always overrated.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews! **

**I wrote some one-shots of pre-series with Lexie! Check them out! **

**Chapter Twenty Two**

I woke up the next day, not wanting to leave where I currently was. We spent one night at Logan's. The whole time Dean was on our cases, but we still managed to have somewhat of a good time. We watched a movie together. I wouldn't let him kiss me, even though I really wanted to more than anything. We couldn't pretend to be a couple if we weren't while I was gone. That wasn't fair to either of us. I put my stuff into the trunk and sighed. "Buck up, Lex" Dean said rolling his eyes. "Go say goodbye" he said, nudging me towards Logan. "But no kissing"

I rolled my eyes and walked back to where Logan was standing on his porch. "I'll be back as soon as I can" I said earnestly.

He gave me a small smile. "I know you will" I gave him a long hug, even though I could feel the sadness in it, I smiled. "Bye Lexie"

"Bye Logan" I said, and hugged him tighter. I just wanted to be happy. Just for a moment. Logan put his hands on the small of my back and let go of the hug with a small chuckle. "What?" I asked.

"Your brother is holding a shot gun" he laughed, and gave me a hug again. I rolled my eyes. "Call me" he said, and let go.

I turned and walked to the car, taking the shot gun out of Dean's hands and throwing it in the trunk. He gave me a small smile, ruffled my hair and we all got in the car together. I waved to Logan, knowing that I would hopefully see him again soon. "So where are we going?" I asked, leaning towards the front seat.

"New York" Dean sighed, and hit the gas.

I sat at the table with Sam, watching Dean from afar. He was trying to pick up his third woman of the night. I rolled my eyes. I loved the guy, but he couldn't keep it in his pants from more than a few days. He was putting a number in his phone. "All right, you're in there. Perfect. Oh, is that Brandy with a "y" or an "I"?" he asked.

I scoffed and looked to Sam. "You got anything? I think Dean is going to be out of here soon"

He leafed through the journal some more and sighed. "No, I can't—wait" he paused. He picked up the newspaper. "Get Dean" I waved him over, but Dean just flicked me off. I rolled my eyes. Sam tried to wave him over too. He ignored us. I stood up. "What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Going to get his stupid ass" I laughed, and walked over nonchalantly. "Hey Dean" I said, coming up next to him. "We need your help over here"

"All right, listen, I gotta go" Dean said, shooting me an annoyed look. "Hold that thought, I'll be right back, okay?"

"All right, so, I think I got somethin'." Sam said, as I pulled Dean back with me.

"Oh, yeah. Me, too" Dean smiled. "I think we need to take a little shore leave for just a little bit. What do you think, huh? I'm so in the door with this one" He pointed to the girl he had been talking to at the bar.

"So, what are we today, Dean? Are we rock stars? Are we army rangers?" Sam asked.

"Reality TV scouts looking for people with special skills" he laughed. "I mean, hey, it's not that far off, right? By the way, she's got a friend over there. I could probably hook you up, what do you think?"

"Dean, no thanks, I can get my own dates" Sam scoffed.

"Yeah, you can, but you don't" Dean said.

Sam narrowed his eyed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothin'" Dean smirked. "What do you got?"

Sam narrowed his eyes, but looked down at his newspaper. "Mark and Anne Telesca of New Paltz, New York were both found dead in their home just a few days ago" Dean nodded, while slowly looking back towards the bar. "Throats were slit, there were no prints, no murder weapons—Dean" he said stopping. Dean looked back at Sam. "No prints, no murder weapons, all doors and windows were locked from the inside"

Dean shrugged. "Could just be a garden-variety murder, you know, not our department" He took a sip of his beer.

"No, Dad says different" Sam said.

"What do you mean?"I asked.

"Look" Sam said, handing me the journal. Dean looked over my shoulder. "Dad noted three murders in the same area of upstate New York" He pointed to some of the places. "First one, right here, 1912, the second one in 1945, and the third in 1970. The same M.O. as the Telescas—the throats were slit, the houses were locked from the inside. Now, so much time passed between the murders that nobody checked the pattern, except for Dad. He always kept his eyes peeled for another one"

"And now we got one" I smiled.

Sam nodded. "Exactly"

"All right, I'm with ya" Dean said. "It's worth checkin' out" I nodded and handed the journal back to Sam. "We can't pick this up till the first thing, though, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah…" Sam said, shooting him a confused look.

Dean smiled. "Good" he said, and walked away. He went back to the bar with the women. "Ladies, did you miss me?" he asked. He laughed. "I'm just kidding. Listen, I talked to my producer, and, uh, it is lookin' good"

I looked to Sam, and we both laughed, and headed for the door. Dean could do whatever he wanted, but we weren't going to wait around and watch. "Sam" I said, getting in the car with him. "How come you_ don't_ go on dates or anything?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know"

I sighed, wanting to tell him that he didn't actually have to tell me why. I knew why. It was because of Jess. I wasn't going to upset him by saying that though. I would just keep my mouth shut. We headed back to the hotel and I took a shower. We went to bed that night with Dean coming in really late drunk.

We woke up, and Sam and I were going to just leave Dean in the motel room alone to deal with his hangover, but he woke up and insisted to come along. Sam drove to the Telesca's house and Dean stayed in the car. We walked up to the house and I unlocked the door. Sam entered, while I followed close behind. I paused. "Sam" I said, looking around. "Where's their furniture?"

The whole house was empty and barren minus a fridge and one chair. Sam made a call on his cell phone and found out that all their furniture was taken to an auction house. "We should sweep with the EMF" he said. And we did, finding nothing. We headed back out to the car to see Dean sleeping in the passenger seat. I rolled my eyes. Sam smiled, and honked the horn. Dean jumped a mile in the air. Sam and I laughed at him annoyed expression. "Man, that is so not cool" he complained, holding his head.

"We just swept the Telesca house with the EMF. It's clean. And last night, while you were –" He looked at me slowly. " – _out…_"

"He means having sex" I stated, rolling my eyes. I was sixteen for god's sake!

Dean smiled. "Good times"

"I took the history of the house" Sam said, going on and ignoring Dean. "No hauntings, no violent crimes, nothing strange about the Telescas themselves either"

"All right, so if it's not the people and it's not the house, then, uh….maybe it's the contents—a cursed object or somethin'' Dean said, rubbing his eyes.

Sam shook his head. "The house is clean"

"Yeah, I know, you said that" Dean scoffed.

"No, he means, it's empty" I said. "No furniture, nothin'"

Dean looked confused. "Where's all their stuff?" Sam and I smiled and got in the car. "No wait, really?" he asked again, looking from Sam to me.

"The auction house" I replied. "It's all at the auction house"

"Silent auctions, estate sales—it's like a garage sale for W.A.S.P.s, if you ask me" Dean scoffed when we entered. The place was fancy and there was expensive stuff all over the place. It definitely wasn't the kind of place three siblings who live in motel rooms and out of their car should be. I glanced back to Dean as he shoved food in his face.

Some elderly guy came up to us, looking irritated. "Can I help you, gentlemen?" he asked.

I nudged Dean to make him stop putting food in his mouth. "I'd like some champagne, please" Dean stated, food still in his mouth.

I snorted and Sam sighed. "He's not a waiter" he said through clenched teeth. "I'm Sam Connors" Sam said, extending his hand. The guy did not shake it. "This is my sister Alexis and brother Dean. We are art dealers with Connors Limited"

The guy looked at a loss for words. "You're art dealers?"

"That's right" I smiled, trying to make him not hate us.

"I'm Daniel Blake. This is my auction house" he said, looking us over. "Now, gentlemen, this is a private showing, and I don't remember seeing you on the guest list"

"We're there, Chuckles. You just need to take another look" Dean said, cutting off what Sam was going to say. He put other hors d'oeuvres in his mouth. Sam and I glared at him, and he happily looked at a waiter that passed by holding champagne. "Oh, finally" he remarked. He took the wine, sniffing it, and walked away.

"Cheers" Sam scoffed, frustrated, pulling me with him. We walked around, avoiding people and looking at all the items. There was one picture that particularly freaked me out. It was one of those old family portraits. Sam leaned in to check it out.

"A fine example of American primitive, wouldn't you say?" said a voice from behind us.

I turned to see a woman with dark hair that was pulled back coming down the steps. She was wearing a long black elegant dress. Dean hit Sam on the shoulder and smiled. "Well, I'd say it's more Grant Wood than Grandma Moses" Sam said after a second. She looked down embarrassed. "But you knew that. You just wanted to see if I did" Sam smiled.

"Guilty" she laughed. "And clumsy, I apologize" She extended a hand. "I'm Sarah Blake"

Sam shook it. "I'm Sam, this is Lexie, and this is my—" he paused, looking at Dean. I looked too, and saw Dean stuffing his face again. "brother, Dean" Sam finished, with a sigh.

"Dean?" Sarah asked. "Can we get you some more mini-quiche?"

"Mm-mm, I'm good, thanks" Dean grinned, eating another. I slapped him on the arm.

"Stop stuffing your face" I insisted, taking his last mini quiche away.

"So, can I help you with something?" Sarah asked, after grinning at me.

"Yeah, actually" Sam said. "What can you tell us about the Telesca estate?"

Sarah grimaced slightly. "The whole thing's pretty grisly, if you ask me, selling your things this soon. But, Dad's right about one thing. Sensationalism brings out the crowds—even the rich ones" She said with a small laugh.

"Is it possible to see the provenances?" Sam asked.

I wondered what a provenance was when we were interrupted by none other than the guy from before again. "I'm afraid there isn't any chance of that" he scoffed.

"Why not?" I asked, getting annoyed.

"You're not on the guest list" he glared. "And I think it's time to leave"

"Well, we don't have to be told twice" Dean said, rolling his eyes.

The man glared. "Apparently, you do"

"Okay, it's all right. We don't want any trouble" Sam said in surrender. "We'll go" I pulled Dean away with me while Sam said a quick goodbye to Sarah.

"What's the difference between Sam and bricks?" Dean said to me as we walked out.

I rolled my eyes. "Spare me"

"Bricks can get laid" he grinned.

"Wow" I stated, looking at the goofy grin on his face. "That's... that's really mature, Dean"

"And funny" Dean said, his grin widening as Sam came out. We headed to the motel that Dean found near the interstate. It was a decorated one. Usually we tried to stay away from these, but we were desperate to find one. Dean got a room and we headed inside.

"Grant Wood? Grandma Moses?" Dean asked, looking at Sam. "What?"

"Art history course" Sam said. "It's good for meetin' girls"

Dean shook his head disapprovingly. "It's like I don't even know you" he scoffed, opening the door.

We walked in together, glancing at the seventies room. The wallpaper was disco balls and the furniture was chrome. "Huh" we all remarked together. Unfazed, we put our bags on the beds and sighed. "What was it, the providence?" Dean asked.

"Provenance" Sam corrected. "It's a certificate of origin, like a biography, you know? We can use 'em to check the history of the pieces, see if anything's got a freaky past"

"Huh. Well, we're not gettin' anything out of Chuckles, but, uh, Sarah?" Dean smirked.

"Yeah" I scoffed. "Maybe you can get her to write it all down on a cocktail napkin"

Dean chuckled, throwing his bag on top of me and grinning. "Not me" He glanced at Sam.

"Oh, no, no, no, no" Sam said, shaking his head. "Pickups are your thing, Dean"

"It wasn't my butt she was checkin' out" Dean said.

I pushed Dean's bag off of me and smiled. "I hate to say it Sam, but she was totally checking out your ass"

"In other words, you want me to use her to get information" Sam stated.

"Sometimes, you gotta take one for the team" Dean sighed, holding out his cell phone. "Call her"

We sat in the motel room watching the television. Dean had the remote and was flipping channels. I groaned when he landed on some scary movie. "Dean, my life is scary enough" I remarked, reaching to take the remote from him.

"Ah ah ah" he said, grinning. "Sam's on his little date with Sarah, I get the TV"

"I don't care" I complained, as the girl on the TV screamed. "Haven't you ever heard of sharing?" He evaded me, taking the remote and holding it above his head.

"Yeah" he said, ignoring me, eyes on the television.

The screen caught my eye. I jumped as the killer stabbed the girl in the chest. "Dean, please…"

"Lex" he said, raising his eyebrows. "You could take this guy with your eyes closed. I've seen you with a gun"

"Just gimme the remote" I whined, now on top of him, grabbing at his hand. He pushed me off of him laughing.

"Get off" he grunted, kicking at me. We both toppled off the couch. He dropped the remote and I grabbed it, jumping to my feet in triumph. "Give it back, Lex"

"No" I scoffed, changing the channel. Dean pulled my ankle, sending me flying to the ground. He grabbed the remote from me and changed the channel back. "Dean, I swear to god—"

"What?" he asked, shaking the remote in his hand. "What are you gonna do?"

I lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. I tried to pry the remote out of his hands, but he was too strong for me. We ended up next to the table, where a beer was knocked over and poured all over Dean. I sat up, laughing as he sputtered on the ground.

"Oh you are so dead" he remarked, grabbing at me and failing miserably. I got to my feet, remote in hand, and ran into the bathroom. He raced after me, taking the remote out of my hands and closing the bathroom door in my face.

I tried to open it, but he was holding it closed. "Dean!" I shouted, pounding on it. "Let me out!" He just laughed and kept the door closed. I was locked in the bathroom.

I heard Sam come in the room. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Sam!" I yelled. "Get me out of here!" The door opened, and I immediately punched Dean in the gut as he laughed. "Ass" I remarked, plopping on the bed.

"Dean" Sam sighed, looking at him. "Why are you covered in beer?" We both cracked smiles and grinned at Sam. "It's like living with children" he murmured, shaking his head.

"So how was your date?" I asked, as he sat by his laptop. He was already back in research mode. I handed Dean the sharpening kit and we began sharpening the knives like we always did on Fridays.

"I got them" he said, holding up the provenances.

"So, she just handed the providences over to you?" Dean asked.

"Provenances" Sam and I corrected together.

"Pro-provenances?" Dean stuttered.

"Yes" Sam nodded. "I went back to her place, I got a copy of the papers"

Dean smirked. "And?"

"And nothing, that's it" Sam shrugged. I picked up the papers and glanced at them. They were too confusing to read. "I left" Sam finished.

"You didn't have to con her or do any special favors or anything?" Dean asked.

Sam narrowed his eyes. "Dean, would you get your mind out of the gutter, please?"

Dean laughed, putting the knife down. "You know, when this whole thing is done, we could stick around for a little bit"

"Why?" Sam questioned.

"So you can take her out again" Dean replied. "It's obvious you're into her, even I can see that"

"Yeah" I snorted. "See his embarrassed, happy face?"'

"Hey, all right, I think I got somethin' here" Sam said, as he tried not to smile.

"Portrait of Isaiah Merchant's family painted in 1910" Dean read, shaking his head.

"Now, compare the names of the owners with Dad's journal" Sam said, handing me the journal. I sat on the bed.

"First purchased in 1912 to Peter Simms" I said, first reading the provenance. "Peter Simms murdered in 1912" I read out of the journal. I looked up at Sam.

"Same thing in 1945" Dean said, after taking the papers from me. "Huh. Same thing in 1970"

"Then stored until it was donated to a charity auction last month, where the Telescas bought it" Sam stated. "So, what do you think, it's haunted or cursed?"

"Either way, it's toast" Dean smiled, picking up his coat. "Let's go"

"Um, Dean" I said. "You still smell like a bar"

His smile faded and he groaned. "Fine" he said, going into the bathroom. "Gimme ten"

It was freaking cold out. I waited while Dean jumped the gate to the warehouse, so I could follow behind. Sam went after me, landing on his feet and grinning. I handed him the screwdriver and we went to the door. Sam took apart the alarm system, disarming it. "Go ahead" he said.

I picked the lock and pushed the door open easily. Dean smiled, and entered. I turned on my flashlight and looked around. I wasn't seeing any paintings. Dean nudged me, pointing to the upper level. It was there, on a pedestal.

We raced up the steps. Dean took out his knife and cut it out of the frame. He handed me to portrait and we left. I glanced at it before putting it on the ground to burn. The father wasn't even looking at us, his head was turned away. There was a little girl holding a doll, the wife, and then two boys. It kind of weirded me out.

Dean lit a match and threw it on. "Ugly-ass thing" he scoffed. "If you ask me, we're doin' the art world a favor"

I nodded in agreement and we headed back to the motel. I lay on the bed and was close to sleep. I fell asleep, having weird dreams about that stupid picture. "We've got a problem, I can't find my wallet" Dean said loudly.

I groaned and sat up. "So?"

"How is that my problem?" Sam asked.

"'Cause I think I dropped it in the warehouse last night" Dean stated sheepishly.

"You're kidding, right?" Sam asked.

I shook my head in annoyance. Dean nodded. "Yeah, it's got my prints, my ID—"He paused. "Well, my fake ID, anyway" he grabbed his coat. "We've gotta get it before somebody else finds it, come on"

We rushed in and started scouring the ground. "How do you lose your wallet, Dean?" I asked. Dean just shrugged.

"Hey, guys" Sarah said, coming out of nowhere.

I shoved Sam in front of us, to distract her while Dean kept looking. "Sarah!" he said. "Hey"

She glanced at us. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, we—we're leaving town, and you know, we came to say goodbye" Sam said quickly,

"Oh, what are you talkin' about, Sam?" Dean said, coming up behind me. "We're stickin' around for at least another day or two" I looked at him, confused, but didn't really care. He nodded and took out his wallet. "Oh, Sam, by the way, I wanted to give you that twenty bucks I owe you" he said, grinning. "I'm always forgettin'" He laughed and pulled out a twenty and handed it to him. "There ya go"

"I think you owe me twenty too, Dean" I grinned, holding out my hand.

"Well, we'll leave you two crazy kids alone" Dean said, shaking his head and putting his wallet away. He turned me around and pushed me to the door. "We gotta go do something….somewhere. "C'mon ankle biter"

We walked out and I turned to see an employee carrying a portrait. Except it was the portrait that we burned last night. "Dean" I said, pointing. He glanced two times before his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Holy Shit" he stated, and dragged me to the car.

Sam came out a few minutes later. "The painting is still there" he said, getting in the car. "I mean, it regenerated or—"

"We know Sam" I said, cutting him off. "We saw it too"

"I don't understand, guys, we burned the damn thing" he stated, getting in the car.

"Yeah, thank you, Captain Obvious" Dean scoffed. "All right, we just need to figure out another way to get rid of it. Any ideas?"

"Okay, all right, well, um….in almost all the lore about haunted paintings, it's always the painting's subject that haunts them" Sam suggested.

"Yeah? All right, so, we need to figure out everything there is to know about that creepy-ass family in that creepy-ass painting" Dean said. "What were their names again?"

"Merchant" Sam replied, and sighed. "Library?"

Dean nodded and drove off. We entered the library and Sam asked the librarian guy for help. While we waited, I glanced at the shelves. "Dean" I smirked, taking out a book titled "Coming out of the closet" I handed it to him. "I think you should read this" He took it and read the title. He glared at me and smacked me with the book.

"You said the Isaiah Merchant family, right?" the librarian asked. Sam nodded. "I dug up every scrap of local history I could find" he sighed. "So, uh, are you guy's crime buffs?"

"Kind of" Dean nodded, with a smirk. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…." The librarian sighed. He held up an old newspaper. "Father Slaughters Family, Kills Self" it read.

"Yes. Yeah, that sounds about right" Dean nodded, looking at it.

"The whole family was killed?" Sam asked.

"It seems this Isaiah—he slits his kids' throats, then his wife, then himself" the librarian said. "Now, he was a barber by trade—used a straight razor"

"Nice" I said, thinking of those old razors. They were sharp.

"Why'd he do it?" Sam asked.

The librarian shrugged. "Well, let's look" he said, reading the article. "Uh, "people who knew him described Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament and controlled his family with an iron fist." Wife, two sons, adopted daughter—yeah, yeah—there were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave, which, of course, you know, in that day and age….so, instead, Old Man Isaiah—well, he gave them all a shave" He made a shaving motion with his hand and laughed.

I grimaced, and Dean laughed slightly. "Does it say what happened to the bodies?" Dean asked.

"It just says they were all cremated" he said, shaking his head.

I scoffed in annoyance. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Actually, I found a picture of the family. Its right here somewhere" he said. He opened a book and pointed to the portrait of the family from the auction house. There was something different.

"Hey, could we get a copy of this, please?" Sam asked. I looked up at him, the back at the painting.

"Sure" the librarian shrugged, taking the book with him.

"The father" I said, realizing what was different. "He was looking straight ahead"

Sam nodded. "I noticed" he said. The librarian handed him the copy, we thanked him, and headed back to the motel.

"What are you two talking about?" Dean asked, holding his forehead. "The painting is the same"

"I'm telling you, man, I'm sure of it" Sam said. "Painting at the auction house, Dad is lookin' down. Painting here, Dad's lookin' out. The painting has changed, Dean"

"All right, so, you think Daddy Dearest is trapped in the painting?" Dean asked. "He's handin' out Columbian neckties like he did with his family?"

"Yeah, it seems like it" Sam nodded.

"But if his bones are already dusted, then how are we gonna stop him?" I asked.

"All right, well, if Isaiah's position changed, maybe some other things in the painting changed as well" Dean said, glancing at the copy from the library. "It could give us some clues"

"What, like a _DaVinci Code _deal?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, I'm still waitin' for the movie on that one" Dean said, shaking his head. "Anyway, we gotta get back in and see that painting" He lay down on the bed. "Which is a good thing because you can get some more time to crush on your girlfriend?"

"Dude, enough already" Sam scoffed.

"What?" Dean smirked.

""What?"" Sam asked. "Ever since we got here, you've been tryin' to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, all right?"

"Well, you like her, don't you?" Dean asked.

"I'm going to take a shower" I scoffed, wanting to stay out of this argument. I headed into the bathroom. It was just like with me and Logan. There was always an argument over staying or leaving.

"What's the point, Dean? We'll just leave. We always leave!" I heard Sam exclaim. I winced. That was just like me and Logan too. I scoffed and turned on the shower. I didn't even get a chance to get in though because Sam was pounding on the door.

"Lex!" he shouted. "We gotta go. _Now_"

I hadn't even undressed yet. I opened the door. "What?" I asked. "What happened?"

"They sold the painting" Sam said, and we ran to the car. "We have to get to some lady named Evelyn's house before it kills her"

We drove faster than I have seen go in awhile. "Sam, what's happening?" Sarah asked, as we got out of the car at Evelyn's house.

"I told you, you shouldn't have come" Sam said to her as Dean and I high tailed it up the steps and panicked when no one was answering the door.

"Hello?" I yelled, pounding on the door.

"Anybody home?" Dean asked.

"You said Evelyn might be in danger" Sarah stated. "What kind of danger?"

"The dangerous kind" I remarked. "Can you kick it in?" I asked Dean.

"I can't knock this sucker down" he said, pointing to the heavy oak door. "I gotta pick it" He kneeled and began working at the lock.

Sam tried the windows. "What are you guys, burglars?" Sarah asked.

Sam scoffed. "I wish it was that simple" Dean got the door open and we rushed inside. "Look, you really should wait in the car, it's for your own good" Sam said to Sarah, then followed.

"The hell I will, Evelyn's a friend" she said indignantly. We walked into the quiet house together. "Evelyn?" Sarah called.

"Evelyn?" Dean pointed to the living room. Evelyn was sitting in a chair next to the fire place and the painting was above it. The father wasn't looking at us. I looked back to Evelyn, who wasn't moving. It didn't take a genius to figure out that we were too late. I figured she was dead.

"Evelyn?" Sarah asked, moving steadily closer. "Evelyn? It's Sarah Blake. Are you all right?" She put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sarah, don't" Sam said. "Sarah!" She moved the body and Evelyn's head tilted back, her neck slit at the jugular. Blood was pooled down her front.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Sarah screamed, as Sam pulled her out of the room to calm her down.

"C'mon, Lex" Dean said as I stood there, staring at the painting. The father was staring right at me.

"It's looking at me" I said, glaring back.

Dean looked up and grimaced. "Even more reason to stop having a staring contest with it and come on" he said, pulling on my arm.

We ran into the Impala, and Sarah stayed. "Sam, you're just going to leave her here?" I questioned.

"She's calling the cops and lying for us" Sam said.

We went back to the motel and Sam started pacing. Dean sat at the laptop, trying to find anything that might talk about remains of the Merchant family. There was a knock on the door, and Sam opened it.

"Hey" he said, as Sarah stormed in. "You all right?"

"No, actually" she remarked. "I just lied to the cops and told them I went to Evelyn's alone and found her like that"

"Thank you" Sam said softly.

"Don't thank me. I'm about to call 'em right back if you don't tell me what the hell is going on" Sarah demanded. "Who's killing these people?"

"What" Sam stated.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"It's not who, it's what is killing these people" Sam said. Sarah shook her head. "Sarah, you saw that painting move"

"No. No, I was seeing things" she said. "It's impossible"

"Yeah, well, welcome to our world" Dean remarked.

"Sarah, I know this sounds crazy, but we think that that painting is haunted" Sam stated.

"You're joking" she said. Sam didn't respond. "You're not joking. God, the guys I go out with"

"Sarah, think about it—Evelyn, the Telescas" Sam sighed. "They both had the painting, and there have been others before that. Wherever this thing goes, people die, and we're just tryin' to stop it. And that's the truth"

Sarah sighed. "Well, then, I guess you better show me" she said. "I'm coming with you"

"What?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes. "No. Sarah, no, you should just go home. This stuff can get dangerous, and—"He paused, looking at Dean and I . "—and I don't want you to get hurt" he went on.

"Look, you guys are probably crazy, but if you're right about this—well, me and my dad sold that painting, we might have got these people killed" she said. "I'm not saying I'm not scared, 'cause I am scared as hell, but I'm not gonna run and hide, either" She walked to the door and opened it. "So, are we going or what?" she asked, and left.

"Sam?" Dean said, getting up. "Marry that girl"

"Uh, isn't this a crime scene?" Sarah asked as I cracked the lock on Evelyn's front door for the second time.

"Well, you've already lied to the cops" I said, standing and pushing the door open. "What's another infraction?"

We went in, and Sam took the painting off the mantel. He leaned it on a chair and we stared at it. "Aren't you worried that it's gonna, you know, kill us?" Sarah asked.

"No, it seems to do its thing at night" Sam replied. "I think we're all right in daylight"

Dean held up the painting from the library book, "Sam, Lex, check it out" he said. He handed e the picture. "The razor—it's closed in this one, but it's open in that one" he said.

"What are you guys looking for?" she asked.

"Well, if the spirit's changing aspects of the painting, maybe it's doing so for a reason" I said, staring at the family for the millionth time.

"Hey, look at this—the painting _in_ the painting" Sam said, pointing. The photo from the library had mountains, while the real one in front of us was different.

"Looks like a crypt or a mausoleum or something" Dean said, grabbing an ashtray from the side table. He held it up, magnifying the picture. "Merchant" he stated, pointing to the name on the mausoleum.

We all headed back to the car, getting to the first cemetery. There was no mausoleum. By the third one, I was getting a little annoyed. "That's the third bone yard we've checked" Dean complained. "I think this ghost is jerkin' us around"

"I agree" I stated. "Maybe there is no mausoleum"

"So, this is what you guys do for a living?" Sarah asked tiredly.

"Not exactly" Sam sighed. "We don't get paid"

Sarah sighed. "Well, Mazel Tov"

"Over there" Dean pointed to a mausoleum in the distance. I raced over, and saw Merchant written on the top. I smiled, and knocked the door in with one fell kick.

The walls were lined with urns, four of them standing on the pedestals. Then, in the wall were little glass cases with different things in them. One had a doll, like the one in the portrait. I wiped the cobwebs away and stared at it. "How adorable" I said dryly.

"Okay, that right there is the creepiest thing I've ever seen" Sarah said, peering in.

"It was sort of a tradition at the time" Sam said. "Whenever a child died, sometimes they'd preserve the kid's favorite toy in a glass case right next to the headstone in a crypt"

"You notice anything strange here?" Dean asked.

"Uh, where do I start?" Sarah asked, wryly.

"No, that's not what I mean. Look at the urns" Dean said.

"Yeah, there are only four" Sam said.

"Yeah, Mom and the three kids. Daddy Dearest isn't here" Dean replied.

"So, where is he?" I asked. No one answered me.

Dean and I went into the police department to look for death records. "So?" I asked, as he searched. "Find anything?"

"Not yet" he said, glancing at me. I went back to my stack of papers. I hadn't found much either. "Why couldn't they all just stay together" he groaned.

"Would you want to be buried with your killer husband?" I asked.

"Yeah, well…" Dean scoffed. "It makes our job harder"

I smiled, holding up the certificate. "Yahtzee" I read the paper. "Isaiah Merchant. Buried at Grove Cemetery in 1911, plot 176"

"Nice" Dean said, as we exited. He went to go interrupt Sam and Sarah.

"Stop" I said, holding him back for a moment. "They're having a moment"

Dean looked from them and then back to me. "Don't be such a girl" he scoffed, and walked up to them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No" they both said together. "So, what'd you get?" Sam asked.

"Pay dirt" Dean said.

"Apparently, the surviving relatives of the Merchant family were so ashamed of Isaiah that they didn't want him interred with the rest of the family" I said, taking the papers out of Dean's hands. "So, they handed him over to the county. The county gave him a pauper's funeral—economy-style. Turns out he wasn't cremated, he was buried in a pine box"

"So, there _are_ bones to burn?" Sam asked.

"There are bones to burn" Dean nodded happily.

"Tell me you know where" Sam said. Dean and I shared a look and smiled.

We waited until sundown and then headed to the cemetery. I found the plot and then Sam and Dean started digging. Sarah and I held flashlights as they dug. Sam came out and handed me his shovel.

"You guys seem to be uncomfortably comfortable with this" Sarah remarked.

"Yeah, well, this isn't exactly the first grave we've dug. Still think I'm a catch?" he asked, smiling.

"I think I got somethin'" Dean groaned. Sarah and I readjusted our flashlights, so he could see better. Sam pulled him out before the hole got too deep.

"You get the honors of cracking the tomb" Sam smiled, pushing me forward.

I groaned. "Great" I hopped in and used the shovel to break it open. It smelled, but at least he wasn't fresh. Sam pulled me back out, while Dean salted and poured gas on.

"You've been a real pain in the ass, Isaiah" Dean said, lighting the match. "Good riddance" We waited for the body to burn before turning to go.

"Shouldn't we rebury him?" Sarah asked.

Dean and I looked at each other and laughed. "No" Sam said, glaring at us. "We don't have time"

We headed back to Evelyn's to get the portrait. "Keep the motor running" Sam called.

"I thought the painting was harmless now" Sarah said.

"Better safe than sorry" Sam sighed, opening the door. "We're gonna bury the sucker" He got out.

"I wanna come with you" Sarah said, getting out of the backseat.

"You sure?" Sam asked. She nodded, and I closed the door behind her. She started up the walk.

"Hey, hey, hey" Dean called to Sam. "We'll stay here, you go make your move" Sam scoffed and kept walking. "Sam, I'm serious!"

Sam slammed the car door shut and walked away. Dean smirked and played a love song loud on the stereo. Sam turned and glared. "Dean, really?" I asked. I rolled my eyes, reaching into the front seat and cutting it off. Sam shot me a thank you look and they went inside.

Dean and I sat in the car waiting. "You know the reason Sam won't make a move is the same reason I keep telling Logan no to being my real boyfriend right? And why you could never be with Cassie?" I asked Dean. "Because we have to leave every time"

"I know" he said. "But Logan is different"

"How?" I asked.

"He understands the job" Dean replied.

"Sometimes I don't think he does" I said, sadly.

"Do you want to break it off with him?" Dean asked me. I thought about that for a second. "Don't lead the kid on if you don't want him" he said.

A loud slam made me jump. The windows and doors of the house had shut, and I lunged out of the car. Dean and I raced up the porch. "Sam!" I yelled, pounding on the door.

"Lex!" Sam yelled. "Dean! Hey! Is that you guys?"

"Yeah, you all right?" Dean called back. Dean's cell phone rang. "Tell me you slammed the front door" Dean stated into the phone.

"No, it wasn't me. I think it was the little girl" Sam said.

"The girl?" Dean asked. "What girl?" Dean got down and started picking at the lock. I took the phone.

"Yeah, she's out of the painting" Sam said. "I think it might have been her all along"

"Wasn't the dad lookin' down at her?" I asked. "Maybe he was tryin' to warn 'em"

"Hey, hey, hey, let's recap later, all right?" Sam asked. "Just get us out of here"

"Well, I'm tryin' to pick the lock, but the door won't budge" Dean said. He stood up. I looked at it. It wasn't the lock anyway, it was the ghost.

Sam sighed. "Well, then, break it down"

"Okay, genius, let me grab my battering ram" Dean scoffed.

Sam paused for a second. "Dean, the damn thing is comin'!" Sam yelled.

"Well, you're gonna have to hold it off until we figure somethin' out" Dean said. "Get some salt or iron"

"Uh, Dean, give me a sec, don't go anywhere" Sam said, and disappeared off the line. I searched around the outside of the house for a window without bars on it that I could bash in. "Stupid rich people with their barred windows" I stated in frustration.

"Sammy, you okay?" I asked when I heard a clatter.

"Yeah, for now" he remarked.

Dean took the phone. "How we gonna waste her?"

"I don't know. She was already cremated. There's nothin' left to burn" Sam said.

"Well, then, how's she still around?" I asked.

"There must be somethin' else" Sam sighed, irritated. There was a pause. "Lex?" he asked. "Sarah says the doll might have the girl's hair. Human remains—same as bones"

"The mausoleum" Dean and I said together, and ran to the car. He drove so fast I literally almost went barreling into the dashboard when he stopped, tires screeching. I dove out of the car heading into the mausoleum.

I pounded on the glass but it wasn't breaking. Dean took out his gun and hit it with the barrel, but the glass barely bent. "We need something else" Dean said, going to leave.

"Uh, Dean" I said, deadpan. "You're holding a gun"

Dean paused and looked down at his gun. "Come on, Dean!" he murmured, and shot the glass. I reached in and pulled out the doll.

Dean pulled out his lighter and took the doll. The hair just wouldn't light. "Come on, come on!" Dean whined. He finally got it lit, lighting up the mausoleum and filling it with smoke.

"Sam, you good?" I asked, after watching the doll burn for a second.

"Not bad" Sam remarked.

I hung up, sighing and nodding at Dean in relief. God damn dolls.

"This was archived in the county records" Dean said, as we walked up to Sam and Sarah. We had gone to check out the little girl. "The Merchants adopted daughter, Melanie. Know why she was up for adoption? 'Cause her real family was murdered in their beds"

"She killed them?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, who'd suspect her, a sweet little girl?" I scoffed.

Dean nodded. "So, then she kills Isaiah and his family, the old man takes the blame—spirit's been tryin' to warn people ever since"

"Where does this one go?" a worker asked, holding up the painting.

"Take it out back and burn it" Sarah said. They stared at her in confusion. She smiled. "I'm serious, guys. Thanks" They nodded and took the painting away. "So, why'd the girl do it?" she asked us.

"Killin' others, killin' herself—some people are just born tortured" Sam replied. "So, when they die, their spirits are just as dark"

"Maybe. I don't really care" Dean scoffed. "It's over, we move on"

"I guess this means you're leaving" Sarah said sadly, looking at Sam.

Sam shrugged and looked at Dean and I. Dean seemed clueless, so I took his arm and pulled him with me. "C'mon Dean" I smiled at Sam. "Time to go" We walked off. "Bye, Sarah" I said over my shoulder.

"I'm the one who burned the doll, destroyed the spirit, but don't thank me or anything" Dean mumbled. I laughed and slapped him on the arm.

"Good job, Dean" I laughed. He just scowled at me.

We waited by the car for Sam. He came out looking sad. "What happened?" I asked. "Did you kiss her?" He shook his head. I walked up to him and glared. "Sam, you get back in there, and kiss her god damn it" I said, pushing him.

"That's my boy" Dean said, as Sam raced back and kissed her. "Good job, Lex"

"Thank you" I said, getting in the car.

"Why did you do that?" he asked me, sliding in next to me.

"Because even though Logan and I can't be together, together, I still want to know that he wants to be" I said, with a small smile.

"Awww" Dean said, mocking me. He started the car as Sam got in, face flushed. I rolled my eyes, and we took off.

Life is funny sometimes.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Last Chapter before the season finale! Whoo! I'm actually really proud of this chapter, so let me know what you all think! **

**Chapter Twenty Three**

We stopped at a diner in Nebraska. I was tired of being in the car, and getting frustrated. I wasn't sure I could do this for much longer. I mean, I loved hunting, don't get me wrong, but there was only so many bones you could burn until you wanted something else to happen. I wanted to find my father. I wanted to sleep without nightmares.

We were searching for another case. Well, Sam and Dean were. I was pretending to look through the newspaper while actually thinking. "All right, dude" Dean said. "Not a decent lead in all of Nebraska. What do you got?"

"Well, I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota" Sam replied. "Here, a woman in Iowa fell ten thousand feet from an airplane and survived"

"That sounds more like "That's incredible" than, uh, "Twilight Zone"" Dean responded. Sam sighed and nodded. "Hey, you know, we could, uh—we could just keep it in the east. New York, upstate" Dean shrugged. "We could stop by and see Sarah again, huh? She's a cool chick, man—smokin'" Dean whistled. "You two seemed pretty friendly. What do you say?"

"Yeah, maybe, someday" Sam said with a smile. "But in the meantime, we've got a lot of work to do, Dean, and you know that"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. What else you got?" Sam shook his head. "Lex?" Dean asked.

"Uh, Manning, Colorado—a local man by the name of Daniel Elkins was found mauled in his home" I stated, reading the top of the article I was scanning.

"Elkins?" Dean asked. "I know that name."

"Doesn't ring a bell" Sam said. "Keep going"

"It sounds like the police don't know what to think" I said, going on. "At first, they said it was some sort of bear attack, and now, they found signs of robbery"

"Check it out" Dean said, showing me the journal. It was a number for a D. Elkins

"You think it's the same Elkins?" Sam asked him.

"It's a Colorado area code" Dean said with a shrug. I stood up, eating one last fry. "Are you in a hurry or something?" Dean called after me, irritated.

"I just wanna get this over with" I called back, leaving the diner. I got in the Impala, and figured that we were like four hours from the Colorado address. I sank down, completely ignoring the boys as they got in the car. I fell asleep in minutes.

_There was a long, dark hallway looming in front of me. Doors were littered along the sides, with a door leading to outside somewhere at the end. I stopped for a moment, wondering where the hell I was and how I was going to get out of this. I put one tentative step forward, feeling goose bumps rise on the back of my neck. _

_The first door was locked. I could hear a woman wailing away inside. I shuddered. The next one was locked as well, but there were long slashes on the door. I traced a finger over them. This was weird. _

_I took another step down, finding a door that was actually open. It was a room filled with water. Like literally, I couldn't take a step inside or all the water would surround me. The next room was all black. I couldn't see a thing. I stepped back and closed the door behind me. _

"Lexie" Sam said, shaking me awake. "We're here"

I sat up to them getting out of the car. I hadn't even finished my dream. I rubbed my eyes a little and slowly got out of the car to follow. Dean handed me a flashlight. "You okay?" he asked. "You've been acting weird"

"I'm fine" I said, turning on the light and walking up to the house.

"You sure, I mean-"

"Yeah, Dean" I said, kicking the door in and going under the police lines. "I'm great, let's just get this over with, okay?"

The house looked like a tornado passed through. Bookshelves were overturned, glass was shattered, and soot from a fire place coated the ground. "Looks like the maid didn't come today" I stated, kicking over a chair.

"Hey, there's salt over here—right inside the door" Sam said, crouched by where we entered.

"You mean, like, protection-against-demons salt, or, uh, "Oops, I spilled the popcorn" salt?" Dean asked, going up to the table and looking at all the papers.

"It's clearly a ring" Sam sighed. He stood up and looked at the overturned furniture. "You think this guy, Elkins, was a player?"

"Definitely" Dean said, with a nod. I walked over to see what he was holding. It was a journal filled with papers.

"That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's" Sam said, coming over as well.

Dean flipped some pages. "Yeah, except this dates back to the sixties"

I noticed a door that looked kicked in, so I walked over. "He tried to barricade himself in here" I stated, walking in.

"How do you know that?" Dean asked.

"The cabinet belongs over there" I said, pointing to where there was a distinct outline of a cabinet in the wall. "And now it's in front of the door, knocked over. You do the math"

"Right" Dean stated. "I knew that. I was just testing you. Good job" I rolled my eyes.

A pang of pain went through my head. It felt like…I wasn't sure. Okay, I was totally sure, I just didn't want to believe it. Not until I knew it was true anyway.

"Whatever attacked him, it looks like there was more than one" Sam sighed.

"Looks like he put up a hell of a fight, too" Dean said, taking in the destroyed office.

I looked through books and other crap that was thrown around the room. There wasn't anything particularly useful. "You got somethin'?" I asked, watching Dean look carefully at the ground.

"I don't know, just some scratches in the floor" he said.

"Death throes, maybe?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, maybe" he said, grabbing a paper from the desk and a pencil from the ground. Then, he made an imprint on the paper of the scratches. He picked it up, staring at it. "Or maybe a message" he stated. He handed me the paper. "Look familiar?"

"Three letters, six digits" I sighed, handing it to Sam.

"The location and combination of a post office box" Sam said, glancing at it as well. "It's a mail drop" he sighed.

"That's just the way Dad does it" Dean stated.

We were in the post office, opening the box. I wasn't sure what I expected to be inside. A weapon? Something more than a letter though. But when that was all Dean pulled out, I also didn't expect it to have my dad's initials on it.

J.W.

We walked to the car and my head was now pounding. I leaned towards the front seat, burying my head into the leather. "J.W.—you think? John Winchester?" Sam asked.

"I don't know" Dean sighed. "Should we open it?"

A knock on the window made me jump in surprise. When I glanced over however, I grinned. "Dad?" Dean asked, confused. My dad got into the back of the car, so I scooted over for him. My headache was actually right for once.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Sam asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm okay" he nodded. "Look, I read the news about Daniel. I got here as fast as I could. I saw you two up at his place"

"Why didn't you come in, Dad?" Sam asked.

"You know why—because I had to make sure you weren't followed, by anyone, or anything." My dad replied. "Nice job of covering your tracks, by the way" he added.

"Yeah, well, we learn from the best" Dean sighed.

"Wait, so, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. He was….he was a good man" my dad stated sadly. "He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting"

"You never mentioned him to us" I said, curiously.

"We had, uh….we had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years" he replied. He looked at the letter. "I should look at that" he said. Dean handed it to him and he read it. "If you're reading this, I'm already dead." He murmured, then went on in silence. "That son of a bitch" he scoffed.

"What is it?" I asked.

"He had it the whole time" he went on.

"Dad, what?" Sam asked.

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun?" he asked us. "An antique—a Colt revolver, did you see it?"

"Uh, there was an old case, but it was empty" Dean shrugged.

He sighed and leaned on the seat of the car. "They have it"

"You mean, whatever killed Elkins?" I asked.

"We've got to pick up the trail" my dad stated, and got out of the car.

"Wait" Sam called. "You want us to come with you?"

My dad sighed. "If Elkins was tellin' the truth, we've got to find this gun" he said.

"The gun?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"Because it's important, that's why" he responded irritated. He said it with a finality that made me really wish that Sam would shut up.

"Dad, we don't even know what these things _are_ yet" Sam complained, ignoring my request for him to shut his mouth.

"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best" He said. "Vampires"

"Vampires?" Dean and I said together in shock. "I thought there was no such thing" Dean added.

"You never even mentioned them, Dad" Sam said, looking confused.

"I thought they were extinct. I thought Elkins and others had wiped 'em out" he said, putting a hand on his forehead. "I was wrong" He paused, leaning on the window. "Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them,and neither will a stake to the heart. But the bloodlust—that part's true" he said. "They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late"

We were silent. "You got a room yet?" he asked us. Dean shook his head. "Alright, we'll go to mine. Follow me"

And with that he went back to the truck and we followed him to a motel about ten minutes away. We entered the motel room and I seriously was so tired I thought that I was just going to collapse right then and there. I went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of old sweat shorts and Dean's Metallica t-shirt.

Dean and Sam were already asleep on the beds. I joined Sam on his bed since he wasn't hogging all of it. I laid on the bed for all of two minutes before I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep. My mind was too wired by the arrival of my father. So I got up and sat at the table with him. The police scanner buzzed quietly. I hugged my knees to my chest.

"Aren't you tired?" my father asked, looking at Sam and Dean. They were still asleep, snoring quietly. I shrugged. "You look tired, peanut"

"I guess I am" I sighed, with a shrug. "But I can't sleep"

My father gave me a worried glance. "Nightmares?" he asked curiously. I slowly shook my head. I looked down at the ground. "Hey" he said, motioning at me. "You alright?"

"I'm fine" I smiled. "So, this gun…we can just go get it from these vampires, and then what?" I asked.

"Then I go and find the demon that killed mom" he said.

"Oh" I said, resting my head on my knees. I thought about that. So as soon as we helped him, he was out of here again. "But then what?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well you kill the thing that killed mom" I said. "But then what?"

He paused for a second, thinking about my question. "I never thought about it" he admitted. "But whatever happens, we are a family, you understand?"

I nodded. "Yes sir"

He smiled. "So tell me about what's been going on"

I thought about that. "I burned lots of bones" I said with a shrug. "And I'm really good at picking locks now. And I was possessed and stabbed and, uh…" I thought. "Lots happened, dad" I breathed.

"But your okay" he said, seriously. I think I freaked him out with the whole I got stabbed thing. I nodded with a small smile. "Good" he said. "You're just a kid, Lexie. I mean, you're strong, but your brothers probably shouldn't have let you do as much as you did"

My heart fell. I tried so hard to impress him and yet I was still just a kid. "I'm a good hunter, dad" I insisted. "Dean says so all the time"

"Dean trusts you" he said slowly. "And that's good. I'm just saying that you're still a kid. Take it easy" The radio buzzed a little. He picked it up and listened. "That was it" he said. "Wake up Sam and Dean"

I smacked Dean on the foot and then did the same to Sam. "Sam, Dean, let's go" I said, and pulled back on some jeans and my jacket.

"Picked up a police call" my dad added.

"What happened?" Sam asked groggily.

"A couple called 911. They found a body in the street" he replied. "Cops got there, everyone was missing. It's the vampires"

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

"Just follow me, okay?" my father said not really answering his question. "Lex, you come with me"

"Vampires—gets funnier every time I hear it" Dean murmured as I walked out with my dad.

We rode in silence. I had to admit, at this point I could've cared less if he let me help on this hunt or not. He always let Dean and Sammy help. He always was so overprotective of me. Dean said it was because I was the youngest and a girl, but Sam said it was because I reminded him of our mom. I could fight. I didn't need help like he thought I did. I mean, that was why I liked hunting with Dean better. He let me help. But now, I seriously was so fed up with all this I wanted to be free. I wanted to go be with Logan for awhile. I needed a break.

My dad nudged me. "We're here" he said, motioning at the cops. "Meet Sammy and Dean and stay by the car"

"Yes sir" I stated, getting out to meet them.

"Hey" I said as Dean got out. "He said to wait here"

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I don't know" I shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him" Sam whined.

Dean scoffed. "Oh, don't tell me it's already starting"

Sam looked confused. "What's starting?"

Our dad walked back over. "What do you got?" Dean asked him.

"It was them, all right. Looks like they're headin' west" he replied. "We're gonna have to double back to get around that detour" I looked at where the cops had the entire road barricaded.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked him.

"Sam—" Dean warned with a sigh.

Sam looked at him annoyed. "I just wanna know we're goin' in the right direction"

My dad glared. "We are"

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

My dad reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a tooth. "I found this" he said, holding it up for us to see.

Dean took it. "It's a vampire fang"

"No fangs—teeth" my father corrected. "The second set descends when they attack" he looked at Sam. "Any more questions?" Sam said nothing. "All right, let's get out of here, we're losin' daylight" He paused by the Impala. "Hey, Dean, why don't you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were gonna ruin it"

I laughed at the defeated glare on Dean's face. "Yeah, Dean" I said, following my dad. "Geez" He smacked me as I walked by. I got back in the car and noted the odd look on my father's face. "What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing, I just—" He chuckled to himself. "You remind me so much of your mom" I could feel myself blush. "Here" he said, reaching into the glove compartment. "I missed your birthday"

I took the small package in confusion. My birthday had been almost two months ago. I opened it to see a small charm bracelet with pendants of crosses and pentagrams that would ward off possessions and such. I smiled. "Thanks dad" I said. "I love it" I put it on myself and grinned. "Thanks" I said again.

"I'm glad you like it" he said. "Now that you're sixteen, we gotta get you driving"

"I can drive" I stated. "Dean taught me when I was twelve"

He was silent. "You good at it then?" he asked. I gave a slight nod. He pulled over and got out of the car. "Go ahead" he said.

I eagerly got in the driver's seat and pulled back out into the road. My father was silent the entire time. I made sure to go slower than I normally would. I liked to speed, but I really didn't need him yelling at me right now. I was touchy enough as it was. "Pull over there" he instructed. I did so, pulling in the gas station. He got out and we switched back after he got gas. He said nothing about me driving. I took that as a good thing, and kept my mouth shut.

"Call Dean and tell him to get off at the next exit" he said, tossing his cell at me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I said so" he said, and that was all I needed to tell me that I better shut up. I did so, and dialed Dean.

"Hey" I said. "Dad said to head off at the next exit" I stated.

"Yeah, Lex" he said. "All right, got it" And he abruptly hung up.

Out of nowhere, the Impala was racing in front of us and cutting us off. Dad slammed on the brakes and angrily got out of the car.

"Oh, crap. Here we go" I mumbled.

"What the hell was that?" my father demanded at Sam.

Sam stayed adamant. "We need to talk"

My father looked at him like he was nuts, which at this point I was thinking he was. "About what?" he asked.

"About everything" Sam exclaimed. "Where we goin', Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?"

"Sammy, come on, we can Q and A after we kill all the vampires" Dean pleaded.

"Your brother's right, we don't have time for this" dad said.

"Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous to be together" Sam said. "Now, out of the blue, you need our help. Now, obviously, something big is goin' down, and we wanna know what!"

"Get back in the car" he growled.

Sam stood his ground. "No"

My dad glared, that vein in his forehead pulsing. "I said get back in the damn car"

"Yeah" Sam said. "And I said no"

"All right, you made your point, tough guy" Dean said, stepping between them. "Look, we're all tired. We can talk about this later. Sammy, I mean it, come on" he said pushing him.

"Lex, back in the truck" my dad commanded. I slowly turned to go back.

"This is why I left in the first place" Sam mumbled.

"What'd you say?" my father demanded.

Sam turned back around. I paused, watching. "You heard me" Sam stated.

"Yeah. _You_ left" my dad said. "Your brother and sister and me, we needed you. _You _walked away, Sam, _you _walked away!" he grabbed Sam by the shirt.

"Stop it, both of you!" Dean yelled.

"Guys, this is dumb, just stop" I said, stepping back towards them.

"You were the one who said "Don't come back", Dad. You're the one who closed that door, not me!" Sam yelled. "You were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore!" Dean tried to pull Sam away.

"Shut up, Sam!" I yelled back. "Stop it!"

"All right, stop it, stop it—stop it, that's enough!" Dean shouted, breaking them apart. "That means you, too" he said, looking at dad.

"Terrific" Dean sighed as Sam and dad both stalked angrily back to their respective cars.

"I get to ride with angry dad" I scoffed walking back. "How do you think I feel?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Lex!" dad barked. I turned and trotted back quickly. As soon as the car door was closed, he raced off again. By the time we found the nest, it was morning.

We staged a stakeout by the barn that they were hiding in. We crouched by the bushes in anticipation. One vampire walked in, not even flinching in the sunlight. "Son of a bitch" Dean remarked. "So, they're really not afraid of the sun?"

"No, direct sunlight hurts like nasty sunburn. The only way to kill them is by beheading" dad replied. I opened my mouth to ask a question. "And, yeah, they sleep during the day. It doesn't mean they won't wake up" I shut my mouth.

"So I guess walking right in's not our best option" Dean sighed.

My dad shrugged. "Actually, that's the plan"

We headed back to where we hid the cars and opened the trunks for weapons. I waited by the Impala, just watching dad open his trunk, and show off weapons much better than what Dean had. "Dad, I got an extra machete if you need one" Dean said.

Dad took out a much newer one. "Think I'm okay. Thanks" he smirked.

"Wow" Dean said.

"Lex" My dad said, handing me a slightly smaller machete and not letting go of it, giving me a serious stare. "This is for real, Lex" he said.

"I know" I said, trying to take it. He pulled away.

"I'm serious" he said. "If you don't think you can cut its head off…"

"Dad" I said. "I can do it"

He stared at me for a second, and then handed it to me with a smirk. "You stay by me, you understand?"

"Yes sir"

"So….you guys really wanna know about this Colt?" my dad said after letting out a long sigh. We all collectively said yes in surprise. "It's just a story—a legend, really. Well, I thought it was. Never really believed it until I read Daniel's letter" he said. "Back in 1835, when Halley's Comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo, they say Samuel Colt made a gun—a special gun. He made it for a hunter—a man like us, only on horseback. The story goes he made thirteen bullets. This hunter used the gun a half dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. Somehow, Daniel got his hands on it" He paused. "They say—they say this gun can kill anything"

"Kill anything, like, supernatural anything?" Dean asked.

"Like the demon" Sam breathed.

"Yeah, the demon" my dad nodded. "Ever since I picked up its trail, I've been lookin' for a way to destroy that thing. Find the gun….we may have it"

We nodded in agreement. As we made our way to the vampire's nest, all I could think about was how in a few hours, if we got this gun, everything could be over. We would have gotten our revenge. We could move on. I just didn't know where we would be moving on to.

Dean and Sam went together and I stuck next to my father. We snuck in two separate windows. As far as I could see from where I was, there was no vampire's around. We went down a narrow hall and ended up in a smaller room. A couple was asleep in the bed. My dad nudged me and pointed to a leather case with an old fashioned gun in it. The colt.

I stayed backed away against a wall, ready to fight if I needed to. I had never had to do anymore than shoot something, and most of the time it wasn't even corporeal, but I had to do this. I had to be able to behead a vampire. Dad started down the steps, slowly. The vampire's rolled over slightly, but didn't wake up. I winced. As soon as my dad's hand was around the gun, I sighed.

A scream from the other room sent everything into a whirlwind. The two vampires' in the bed woke up. The man threw my dad into a wall. I moved to help him and threw a bottle at the window, shattering it, sending flying glass everywhere. In the confusion, my dad was able to push me out the window. "Run!" he yelled.

I followed orders and ran as hard as I could. I didn't hear his footsteps behind me. "Lex?" Dean called. I rounded up a hill and collapsed into Sam's arms. "You alright?" Dean asked, panting. I nodded.

"Which one of you idiots woke them up?" I asked.

"Where's dad?" Sam asked, ignoring my question.

I glanced behind me. "I thought he was following me" I said, and went back towards the hill as Dean freaked out. Not long after, my dad appeared.

"They won't follow. They'll wait 'til tonight" he panted, making his way over to us. "Once a vampire gets your scent, it's for life"

"What the hell do we do now?" Dean asked in defeat.

"You got to find the nearest funeral home, that's what" my dad stated with a nod.

"Dean, this is a dumb plan" I said, watching the police officer at the desk. "Like he's really going to believe you work there"

"Why wouldn't he?" he asked, with a shrug. "People are dumb"

"Dean, you're wearing boots and a leather jacket" I sighed. "They aren't that dumb"

He sighed, looking at the bolted back entrance. We had tried any other way to get it and this was all there was. "You got a better plan then?" he asked, eyebrows rose.

I grinned. "Be ready to move" I said, and ducked inside.

I casually waltzed in and made my way to the back where there was a funeral going on. "Miss" the man called, "That's a private funeral"

Time to put on my sad face. "Don't you think I know that?" I screeched. "I'm related to the corpse in there!" I let out sobs.

The man came over, trying to calm me down. "I'm sorry, I didn't know" he admitted.

"Yeah, well" I cried, choking on my sobs. "Do you know what it's like to lose someone? No!" I yelled. I saw Dean come around the corner and duck into the back where they kept the bodies. "I can't believe this!"

The man was at a loss for words, not that I blame him. I just kept crying harder the more he tried to console me. As soon as Dean came back out and gave the thumbs up I stopped my tears. "Thank you" I said to the man, softly. "You really helped. I think I'll go now" And with that I left.

I met Dean outside the home, a huge smile on my tear-stained face. I grabbed the jar of blood that he got from him and scoffed. "How's that for a plan?" I asked, and went to the car before he could say another word.

"Whew!" Dean exclaimed, making his way back into the motel room. "Man, there's some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys"

"Like you did any of the work" I scoffed.

"Did you get it?" my dad asked. I pulled the jar of blood and handed it to him, smiling. "You know what to do" he said, and set the jar down.

We got to work putting the arrows and bows together. It was Dean's job to dip the arrow in the dead man's blood. Apparently that hurt them or something. I loaded the arrows and sighed. "Dad" I said, as we got back into the truck to go kill some vampires. "Do you trust me?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "I trust you enough to let you fight, don't I?"

I thought for a second. "Oh" was my only response.

"Why?" he asked, getting in the car.

"I don't know"

"Alexis" he said sternly.

I sighed in defeat. "Sometimes I feel like you don't trust me at all" I admitted. "You let me fight, but I'm only doing the bare minimum, and I always have to stay by your side. I just-" I paused. "Dad, the moment I first killed something, I wasn't your little girl anymore"

He looked at me, eyebrows raised. "You'll always be my little girl" he stated. "And I keep you close to protect you"

"You can't protect me forever" I said. "You just left for seven months anyway. You weren't worried about me then?"

"Lexie" he barked angrily. He couldn't believe what had come out of my mouth and to tell the truth, neither could I. Sam was the questioning rebellious one. I tried my damned hardest to keep my dad happy. "If you want to gain my trust and respect, this isn't the way to do it. Understand?"

"Yes sir" I stated coldly. I was pissed. All I wanted was to hear from his mouth that he believed that I could do it. That was all I needed and yet he never was going to say it.

I stayed close to my dad, bow in hand as we watched Dean by the Impala. He was our bait. Soon, two vampires, one of them the girl from the bed, came up behind him. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but as soon as I got a good shot, I was supposed to take it. "Now, Lex" my dad whispered.

I let go, the arrow with the blood on it hitting the girl square in the chest. She collapsed slightly. I smiled to myself. "Good shot" Sammy said to me.

I grinned at him. "Thanks Sammy" We ran over and Dean took the girl hostage as planned. My dad went up to the other one, a male and didn't even hesitate before drawing his machete. I looked away when he did it. I heard a thump as the body fell over.

We made a little campfire in the woods. The girl was tied to a tree. "Toss this on the fire" my dad instructed Dean. He threw it in making the fire smell even more than before. "Saffron, skunks, cabbage, and trillium—it'll block our scent and hers until we're ready"

"Stuff stinks" Dean remarked.

"Well, that's the idea" my dad stated. "Dust your clothes with the ashes, and you'll stand a chance of not being detected"

"You sure they'll come after her?" Sam asked, watching the girl struggle to stay conscious. The blood took a lot out of these vampires.

"Yeah. Vampires mate for life" he said. "She means more to the leader than the gun. But the blood sickness is gonna wear off soon. So you don't have a lot of time"

"Half-hour ought to do it" Sam said.

My dad nodded. "And then I want you three out of the area as fast as you can"

"But—" Sam went in to argue.

"Dad, you can't take care of them all yourself" Dean said, surprising me.

"I'll have her and the Colt" my dad said , motioning at the vamp.

"But after—we're gonna meet up, right?" Sam asked. "Use the gun _together_, right?" He said nothing. "You're leaving again, aren't you? You still want to go after the demon alone? You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this"

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like children" I responded, wondering why I let that out of my mouth.

"You _are_ my children" my dad said. "I'm trying to keep you safe"

Dean sighed. "Dad, all due respect, but that's a bunch of crap"

Sam and my jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" my dad asked.

"You know what Sammy, Lex and I have been huntin'." He scoffed. "Hell, you sent us on a few huntin' trips yourself. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe"

My dad seemed to have a head ache as he looked away from us. "It's not the same thing, Dean"

"Then what is it?" Dean asked. "Why do you want us out of the big fight?"

My dad sighed. "This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch" he said. "I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive"

"You mean you can't be as reckless" Dean scoffed.

"Look….I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece" he admitted. "Your mother's death—it almost killed me. I can't watch my children die, too. I won't"

"What happens if you die?" Dean asked. "Dad, what happens if you die and we could have done somethin' about it?" There was a pause. "You know, I've been thinkin'—I think maybe Sammy's right about this one. I think we should do this together" I gave Dean a small smile. "We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it"

"We're running out of time" my dad said after a long pause. "You do your job, and you get out of the area" he said. "That's an order" He walked off.

"Was a good try Dean" I said, putting my arm around him.

"C'mon Kiddo" he said, pulling me. "Let's go kill some sons of bitches"

We slowly made our way down the hill, taking our time to get to the nest. We didn't want to jump them, we wanted them to split up. Divide and conquer.

"Is there any sign of those three?" the man from the bed asked another as we came to the window.

"No, somethin' else" the other responded.

The one from the bed ran a hand through his long black hair. "What?"

"Luther, they cut off Hank's head" the other said earnestly. I smirked.

"And Kate?" Luther asked. I figured that Kate was the one that we had.

"I don't know. She wasn't there" the other replied. "What are we gonna do?" I could hear the roar of dad's engine. "It's just a truck up on the highway" he said in relief.

Luther turned to look in the direction of the highway. "Kate—she's in that truck" he stated. "C'mon" he said. "Bo, you stay here" And with that, all but one vampire disappeared. They went after my dad though, so I wasn't quite sure if I was happy about this.

Bo was silent as he sat in his chair. "Okay" Dean said to us. "Sam, you cut back, Lex, you think you can handle flank?"

I smiled and nodded vigorously. "I got your back, De" I said, hopping swiftly through the window and gripping the knife in my hand tightly. I waited for Dean and then he went up right by Bo. Sam made a small noise from the corner of a room, making a distraction.

When he turned back around, Dean grinned. "Boo" he remarked, and swung. This time I watched the head fall to the ground. I suppressed the urge to run screaming, and stayed my ground. Dean kneeled by the cage of captured people and started to work on the lock. "I told you I'd come back" he said, and hit the lock.

"Bo, what's going—"

I gasped and swung as hard as I could, feel the blood spatter everywhere. The vampire fell to the ground, decapitated. I gagged a little, and felt Dean put a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?" he asked. I nodded. My head was pounding. I fell a little. "Lex?" Dean asked.

"Ow" I said, holding my head in pain. "Oh, god" I whined. "It's daddy"

"Let's go" Sam said, walking out of the nest. Dean and I followed. We ran as fast as we could to the Impala and then down the road where we could see headlights lighting up the street. I held my arrows in my hand.

"Stay up here, Lex" Dean insisted, taking the arrows from me. "We'll head down once their shot"

"But Dean—"

"Just shoot now" Dean said, motioning at the vampires who had confronted my dad. I set up my shot as they were beating him to the ground. I let go, the arrow whistling through the air. They ran down as I shot a second one.

Sam was hit to the ground. "Don't! I'll break his neck" Luther said, holding him up in the air. Sam was gasping for air. "Put the blade down"

Dean hesitated, and then slowly put it down. I felt a presence behind me, and gasped when a vampire snatched me up. He dragged me into the open and whistled. "What a pretty girl" he laughed. "You'd make a pretty vampire" he leaned close. "All it takes is some blood sweetie"

I kicked and struggled while he just laughed. "You people—why can't you just leave us alone?" Luther asked. "We have as much right to live as you do"

"I don't think so" my dad said out of nowhere. He was holding the gun. He pulled the trigger and let a bullet loose into Luther's forehead, hitting him dead on. A trickle of blood went down his nose and he sank to his knees.

The vampire holding me let go slightly, and I escaped, barreling towards Sam to make sure he was alright. A bright flash of light and then Luther lay dead on the cement. "Luther!" Kate screamed.

Kate angrily took a step towards my father. "Kate, don't!" the woman said. She stopped, and then they all stalked back to the car that they came in and drove off. I helped Sam up and then we all sort of stood there, staring at my father in shock.

The damn thing actually worked.

The motel room was silent. "So, guys…." My father said, entering the room. I stopped packing and looked at him.

"Yes, sir?" Sam asked.

He glared. "You ignored a direct order back there"

Sam stood tall, so I did too. "Yes, sir" we said together.

"But we saved your ass" Dean scoffed. I glanced at him, stunned. He was just gunning for his most rebellious record day ever.

"You're right" my dad sighed.

"I am?" Dean asked, confused.

"He is?" I asked, equally stunned.

"It scares the hell out of me. You three are all I've got" my dad sighed. "But I guess we _are_ stronger as a family. So….we go after this damn thing—together"

I grinned and nodded. "Yes, sir" we all said together. And just for a second I could breath. Just for a second I could pretend that everything was going to be okay. We were going to kill this son of a bitch demon. My dad would finally be happy and content. Dean could sleep with as many girls as he wanted. Sammy could go back to school if he wanted. I could finish high school. We could all be happy. But then I was brought back to reality.

We had work to do.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Okay guys, thanks to Brittpage21 I realized that there was one more chapter to do before the season finale! So….here is Salvation! I included a very interesting part with Logan that both ****BubblePop728 and TheMoon asked to see. So yeah, I'll shut up now! Enjoy and review please! **

**Chapter Twenty Four**

I sat in the motel room, all alone. Sam, Dean and my father were all out, getting things. I couldn't help but feel really lonely. All I could seem to think about what how tired I was, and how I wanted to sleep. I had tried already, but all I ended up doing was stare at the ceiling for what felt like hours.

There was a knock on the door. I instantly went into attack mode. My family all had keys. There was no reason for anyone to be at the door. It could have been the maid, but we had put out the Do Not Disturb sign. I grabbed my gun and waited. They knocked again. I moved to the window. I could barely see the back of the person, only the corner of their jacket.

Even though it went against everything I knew, I went for the door, and unlocked it. It opened and I pointed my gun, ready to shoot. "Whoa" Logan said, hands up. "Don't shoot!"

I sighed in relief. "Jesus, Lo" I sighed, lowering the gun. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry" he laughed. "My dad sent me over with what your dad asked for. I figured he would be here"

"He's not" I said. "No one is. I'm alone"

He walked inside and put the bag down. "Where is everyone?" he asked, sitting next to me at the table.

"Sam and Dean went to the bar and my dad went to the store" I replied.

"Oh" he said, and looked at me expectantly. "So I wanted to talk about something"

I looked up at him, curiously. I had no idea what that meant. Was he breaking up with me or something? Isn't how those conversations usually started? My heart panged in my chest in nervousness. "Uh, ok" I said. "What?"

"We're pretty serious, right?" he asked, shifting nervously. I slowly nodded. "So, uh, we…we can like—"

"Just say it, Lo"

"Are we like, going to have…you know?" His face flushed red, and he looked away.

I felt my face flush slightly too. "Oh" I said, and cleared my throat. "You mean sex"

"Yeah" he said, "I mean, I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, I just want to know if it's like, going to happen"

"I don't know" I said, honestly. I was about to hunt the demon that killed my mom. Sex wasn't exactly on top of my "to do" list. No pun intended.

"Well, are you even ready too?" he asked.

I thought about it for a moment. "I don't think I'm ready right this moment" I said. "But the future maybe. Eventually"

"Is eventually soon?" he asked.

"I….I think so" I said.

"I can wait" he smiled, taking my hand. "As long as it takes"

I smiled back and kissed him. He immediately deepened the kiss, and I couldn't help but smile. My heart jumped in happiness. We moved closer to one another, and I put my hand on his chest. His lips were soft and gentle, and this was just so easy when everything else seemed to be so difficult lately. It felt good to just do something normal.

I was so happy; I hadn't even heard the door open. "Lex, what are you doing?" my father asked, his eyebrows rose.

Logan and I immediately jumped away from each other, and I gave my father an uneasy glance. "Hey, dad" I smiled.

He sighed, and dropped the bags on the table. "Thanks for bringing the stuff over, Logan" he said. "You should probably go now"

Logan stood up, his face redder than a tomato. "No problem" he choked out. "Bye" he said, and rushed out the door after glancing at me apologetically. He closed the door behind him.

"Alexis Marie Winchester" my father sighed, pinching his nose. Sam did that too. "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing" I said, just wanting him to shut up. I didn't want to talk about making out with my boyfriend with my father. "Can we not talk about this?"

"I just didn't realize how much you were growing up" He sat down at the table, and that was how I knew that we were so going to talk about this. "I know I taught you about safe sex" he sighed.

"Dad! We don't have to go over it again, I remember the first time!" I exclaimed, mortified. "And besides! We weren't having sex! We were just kissing!"'

"I know that" he said. "But kissing leads to sex eventually, Alexis. You're my little girl, I don't want something to happen. So you know about condoms and—"

"Dad, seriously" I said, putting my hand up. "I know all about safe sex, okay? I promise. Condoms are good, I get it"

"I just want you to be safe, peanut" he said, staring me down. I cringed slightly, but just nodded.

The door opened again and Sam and Dean walked in. I stood up and pretended to be busy with something. I was pretty sure my face was still red. "What's going on?" Sam asked curiously.

"Nothing" I replied, quickly shooting my father a warning glance. Sam and Dean just looked confused.

My father had almost completely covered the walls, beds and tables with papers and piles of research. Maps, newspaper articles, books and photos were everywhere. "So, this is it. This is everything I know" my dad sighed. "Look, our whole lives we've been searching for this demon, right? And not a trace, just nothing….until about seven months ago. For the first time, I picked up a trail"

"That's when you took off" Dean stated.

"Yeah, that's right" my dad nodded. "The demon must have come out of hiding or hibernation"

"I wasn't aware demons could hibernate" I said unhelpfully. I was still trying to wrap my brain around all the stuff around me.

"All right, so, what's this trail you found?" Dean sighed, ignoring my dumb answer.

"It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, California—houses are burning down to the ground" my dad said. "It's going after families….just like it went after us"

"Families with infants?" Sam asked.

"Yeah—the night of the kid's six-month birthday" my dad replied.

"I was six months old that night?" I asked.

"Exactly six months" my dad said. "Both you and Sam were. When it happened the first time I mean"

"So, basically, this demon is goin' after these kids for some reason—the same way it came for us?" Sam asked. "So, Mom's death, Jessica—it's all 'cause of me?"

Dean scoffed. "We don't know that, Sam"

"Oh, really, 'cause I'd say we're pretty damn sure, Dean" Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Um, I think mom died when I was a baby" I said, annoyed. "So apparently mom's death is my fault"

"For the last time, what happened to them is not your fault" Dean said. "Neither of you"

"Yeah, you're right, it's not my fault, but it's my problem!" Sam exclaimed, waving his hands around like a moron.

"No, it's not your problem" I said, annoyed. "It's _our_ problem!"

"Okay" my dad said, silencing us. "That's enough" He stood up.

"So, why is it doing it?" Sam asked after a moment. "What does it want?"

"Look, I wish I had more answers. I do" my dad sighed. "I've always been one step behind it. Look, I've never gotten there in time to save…" he trailed off, looking sad.

"All right, so, how do we find it before it hits again?" Dean asked.

"There's signs" my dad sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, it took me a while to see the pattern, but in the days before these fires, signs crop up in an area—cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked, and…"

"These things happened in Lawrence" Dean finished for him.

My dad nodded. "The week before your mother died" He looked at Sam. "And in Palo Alto….before Jessica. And these signs—they're starting again"

"Where?" Sam asked.

"Salvation, Iowa" he replied. He walked towards the door. "I'll be right back. Going to get some supplies" he put his coat on. "Get packed. We're leaving when I get back"

I silently went to my stuff to pack. Sam's stuff was right next to mine, so there was really no avoiding him. "Lex" he said. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine not yours"

"Um, excuse me psychic wonder" I scoffed. "When he came back for me was when mom died and when I came to see you was when Jess died" I said. "So don't try to pin this on yourself when you could just as easily pin this on me"

"But it all started with me" he countered.

I shoved my stuff angrily in my bag, not bothering to fold it. "But I ended it"

"No" Dean said, coming in between us. "This is stupid" He slammed a hand down on the side table. "She was my mom too"

"We know that Dean, but-"

"Just shut up" he said, "I don't want to hear it" We said nothing. He took a big breath. "We're doing this together. This is our problem. Got that?"Sam and I glanced at each other, and slowly nodded. We didn't get that, but neither of us was going to say a word. Because that was how the Winchesters work.

We were driving and I was with my father, again. I was staring out the window in deep thought. What had happened that night sixteen years ago? I couldn't remember a thing, but from what Dean and Sam had told me, there was a fire. I had cried, and then hadn't cried much after that. The demon had come before when Sammy was six months old. And then again when I was six months old. But why? What the hell had he done to me that I could sense when my family was in trouble? What had he done to Sammy that he could see visions? Did they even have anything to do with each other? Did any of this matter at all?

"Peanut" my dad said loudly. "You in there?"

"Huh?" I asked, coming out of my thought process. "Yeah?"

"You doing okay?" he asked. "You're usually excited about a case?"

"Right" I said, taking a deep breath. "This one's different, dad"

He nodded. His cell phone went off. "Can you get that?" he asked me, handing me the phone.

I answered it. "Hello?" I asked.

"Alexis?" a voice asked. "It's Caleb"

I smiled. "Hi Caleb"

"Is your dad nearby?" he asked me. "It's important"

"He's right next to me, but he's driving" I said. "Are you okay? You sound—"

"Pastor Jim is dead" he said, panting slightly.

I paused, in shock. "Dead?"

The phone was yanked out of my hand. "Caleb, what happened?" I didn't bother to listen in. I was in shock. Pastor Jim, the one who had taught me to cook, the one who took care of me all those times when I was little, was dead. He was dead.

The car pulled over to the side of the road. "Damn it" my dad sighed, getting out of the car. I followed behind.

"What is it?" Dean asked, slamming the car door behind him.

"Son of a bitch!" my father sighed, upset.

"What is it?" Dean asked again.

"I just got a call from Caleb" my dad stated.

"Is he okay?" Dean asked. He looked at me for some answers, but I was a t a loss for words.

"He's fine. Jim Murphy is dead" my dad replied.

"Pastor Jim?" Sam asked. Dad nodded. "How?"

"Throat was slashed—he bled out" my dad said. I felt nauseas. "Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place"

"The demon" I said.

"_The _demon?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up" my dad suggested, shaking his head. "Maybe the demon knows we're gettin' close"

Dean sighed. "What do you want to do?"

"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health center in this county" my dad said. "We split up, we cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's gonna be six months old in the next week"

"Dad, that could be dozens of kids" Sam complained. "How the hell are we gonna know which one's the right one?"

"We'll check 'em all, that's how" my dad said. "You got any better ideas?"

Sam paused, shaking his head. "No, sir"

My dad nodded and went back to get in the car. I followed, but stopped when he stopped  
"Dad?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah….it's Jim" he stuttered. "You know, I can't…" He sadly shook his head. "This ends. Now. I'm ending it" he said. "I don't care what it takes" He turned and got back in the car. I glanced back at Dean, and then got back in the car with my dad.

I was silent again, looking out the window. "Does it bother you?" he asked.

"Does what bother me?" I asked, not bothering to look at him.

"What Sam said" he replied. "That it was your fault" I didn't reply. I just focused on the window. "It's not" he said. "I never blamed you for it. No one did"

"Yes, sir" was all I could choke out.

"Hey" he said as we hit a red light. "I'm serious"

"Yes sir" I said, a little more confidently this time. I wanted him to shut up. Now. We started driving again.

"You know" he chuckled to himself. "You've been the same since you were little"

"About what?" I asked.

"Your mom" he laughed. "After two boys, she wanted a girl so bad that when you came along she was so excited. She used to dress you up in these little pink outfits" he scoffed. "You hated it" He smiled to himself. "Ever since you were little you were always one of the boys"

"I don't like pink" I stated, with a small smile.

"No, you don't" he said. He paused. "I heard you were dating Logan"

I felt myself blush. "Yes, sir" I said. "I mean, sort of, I guess"

He looked at me confused. "Lex?" he asked. "How are you sort of dating someone?" I gave a slight shrug. "I'll never understand women" he murmured, and stopped the car.

Dean and Sam came out of the Impala. "Sam, you and Lexie get Salvation Iowa Medical Center" my dad said. "Dean you take the hospital and I'm going to the clinic. Understand?"

"Yes, sir" we all said.

He nodded. "Report back at six" he said, and we split back up. Dean dropped Sam and I off at the Medical Center and we headed inside.

"Here you go, Officer" the lady said, handing us a stack of files from the back.

"Thank you" Sam said, adding it to our already tall pile.

I groaned inwardly and looked at the stack. "Yeah" I said. "Thanks a lot"

We made it through the pile in a few hours or so. My brain hurt from all the thinking I had done today, plus the lack of sleep wasn't helping at all. We exited the Medical Center, and I looked at the list. "We have like twenty names here" I complained. "How the hell are we supposed to know which one it is?" Sam didn't reply. I looked over at him. He was grimacing and holding his head in pain. "Sam?" I questioned. He was silent, just groaning.

"Baby in crib" he said. I watched him look up. "Train…" he said. He took out a map from his bag and looked at it. "C'mon"

"Sam" I said, shaking my head. "What the hell?" I followed him. "What did you see?" I asked as he led us down two blocks.

"I saw the baby" he said.

"The baby?" I asked. "Like the one I just did three hours of pointless research on apparently?" He nodded. "Awesome" I scoffed. He glanced across the street and hurriedly crossed the street. "Sam?" I questioned, following.

"Hi" he said, walking up to a lady with a baby in a stroller. She was trying to close her umbrella. "Here, let me hold that. You don't need that anymore" Sam said, helping her close it.

"Thanks" she smiled, with a short laugh.

"She's gorgeous" Sam said at the baby in the carriage. "Is she yours?"

"Yeah" she smiled.

"What a cutie" I said, getting now what Sam had figured out. This baby was they baby.

"I'm sorry, I'm rude. I'm Sam and this is my sister Lexie" he said, pointing to me. I smiled. "We just moved in up the block"

"Oh, hey, I'm Monica" she smiled, shaking our hands. "This is Rosie"

"Rosie?" Sam asked. "Hi, Rosie"

"So, welcome to the neighborhood" she nodded.

"Thank you" Sam said.

"She's such a good baby" I remarked.

"I know. I mean, she never cries" Monica laughed. "She just stares at everybody. Sometimes she looks at you, and I swear, it's like she's reading your mind"

"What about you, Monica? Have you lived here long?" Sam asked.

"My husband and I, we bought our place just before Rosie was born" she replied.

"How old is Rosie?" Sam asked.

Monica smiled. "She's six months today" Sam and I shared a stunned glance. "It's big, right? Growin' like a weed"

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Monica?" Sam asked. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

She frowned, confused. "Yeah. You, too, Sam. We'll see you around. You too Lexie" she said.

"Yeah. Definitely" he said, pulling me away with him.

"Sam" I said. "Seriously? If that's her, what are we going to do?"

He clutched his head in pain again. This time he wasn't able to even stand straight. I helped him stay straighter and pulled him with me to the side of the street. "Sam, are you okay?" I asked. He didn't respond. I pulled my phone out. "Dean?" I said. "I need you"

"A vision?" my dad asked incredulously.

"Yes" Sam nodded, still massaging his temples. "I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling"

"And you think it's gonna happen to this woman you met because….?"

"Because these things happen exactly the way I see them" Sam replied.

"It started out as nightmares, and then he started havin' them when he was awake" Dean replied.

"Yeah. It's like the closer I get to anything involving the demon, the stronger the visions get" Sam added.

"All right, when were you gonna tell me about this?" my dad asked.

"We didn't know what it meant" Dean replied. "Lex can…well…I don't really know"

"I can tell when you're near or in trouble" I said. "Like I knew that you were in Lawrence when we were. With the poltergeist in our house"

"Missouri must have told you that" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Nope" I said, shaking my head. "I just knew"

"All right, something like this starts happening to your brother and sister, you pick up the phone, and you call me" my dad said to Dean.

Dean looked at him like he was crazy. "Call you? Are you kiddin' me? Dad, I called you from Lawrence, all right?" he said. "Sam called you when I was dying. Gettin' you on the phone—I've got a better chance of winnin' the lottery"

My dad looked down. "You're right" he said. "Although I'm not real crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry"

"Look, guys, visions or no visions, the fact is, we know the demon is coming tonight" Sam said. "And this family's gonna go through the same hell that we went through"

"No, they're not. No one is, ever again" my dad argued.

Sam's phone rang. He sighed and picked it up. "Hello?" he asked. "Who is this?" There was a pause. "Meg" he stated. "Last time I saw you, you fell out of a window"

"Meg?" I questioned, in shock

"Just your feelings?" he asked. "That was a seven-story drop" There was another pause. "My dad—I don't know where my dad is" Sam sighed, and slowly handed his phone to my dad.

"This is John" my dad said, putting it to his ear. He listened and I swore I saw fear pass on his face. "I'm here" he said. "Caleb?" he asked. "Caleb. You listen to me. He's got nothing to do with anything. You let him go" he said. I jumped and looked at Dean. What was Meg doing to Caleb? "I don't know what you're talking about" my dad said. There was a long pause, and my dad gasped. "I'm gonna kill you, you know that?"

He looked to us after a moment. "Okay" he stated. "I said okay. I'll bring you the Colt" he said. "It's gonna take me about a day's drive to get there" There was another pause. "That's impossible. I can't get there in time, and I can't just carry a gun on a plane" He sighed. "Okay. I'll be there" he said, and hung up.

"You're just going to give her the gun?" I asked. "Really, dad?"

"Excuse me, Alexis?" he asked angrily.

I calmed myself down. "Sorry, sir" I stated. I sank back into the bed.

"She's not human" he stated. "She can't be"

"So, you think Meg is a demon?" Sam asked.

"Either that or she's possessed by one" he said. "It doesn't really matter"

"What do we do?" Dean asked.

"I'm going to Lincoln" he said.

"What?" I asked, shaking my head.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice" my dad sighed. "If I don't go, a lot of people die. Our friends die"

"Dad, the demon is coming tonight for Monica and her family" Sam whined. "That gun is all we've got. You can't just hand it over"

"Who said anything about handing it over?" my dad asked, a mischievous look on his face. "Look, besides us and a couple vampires, no one's really seen the gun. No one knows what it looks like"

"So, what, you're just gonna pick up a ringer at a pawn shop?" Dean asked.

"No" my father said. "Antique store"

"You're gonna hand Meg a fake gun and hope she doesn't notice?" I asked in denial. That even sounded stupid just coming out of my mouth.

"Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference" my dad said.

"Yeah, but for how long? What happens when she figures it out?" Dean asked.

"I just—I just need to buy a few hours, that's all" my dad said earnestly.

"You mean for Dean, Lex and me" he said. "You want us to stay here….and kill this demon by ourselves?"

"No, Sam. I want to stop losing people we love" my dad said. "I want you to go to school. I want Dean to have a home. I want Lex to get married, have kids" he turned away, and I knew tear were forming in his eyes. "I want Mary alive" He turned back around. "I just….I just want this to be over"

I felt tears welling in my own eyes. "Dad" I said. "Let me come with you. Dean and Sam can handle—"

"Dean and Sam need you here" he said.

"Okay" I said, knowing he wasn't going to let me convince him on this one. We were going to finish this. Tonight.

Dean went to get the fake gun, and Sam and I stayed with my dad, packing the cars and gathering gear. "Did you get it?" my dad asked as Dean came up to us.

Dean pulled out the fake that looked similar to the original and handed it to my dad. "You know this is a trap, don't you?" Dean asked. "That's why Meg wants you to come alone"

"I can handle her" my dad said. "I got a whole arsenal loaded—holy water, Mandaic amulets—"

"Dad…" Dean sighed, cutting him off.

My dad glanced up at him. "What?"

"Promise me something" Dean said. "This thing goes south, just get the hell out. Don't get yourself killed, all right? You're no good to us dead"

My dad paused and then nodded. "Same goes for you" he said. "All right, listen to me" he said, taking his gun out of his pocket. "They made the bullets special for this Colt. There's only four of 'em left. Without 'em, this gun is useless. You make every shot count"

"Yes, sir" Sam said, taking it.

"I've been waiting a long time for this fight" my dad said. "Now it's here, and I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you kids now. It's your fight. You finish this. You finish what I started. You understand?"

I nodded. Sam handed the gun to Dean who put it in his coat pocket. "We'll see you soon, Dad" Sam nodded.

"I'll see you later" he said, walking to his truck.

"Dad" I said. He stopped and I gave him a hug. "Don't do anything stupid"

He chuckled. "Everything's going to be fine" he lied. "You'll see" Then he got in his stupid truck and drove away. I watched for a second before getting into the Impala.

We headed to Monica's house as soon as I got dark. We waited in the Impala, and all I could think about was that baby. We couldn't let anything happen tonight. We needed this to end. I needed this to end.

"Maybe we can tell them there's a gas leak" Sam suggested. "Might get 'em out of the house for a few hours"

"Yeah, and how many times has that actually worked for us?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed defeated. "Could always tell 'em the truth" he said.

Dean and I looked at each other, then I both of us looked to Sam. "Nah" we said together.

"I know. I know, I know. I just—with what's coming for these people—" Sam said.

"Sam, we've only got one move, and you know it, all right" Dean sighed. "We've got to wait for that demon to show itself, and then we get it before it gets them"

"I wonder how Dad's doing" I said, thinking aloud,

"I'd feel a lot better if we were there backin' him up" Dean sighed.

"I'd feel a lot better if he were here backin' _us_ up" Sam said. We were silent for a few minutes, Metallica on softly in the background. "This is weird" Sam said.

"What?" I asked.

"After all these years, we're finally here" Sam said, staring at the house. "It doesn't seem real"

"We just got to keep our heads and do our job like always" Dean stated.

"Yeah, but this isn't like always" I said, sinking in my seat a little.

"True" Dean nodded.

"Lex" Sam sighed.

I knew where he was going with this before he even started. "No" I said. "Sam, don't even start"

"No, it's just" he stopped. "Dean, uh…" Dean turned from the house and looked at him. "I wanna thank you"

"For what?" Dean asked.

"For everything. You've always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone, I could always count on you. And Lex, you're always there when I need to talk, you know?" Sam said. "And now….I don't know, I just wanted to let you two know—just in case"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you kiddin' me?" Dean asked.

"What?" Sam asked innocently.

"Don't say, "Just in case somethin' happens to you", I don't wanna hear that freakin' speech, man" Dean said. "Nobody's dyin' tonight. Not us, not that family, nobody—except that demon. That evil son of a bitch ain't gettin' any older than tonight, you understand me?" Sam nodded. "That goes for you too"

"I didn't even start anything" I complained.

"Yeah" Dean sighed. "But your Lexie, and I know you will" He looked at both of us. "No. Chick Flick. Moments"

I leaned on Dean and tried to stay awake. I swear, I couldn't sleep at all for the past week, and now that I needed to be in prime condition, I was exhausted. Figures. "I'm tired" I said to no one in particular.

Dean groaned and looked at me. "You can sleep when you're dead"

I didn't really care about his response, so I just flipped brothers and leaned on Sam. "Okay" I said sleepily

"Dad's not answering" Dean said a moment later, flipping his phone shut.

"Like he ever does" I scoffed.

"Maybe Meg was late" Sam suggested. "Maybe cell reception's bad"

"Yeah, well…" Dean sighed, trailing off.

Sam jumped, and I groaned in annoyance. "Lex" he said, "Dean, wait. Listen" He turned the radio, but all he got was static. The wind picked up outside, and the street lamp flickered. Sam gulped. "It's coming" he said.

We exited the car quickly and quietly. Dean picked the lock, and then slowly entered. Monica's husband, Charlie came around the corner, swinging a bat. "Get out of my house!" he screamed, taking a swing at Dean. Dean pushed him into the wall. "Get out of my house!" he growled.

"Mr. Holt, please" Sam said.

"Be quiet and listen to me" Dean said. "We're trying to help you, okay?"

"Charlie, is everything okay down there?" Monica called from upstairs.

Charlie pushed against Dean. "Monica, get the baby!"

"No, don't go in the nursery!" Sam yelled. He made his way to the steps.

Charlie struggled against Dean. "You stay away from her!" he screamed.

My head was throbbing and pulsing as Sam ran up the steps. I looked to Dean, not knowing who to go or stay with. "Go with Sam!" Dean yelled at me. I ran after him, one problem solved.

As soon as I made it to the nursery, I stopped. The demon was looking at Sam and I in anger, his eyes a yellow color. I had never seen a demon's eyes anything but black. I cringed. Sam raised the gun and took a shot, but it just dissolved into black smoke. Monica fell to the floor.

"Where the hell did it go?" Sam asked.

"I don't know" I said, looking around the room.

Sam helped Monica off the ground. "My baby!" she sobbed, fighting him.

"Lexie's got her" Sam said, motioning for me to grab the kid. I leaned over the crib, grabbing poor Rosie as the crib suddenly burst into flames.

She started to cry as I carried her out of the house. We made it out right as the bedroom window exploded. I shielded the baby from the debris, and walked down the lawn. "You get away from my family!" Charlie yelled.

"Charlie, don't! They saved us" Monica said, taking Rosie from me. "They saved us" she cried, leaning into him. Charlie kissed her forehead. "Thank you" she said to us. I nodded.

Sam turned, looking back at the house. His eyes widened. "It's still in there" he said, and went to go back.

"Sam, no!" Dean yelled, holding him back. They struggled against each other.

"Dean, let me go! It's still in there!" Sam screamed, pointing to the window.

"Sam, you're not going in there" I said, grabbing his hand.

"Burning to the ground—it's suicide!" Dean shouted back.

"I don't care!" Sam shouted, looked him in the eyes.

"I do!" Dean said back, letting him go. Sam stopped trying to get to the house and stared into the window, flames coming out. I could see the slight silhouette of the demon inside. Then it was gone.

I sat on the bed opposite Sam, head in my hands. "Ugh" I groaned, collapsing. "God _damn_ it"

"I thought you couldn't feel dad when he was far away?" Dean asked, dialing his phone again.

"Shut up" I said, clenching my jaw. "Does it look like I care?"

"Come on, Dad. Answer your phone, damn it" he said into the receiver. Hu snapped his phone shut. "Something's wrong" he stated. He looked at Sam, who showed no expression. "You hear me, Sam? Something's happened"

"If you had just let me go in there, I could have ended all this" was all Sam said.

"Sam, the only thing you would have ended was your life" I said, closing my eyes in annoyance.

Sam just stared at me. "You don't know that"

"So, what, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself, is that it?" Dean asked him.

Sam stood up. "Yeah" he said. "Yeah, you're damn right I am"

"Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen—not as long as I'm around" he said.

"What the hell are you talkin' about, Dean?" Sam asked, "We've been searching for this demon our whole lives. It's the only thing we've ever cared about"

"Sam, I wanna waste it. I do, okay? But it's not worth dyin' over" Dean said calmly.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I mean it" Dean said. "If huntin' this demon means you gettin' yourself killed, then I hope we never find the damn thing"

"That thing killed Jess" Sam said. "That thing killed Mom"

"You said yourself once….that no matter what we do, they're gone" Dean said, shaking his head. "And they're never comin' back"

Sam launched himself at Dean and pinned him to the wall. "Don't you say that! Don't you—not after all this, don't you say that!" he yelled.

I walked over to them, putting a hand on Sam. "Both of you need to shut up"

"Stay out of this Alexis" Sam shouted. "This isn't about you"

"This is about all of us, Sam" I said, pulling on him.

He let go of Dean for a moment, glaring at me. "I just want this to be over" he said.

"Why?" I demanded. "So you can go back to your stupid perfect college life?" I demanded angrily. He shoved me away, and I stumbled backwards a little.

"Just stop" Dean said, looking at me. I backed away, irritated. "Sammy, look….the four of us—that's all we have. And that's all I have" Dean said. "Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holdin' it together, man" Sam slowly let go. "Without you and Lex and Dad…"

"Dad…" Sam sighed, turning away. "He should have called by now. Try him again"

Dean picked up his cell and dialed my dad again. He put it on speaker. "You boys really screwed up this time" said a female voice after the second ring.

I gasped and looked up at Dean. "Where is he?" Dean demanded.

Meg chuckled. "You're never gonna see your father again"


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: HERE IT IS! Season one finale! I worked my butt off to get this up today! I cannot wait to start season two! I have a huge plan involving her powers, and Lgoan and lots more!Thank you to all my awesome reviewers! i wouldn't have had the motivation to get this far without you guys!  
**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

I think I died somewhere between a few minutes ago and now. My heart had stopped; I had stopped breathing, and died. Now I was in hell, and they had tricked me to believe that the demons had my dad and were going to kill him. Yep, that had to be it, because my father, John freaking Winchester, did not just die because of demons. That would never happen. He was my father.

"What are you doing, Dean?" Sam asked, watching him put the colt in his jeans and take his duffel bag off the bed and start shoving stuff into it.

"We gotta go" Dean said, taking my bag and shoving my stuff in it.

"Why?" Sam asked. I looked at him like he was nuts. What the hell did he mean, why?

"Because the demon knows we're in Salvation, all right?" Dean said frantically. "It knows we've got the Colt, it's got Dad, it's probably comin' for us next" He pulled on his coat. "Lex, get in the car"

I stood up, not even thinking straight. "Wait" Sam said. "We've still got three bullets left. Let it come"

"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready!" Dean shouted. "We don't know how many of 'em are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving. Now" he said with a finality. I stood still, not knowing what to do. "Lex, get your ass in the car!" Dean shouted.

That seemed to kick me back into reality, and I grabbed my stuff and headed for the backseat.

"I'm tellin' you, Dean, we could've taken him" Sam scoffed as we drove down the road.

"What we need is a plan" Dean said, ignoring Sam. "Now, they're probably keeping Dad alive, we've just got to figure out where. They'll want to trade him for the gun" Sam shook his head. "What?" he asked.

"Dean, if that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade?" Sam asked. Dean didn't respond. "Dad….he might be—"

"Don't!" I shouted from the back. "Just don't"

"Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing" Sam said. "We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job"

"Screw the job, Sam!" Dean shouted.

"Dean, I'm just tryin' to do what he would want. He would want us to keep going" Sam stated.

"Would you quit talkin' about him like he's dead already? Listen to me!" Dean yelled. "Everything stops until we get him back, you understand me? Everything!"

Sam said nothing, so I jumped in. "So, how do we find him?" I asked.

"Maybe we go to Lincoln" Dean suggested. "Start at the warehouse where he was taken"

"Come on, Dean, you really think these demons are gonna leave a trail?" Sam asked.

Dean sighed in defeat. "You're right. We need help" he admitted. He sped faster.

We pulled up to Bobby's by the time the sun was high in the sky. "What are you idgits doing here?" Bobby said, cocking one eyebrow at us. It wasn't like us to just show up usually. "Not that I ain't happy to see you, but" he stopped, looking at our deadpan faces. "What's wrong?"

Dean sighed, and pulled him inside to tell him. I glanced around at the big Singer's auto sign and the rundown house that held a lot of my childhood. All the broken down cars around made me smile, even though it was the last thing I actually wanted to do at the moment. "Hey Rumsfeld" I smiled, petting the dog on the head as I entered the house after Sam.

Dean was still explaining everything to Bobby, and I just sort of sat quietly by the window, watching the yard. "Lex, get away from the window" Sam scoffed, pulling me back. "You know better than that"

I shot him an annoyed glance, but went to sit on the couch anyway. I did know better, I just didn't care. My father was out there. If they saw me on the window, all the better. I would kick their ass to oblivion.

"Here ya go" Bobby said, handing Dean a flask.

"What is this?" Dean asked. "Holy water?"

"That one is" Bobby said, holding up another flask. "This is whiskey" He took a swig and then handed it over to Dean, who also took a sip.

"Bobby, thanks. Thanks for everything" Dean said. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if we should come"

"Nonsense. Your daddy needs help" Bobby scoffed.

"Yeah, but last time we saw you, you did threaten to blast him full of buckshot" I said unhelpfully. "You cocked the shotgun and everything"

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Bobby asked with a small grin. "John just has that effect on people"

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, I guess he does, doesn't he?"

"None of that matters now. All that matters is that you get him back" Bobby stated.

"Bobby, this book—I've never seen anything like it" Sam said, flipping through it in amazement. Leave it to Sam to look through a freaking book when his father was missing.

"The Key of Solomon?" Bobby asked. He walked over, glancing at the pages. "It's the real deal, all right"

Sam pointed to the page. I stood up, looking down at the picture of the circle he was pointing to. "And these protective circles—they really work?" Sam asked.

"Hell, yeah" Bobby nodded. "You get a demon in one, they're trapped—powerless. It's like a satanic roach motel"

"The man knows his stuff" Dean stated fondly. I glanced at Bobby then back at the picture. I quickly memorized the design and pictures of the circles.

"I'll tell you somethin' else, too—this is some serious crap you three stepped in" Bobby scoffed.

"Yeah? How's that?" Sam asked.

Bobby shrugged. "Normal year, I hear, say, three demonic possessions, maybe four, tops" he sighed. "This year, I've heard of twenty-seven so far. You get what I'm sayin'? More and more demons are walkin' among us—a lot more"

"Do you know why?" I asked.

"No, but I know it's somethin' big" he said. "A storm's comin'. And you three, your daddy—you are smack in the middle of it"

I looked to Dean worriedly. I didn't really want to be in the middle of anything. Hell, I wasn't even sure I wanted to hunt much anymore. At this point all I wanted to do was take a freaking nap.

The dog started barking. "Rumsfeld" Bobby stated, walking to the window. "What is it?" He paused as the dog stopped barking. "Something's wrong" he stated.

The door was kicked down, and Meg walked through it, smiling wildly. Dean pulled out his bottle of holy water. "No more crap, okay?" Meg said shaking her head. With one swift move she flung Dean away from her, and he smacked the wall. Sam was in front of me protectively in seconds. "I want the Colt, Sam—the real Colt. Right now" she said.

"We don't have it on us" he said quickly. "We buried it"

Meg glared. "Didn't I say, "No more crap"? I swear, after everything I heard about you Winchesters, I've got to tell you, I'm a little underwhelmed" she scoffed. "First, Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun, and then he leaves the real gun with you thee chuckleheads. Lackluster, men, and you carry one cute little bitch" she paused, looking at me. "I mean, did you really think I wouldn't find you?" she asked.

"Actually, we were counting on it" Dean smiled. He looked up, where Bobby had drawn the protective circles on the ceiling. "Gotcha" he grinned.

Meg was tied to a chair in the middle of the devil's trap. She just smiled at us, not even struggling against the ropes. "You know, if you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask" she grinned.

"I salted the doors and windows" Bobby said, walking back to the room. "If there are any demons out there, they ain't gettin' in"

Dean nodded and walked over to Meg. "Where's our father, Meg?" he asked, angrily.

She shrugged slightly. "You didn't ask very nice"

Dean glared. "Where's our father, bitch?"

"Jeez, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" she asked. She gasped. "Oh, I forgot" she stated sadly. "You don't"

I took a step towards her, ready to punch that grin right off her face. Sam caught me, pulling me back. I stopped, huffing in annoyance. Dean leaned in towards her really close. "Hey, you think this is a friggin' game?" he yelled. "Where is he? What did you do to him?"

Meg smiled. "He died screaming. I killed him myself" She grinned wider. Dean's nostrils flared, and he backhanded her. I raised my eyebrows in shock. I had never seen him hit a girl. He never even hit me. "That's kind of a turn on—you hitting a girl" Meg smiled, licking her lips.

"You're no girl" Dean stated coldly.

"Dean" Bobby said. Dean turned to look at him, and slowly walked over, not taking his eyes off Meg.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"She's lying, he's not dead" Dean said, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Dean, you've got to be careful with her. Don't hurt her" Bobby said.

"Why?" Dean demanded, cocking one eyebrow.

"Because she really is a girl, that's why" Bobby scoffed like this was something that we totally should've known.

"What are you talkin' about?" I asked, glancing back towards Meg.

"She's possessed" Bobby stated. "That's a human possessed by a demon, can't you tell?" I glanced back at Meg again and watched her shaking in her chair.

"You're tryin' to tell me there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there?" Dean asked. Bobby nodded. He looked at Meg. "That's actually good news" he stated, and walked back over. He handed Sam a book. "You get to read" he said.

"Are you gonna read me a story?" Meg asked with a smirk.

"Somethin' like that" Dean smiled. "Hit it, Sam"

Sam sighed, and started the chant. "An exorcism? Are you serious?" Meg asked.

"Oh, we're goin' for it, baby—head-spinning, projectile vomiting, the whole nine yards" Dean smiled. Sam kept reading, trying to concentrate. Meg suddenly groaned in pain, and Sam stopped.

"I'm gonna kill you" Meg stated, looking at me. "I'm gonna rip the bones from your body!"

"No, you're gonna burn in hell—unless you tell us where our dad is" Dean said. Meg hung her head, and said nothing. Dean smirked. "Well, at least you'll get a nice tan" He nodded at Sam.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus , omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio, et secta diabolica." Sam said. Meg trembled, screaming in pain.

"He begged for his life with tears in his eyes" she shouted. She clenched her jaw. "He begged to see his kids one last time. That's when I slit his throat" I backed up a little, running into Bobby. He put a hand on my shoulder.

I paused, looking at Dean. Sam paused his reading as well, and Dean leaned in to Meg, inches from her face. "For your sake, I hope you're lying" Dean stated. "'Cause if it's true, I swear to God, I will march into hell myself, and I will slaughter each and every one of you evil sons of bitches, so help me God"

"Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis." Sam said. Wind came from nowhere, making pages flip and my hair sweep behind me. Sam hesitated, but kept going. "Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt."

Meg screamed again, pulling on the ropes. She was shaking uncontrollably. "Where is he?" Dean demanded.

"You just won't take "dead" for an answer, will you?" she asked.

Dean slammed his hands on her chair, making her jump. "Where is he?"

"Dead!" She shouted.

"No, he's not! He's not dead, he can't be!" I yelled from where I was. Dean and Sam and Bobby all looked at me like I was nuts.

"What are you lookin' at?" Dean asked Sam, tapping the book. "Keep reading"

"Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, domine. Ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos." Meg screamed louder than ever, twitching. Her chair began to move around her circle, and the lights flickered. "Te rogamus audi—"

Her chair stopped. "He will be!" Meg shouted.

Sam stopped. "Wait! What?" Dean asked.

"He's not dead" she smiled. "But he will be after what we do to him"

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Dean asked.

Meg shrugged slightly. "You don't"

Dean sighed in annoyance. "Sam!"

"A building! Okay?" she said, looking at Sam in fear. "A building in Jefferson City"

"Missouri?" Dean asked. "Where, where? An address!"

"I don't know!" Meg shouted, sounding close to tears.

"And the demon, the one we're looking for, where is it?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, I swear!" she yelled. She choked on a sob. "That's everything. That's all I know" She hung her head in exhaustion and panted.

Dean paced around her for a moment. "Finish it" he said to Sam.

"What? I told you the truth!" Meg shouted.

"I don't care" Dean said coldly.

"You son of a bitch" she swore. "You promised!"

"I lied!" Dean screamed. "Sam?" Sam just stood there. "Sam!" he yelled. He walked over, tapping on the book. "Read" he urged.

"We can still use her—find out where the demon is" Sam pleaded.

"She doesn't know" Dean said, shaking his head.

"She lied!" Sam yelled.

"Sam, there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there" Dean argued. "We've got to help her"

"You're gonna kill her" Bobby said. Dean looked at him. "You said she fell from a building. That girl's body is broken. The only thing keeping her alive is that demon inside. You exorcise it, the girl is gonna die"

"Listen to me, both of you, we are not gonna leave her like that" Dean said.

"She is a human being" Bobby replied.

"Guys" I said, speaking up. "Trust me, if I was—" I paused. "I'd want it out of me"

Dean looked at me and nodded. He knew I was referring to the time that I was possessed. "Then we're gonna put her out of her misery" Dean said. "Sam, finish it" Sam just looked at Meg, who was still struggling. "_Finish_ it"

"Dominicos sanctae ecclesiae. Terogamus audi nos." Sam finished. Meg's body twitched once, then her eyes turned the coal black's of a demons. She lifted her head to the ceiling and let out a loud scream, black smoke erupting from her mouth. Once it was all out, her head fell forward, and she was motionless. I almost thought she was dead, until she slowly lifted up her head. Blood was running out of her mouth and nose.

"She's still alive" Dean stated. "Call 911. Get some water and blankets" he said. I ran with Bobby to get the stuff he ordered. I came back, holding blankets. They laid her on the floor.

"A year" she choked out softly.

"What?" Sam asked.

"It's been a year"

"Shh, shh, just take it easy" Sam urged, trying to get her to calm down.

"I've been awake….for some of it" she whispered. "I couldn't move my own body. The things I did—it's a nightmare"

"Was it telling us the truth about our dad?" I asked.

"Lex" Sam warned.

"We need to know" I stated, looking back at Meg.

"Yes. But it wants you to know….that they want you to come for him." She said.

"If Dad's still alive, none of that matters" Dean stated. Bobby came with the water. Dean tried to get her to drink some, but she spit it out, choking.

"Where's the demon we're looking for?" Sam asked her.

"Not there….other ones—awful ones" she sighed.

"Where are they keeping our dad?" Dean asked.

"By the r-river" she said. She paused. "Sunrise"

"Sunrise? What does that mean?" Dean asked. Her eyed closed slightly and she was silent. "What does that mean?" Dean asked. Meg lay there motionless. She was dead.

"You better hurry up and beat it before the paramedics get here" Bobby sighed.

"What are you gonna tell them?" Dean asked.

Bobby scoffed. "You think you guys invented lyin' to the cops?" he asked.  
I'll figure somethin' out" He handed Sam the book with all the different devil's traps in it. "Here. Take this. You might need it"

"Thanks….for everything" Dean said. "Be careful, all right?"

"You just go find your dad" he said. "And when you do, bring him around, would ya? I won't even try to shoot him this time" I gave a small smile.

We got into the impala, and I was silent for awhile. "You okay back there?" Dean called. "You've been quiet"

"Yeah" I said, with a long sigh. "I'm okay"

"We're going to get him back, Lex" Sam stated.

"I know" I replied. "I just….I have a headache" After that I was silent again. We drove the rest of the way without a word.

Dean loaded his gun as we prepared to get out of the car. "You've been quiet" Sam said.

"Just gettin' ready" Dean stated.

"He's gonna be fine, Dean" Sam replied. Dean didn't say anything. I put my knife in my pants and concentrated. I was trying to see if I felt my dad. I got something, like I had in Lawrence and such, but it felt…wrong. Like the picture was there, but it wasn't coming through clearly.

"Dude, what are you drawin' on my car?" Dean asked, bringing me out of my focus. I walked over to see Sam drawing on the car.

"It's called a devil's trap. Demons can't get through it or inside it" Sam said.

Dean glared at him. "So?"

"It basically turns the trunk into a lockbox" Sam replied. He went to the other side of the car and drew another one on the other side of the trunk.

"So?" Dean asked again.

"So, we have a place to hide the Colt while we go get Dad" Sam said.

"What are you talkin' about? We're bringin' the Colt with us" Dean argued.

"We can't, Dean" Sam replied. "We've only got three bullets left. We can't just use 'em on any demon. We've got to use 'em on _the_ demon"

"No, we have to save Dad, Sam, okay?" Dean said. "We're gonna need all the help we can get"

"Dean, you know how pissed Dad would be if we used all the bullets?" Sam asked. "Dean, he wouldn't want us to bring the gun"

"I don't care, Sam! I don't care what Dad wants, okay? And since when do _you_ care what Dad wants?" he asked.

"_We_ want to kill this demon. You used to want that, too!" Sam shouted. "Hell, you're the one who came and got me at school! You're the one who dragged me back into this, Dean! I'm just tryin' to finish it!"

"Well, you and Dad are a lot more alike than I thought, you know that? You both can't wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing" Dean said. "But you know what? I'm gonna be the one to bury you" he said. I looked away. "You're selfish, you know that? You don't care about anything but revenge"

"That's not true, Dean" Sam said. "I want Dad back. But they are expecting us to bring this gun. They get the gun, they will kill us all. That Colt is our only leverage, and you know it, Dean. We cannot bring that gun. We can't"

"Lex?" Dean asked, looking at me. I glanced at the Colt in his hand.

"I think you should leave the gun" I stated.

"Fine" Dean said.

"I'm serious, Dean" Sam said.

Dean put the Colt in the trunk. "I said "fine", Sam" he scoffed. He walked away, and Sam closed the trunk. I followed Dean.

"Nice slight of hand there" I stated. He looked at me, shocked. I had seen him grab the colt again. I wasn't an idiot. "The only reason I agreed with Sam was because I knew you would take it anyway"

"Why didn't you just go against Sam?" he asked.

"Because Sam is too worried about revenge right now to see reason" I scoffed. I pulled out the knife, adjusting it in my belt. "You ready?" I asked. He nodded. We walked off down the river, not really sure where we were going. Meg had said sunrise. Whatever the hell that meant.

"Hey, hey" Dean called, pulling me backwards. "I think I know what Meg meant by "Sunrise"." He pointed across the street. It was an apartment complex called Sunrise Apartments. "Son of a bitch. That's pretty smart. I mean, if these demons can possess people, they can possess almost anybody inside"

"Yeah" Sam nodded. "And make anybody attack us"

"And so we can't kill 'em—a building full of human shields" I scoffed.

"They probably know exactly what we look like, too" Sam said. "And they can look like anybody"

I glanced at the people entering and exiting the apartments. "This sucks out loud" Dean stated.

"Yeah, tell me about it" Sam said. "All right, so, how the hell are we gonna get in?"

I shrugged, watching the people. "Pull the fire alarm" Dean said. "Get out all the civilians"

"Okay. But then the city responds in, what, seven minutes?" I asked.

"Seven minutes, exactly" Dean nodded.

"Awesome" I stated. Dean and I waited as Sam dashed into the building. "You can use fire suits" I stated. "Distract them and then head in, undetected"

"Good idea" he nodded. "You be the distraction, stay outside. Call me if anything goes wrong"

"Dean" I whined. He shot me a look. I sighed, looking away from him. "You gotta save dad" I paused. "Hear that?" I asked, hearing the ring of the alarm.

The fire department was there in six minutes. One minute faster than their record. "Go" Dean whispered, as soon as Sammy was back. "Hey, what's happening?" I asked the fireman, walking on the scene. "Is there a fire?"

"We're figuring that out right now, kid" he remarked. "Just stay back"

"Well, I got a Yorkie upstairs, and he pees when he's nervous" I stated. "What if he gets scared? He'll ruin my new rug!"

The fireman shot me an annoyed look. I glanced to Dean. "Step behind the blockades" he scoffed, leading me over.

"I don't think you get the seriousness of the situation" I stated, deadpan serious. "I mean, that was an expensive rug"

"Look, kid" he sighed. "The sooner you let me do my job, the sooner you can get back to your puppy or whatever"

Sam shot me a thumbs up. They had the outfits. "You know what" I said. "You're right" I smiled. "Thank you" I stood and watched them enter the building.

I was anxious and nervous. A few loud bangs made me jump a mile in the air. I didn't like being left out of the action. They could be dead for all I knew at this very moment. I took a deep breath. Relax, Lex. They're Dean and Sam. They don't fail.

A man stumbled back into me. "Ow" I scoffed. "Watch it, buddy" He turned around, and I noticed his coal black eyes. "You—"

He pushed me backwards, sending me flying. I fell on my ass, so taken aback. I scrambled for my phone. "Hey, buddy, you can't go in" A fireman said to him. He grabbed the man by the shoulders, and his eyes turned too. They went in together.

I groaned, trying to get my phone. I dialed Dean. "De-" I choked out. "Get out"

"Kay" he said, and hung up. I got up, and went to scope out the building. I walked around, and saw them coming out the fire escape. "Lex" Dean called, pointing behind me.

I turned to see another demon. He threw me sideways, into a car. I collapsed with a humph and just lay there for a second. I was pretty sure my head was bleeding. Dean was thrown on top of the car, crashing into the windshield.

I glanced at Sammy, who was being punched into the ground mercilessly. He just kept going at him. I stupidly got up and tried to kick him off. He turned and wailed on me twice before I was on my knees again. I rolled sideways, and suddenly heard a gunshot.

I sat up to see the demon fall over, dead. Dean had used the Colt. "Lex" Dean said, pulling me up close to him by my shirt. I was too dazed to answer him. "Alexis!" he shouted, shaking me.

"I'm okay" I stuttered. "Sammy?"

Dean nodded; getting that I wanted him to make sure Sam was okay. "Sam….Sam" he said.

"M'good" he grunted, getting up.

"Come on" Dean said, pulling him to his feet. He stood up and hobbled over to help dad. Dean pulled me up too. "Come on, we've got to get out of here" he said. He pulled my dad over his shoulder, and we all limped back to the car.

I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn't sure what it what it was yet, but I was sure that something was wrong. I glanced over at my father and sighed. "De" I said, looking over at him. He was cleaning up his gash on his back. "Is he okay?"

"For the millionth time" Dean sighed, annoyed. "He was being drugged. He just has to sleep it off"

"Okay" I said, leaning on the chair for support. Wave of nausea.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, pulling me towards him. "You've been acting funny"

"I got thrown into a car" I stated. "And I'm in pain" He looked at me expectantly. "No, Dean" I said. "I'm okay. Really" He smiled and ruffled my hair. I scoffed at him and pulled away.

Sam re-entered the rundown building. He had been coating the outside in salt. "How is he?" he asked, finishing with the windowsill.

"He just needed a little rest, that's all" Dean said, looking at my father happily. "How are you?"

"I'll survive" Sam stated. "Hey, you don't think we were followed here, do you?"

"I don't know. I don't think so" Dean said. He motioned at the abandoned cottage we were currently in. "We couldn't have found a more out-of-the-way place to hole up"

"Yeah" Sam sighed. "Hey, uh….Dean, you, um….you saved my life back there"

Dean smirked. "So, I guess you're glad I brought the gun, huh?" He asked.

"Man, I'm tryin' to thank you here" Sam said, glaring at him.

Dean paused, and then smiled slightly. "You're welcome" Sam went to the other window. "Guys" he said. "You know that guy I shot? There was a person in there"

I turned to look at him confused. These things didn't usually bother him. Me or Sam, yeah. Dean, no. "You didn't have a choice, Dean" Sam stated.

"Yeah, I know. That's not what bothers me" Dean said.

"Then what does?" I asked.

"Killin' that guy, killin' Meg—I didn't hesitate. I didn't even flinch" he said. He looked down. "For you two or Dad, the things I'm willin' to do or kill, it just….it scares me sometimes"

I sat next to him on the bed and sighed. I leaned into him.

"It shouldn't" said my father, hobbling into the room. "You did good"

"You're not mad?" Dean asked, in shock.

My dad's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "For what?"

"Usin' a bullet" Dean said.

"Mad? I'm proud of you" my father sighed. "You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed. But you—you watch out for this family. You always have"

Dean looked at him confused. "Thanks" he said after a moment. He shot me a look. I glanced back, only sort of confused. I knew what he wanted me to say, but I couldn't. I couldn't say for sure that the man in front of me wasn't my father until I was sure.

The lights flickered. I could hear the wind howl outside. "It found us. It's here" my dad stated.

Sam jumped to his feet. "The demon?"

"Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door" my father instructed.

Sam nodded. "Already did it"

"Well, check it, okay?" my dad said worriedly. Sam nodded and went to leave. "Dean, you got the gun?" Dean nodded. "Give it to me" he said, hand out.

I took a hunch and leaned slightly towards my father. The nausea increased, and the head ache started. I shot Dean a look, but he wasn't looking at me. "Dad, Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation" Dean said. "It vanished"

"This is me. I won't miss" my father said urgently. "Now, the gun. Hurry" Dean held the gun, and looked at me. I shook my head. "Son, please" he pleaded. Dean stepped back, pulling me with him. "Give me the gun. What are you doing, Dean?"

"Lexie, get behind me" he said, he looked to my father once I was safely behind him. "You'd be furious" he said.

My father glared, irritated. "What?"

"That I wasted a bullet" Dean said. "He wouldn't be proud of me. He'd tear me a new one" He raised the gun and cocked it. "You're not my dad"

"Dean, it's me" he persisted.

"I know my dad better than anyone" Dean said, shaking his head. "And you ain't him"

"Lexie, peanut" he pleaded. "Get away from him. He's gone insane"

"No" I said, going closer to Dean.

"What the hell has gotten into you two?" he asked.

"We could ask you the same thing" Dean said, with a nod.

"Dean? What the hell is going on?" Sam asked, coming back. He glanced from us to dad, then back again.

"Your brother's lost his mind" my dad said, glaring at us.

"He's not Dad" I stated.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I think he's possessed" I said, nodding at him. "Or something"

"I think he's been possessed since we rescued him" Dean added.

"Don't listen to them, Sammy" Dad said, shaking his head.

"Dean, how do you know?" Sam asked. "Lex?"

"He's different" Dean said, not taking his eyes off my supposed father.

"I can just tell" I shrugged, hoping he would get the clue.

"You know, we don't have time for this" my dad scoffed. "Sam, you want to kill this demon, you've got to trust me"

Sam looked uneasily from him to us. "No" he said. He shook his head. "No" he walked over to us. I grabbed his hand.

"Fine. You're both so sure?" he asked. "Go ahead. Kill me" My father hung his head, looking hurt. Dean's hand wavered, and he slowly lowered the gun. "I thought so" my father said. He looked up, his eyes yellow.

I felt a pull in my abdomen, and suddenly I was pinned to the wall. I couldn't even move my arms at all. I pushed against it, but came up empty handed. I looked at Sam, who was right next to me, and Dean who was on the adjacent wall. My father smiled, picking up the Colt where Dean dropped it. "What a pain in the ass this thing's been" he chuckled.

"It's you, isn't it?" Sam asked. "We've been lookin' for you for a long time"

He grinned. "You found me"

"But the holy water…" Sam sighed.

My dad shook his head. "You think somethin' like that works on somethin' like me?"

Sam struggled to move but was stuck. He sighed, collapsing back to the wall. "I'm gonna kill you!" Sam shouted in anger.

"Oh, that'd be a neat trick. In fact, here" he said. The placed the gun on the table, and looked back up to Sam. "Make the gun float to ya there, psychic boy" Sam looked helpless. He chuckled. "Well, this is fun. I could've killed you a hundred times today, but this…" he sighed. "….this is worth the wait"

"Shut up!" I yelled, pulling on the invisible restraints.

"Oh, daddy's little girl is upset" he scoffed. He walked over and tore off the bracelet that my father had just given me. He tossed in on the ground, and smiled. "Oops" He turned on his heel back to Dean. "Your dad? He's in here with me—trapped inside his own meat suit" he said. He smiled. "He says "hi", by the way" He paused, leaning closer to Dean. "He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood"

"Let him go" Dean demanded. "Or I swear to God—"

"What? What are you and God gonna do?" he asked, cutting him off. "You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice" He moved closer. "You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter"

"Who, Meg?" Dean asked.

My father nodded. "The one in the alley? That was my boy. You understand?"

"You've got to be kiddin' me" Dean scoffed. I had to admit, I was as confused and stunned as him. I wasn't aware that demons really had families.

"What? You're the only one who can have a family? You destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed _your _family?" he asked. Dean glared at him, and he smiled wickedly. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did. Still, two wrongs don't make a right"

"You son of a bitch" Dean said with a clenched jaw. He pulled on his restraints, coming up with nothing.

"I wanna know why. Why'd you do it?" Sam asked.

"You mean, why'd I kill Mommy and pretty little Jess?" he asked. Sam nodded. "You know, he never told you this, but Sam was gonna ask her to marry him. Been shoppin' for rings and everything" he scoffed, looking at me. He looked back to Sam. "You wanna know why? Because they got in the way"

"In the way of what?" Sam asked.

"My plans for you, Sammy—you….and all the children like you" he said.

"Does that mean me?" I asked, watching him.

"Oh that's right," he laughed. "You got your pretty powers too" He smiled and took a step forward.

"Listen….you mind just gettin' this over with, huh?" Dean asked, cutting him off. "'Cause I really can't stand the monologuing"

"Funny" my father said, walking back to Dean. "But that's all part of your M.O., isn't it? Mask all that nasty pain. Mask the truth"

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Dean asked, not taking his eyes off of my father, although daring him to do something.

"You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is….they don't need you. Not like you need them" my father said. "Sam—he's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight. It's more concern than he's ever shown you. And Lexie, she's daddy's little girl. You can't replace that one"

"I bet your real proud of your kids, too, huh?" He asked. "Oh, wait, I forgot. I wasted 'em" Dean smiled weakly. My father said nothing, taking a step back. He lowered his head and was motionless for a second. He slowly raised his eyes, and blood poured out of invisible wounds on his chest. He screamed in agony.

"Dean!" I yelled, pulling against the restraints again. "No! Dean!"

He continued screaming, the blood just pouring down. "Dad! Dad, don't you let it kill me!" he pleaded, eyes with tears pouring down. The bleeding only got worse. Blood pooled out of his mouth.

"Dean!" Sam and I screamed at the top of our lungs. I pulled and kicked and yelled and basically did everything that I could think of, but nothing was working. I was trapped, and my own father was going to kill Dean.

"Dad, please" Dean pleaded breathlessly. It stopped, and Dean's head hung, he was unconscious.

"Dean, no!" Sam screamed. I shouted. "Lexie!"

I growled. "Stop it, you son of a—"Any breath that I had left in me went to my screams of pain. I could feel the claws tearing at my stomach and chest. They were ripping through my flesh like it was tissue paper. Blood made my shirt turn crimson. "Stop, please!" I yelled, as it hurt worse. I groaned in pain. I was on fire. Everything was on fire. Then it was over.

At first, I was so happy it was over I didn't care that I thought I was dead. I was dead right? The demon had killed me. Then I opened my eyes, and realized that this was far from over.

"Stop" my father said. He lifted his head up, his eyes completely normal. "Stop it" I fell off the wall. I just sort of crumpled myself into a little ball. Sam rushed to the table to grab the Colt.

"You kill me, you kill Daddy" my dad said, staring at him.

Sam nodded. "I know" I closed my eyes at the sound of the gunshot. When Sam started shaking me awake, however, I opened them again. He had only shot my father in the leg. I relaxed a little.

"Lex?" he asked. "You okay?"

"Wonderful" I moaned, flipping over. I looked at the invisible scratches. "Check on De" I said. "He's gotta be worse than I am"

Sam nodded and crawled to Dean. "Dean?" he said. Dean's eyes fluttered open. "Hey. Oh, God. you lost a lot of blood"

"Where's Dad?" he asked.

"He's right here" he said. "He's right here, Dean"

"Go check on him. Go check on him" he said twice. Sam went away from him, and I crawled closer. "You're covered in blood" he said to me.

"So are you" I stated with a small smile.

"Dad? Dad?" Sam called. I leaned on the wall, next to where Dean was collapsed on the floor.

"Sammy!" He shot up, suddenly awake. "It's still alive. It's inside me. I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son!" Sam raised the gun and cocked it, tears in his eyes. "Do it, now!" my father shouted.

"Sammy" I said warningly. "Don't"

"Sam, don't you do it" Dean said. "Don't you do it"

"You've got to hurry! I can't hold on to it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me!" he screamed. Sam looked at him, his arm wavering. "Son, I'm beggin' you! We can end this here and now! Sammy!"

"Sam, no" I cried, letting the tears flow for once.

My father was adamant. "You do this! Sammy! Sam…" Black smoke erupted from his mouth, shooting into the air. As soon as the last bit poured out, it disappeared through the floorboards.

I leaned back on the wall, breathing heavily. I hadn't realized that I hadn't been breathing. Tears were pouring down my face. "C'mon" Sam said, pulling my father to his feet and helping him hobble over to the bed. I pulled Dean up to a sitting position.

"Sam" I said, "We have to get to a hospital"

"I know" he said. He helped Dean to his feet. "Tie dad's leg while I get Dean to the Impala"

I nodded, and crawled over, using an old t-shirt on the bed to make a make-shift hold for his bullet wound. "Kay" I said to my dad.

"Lex" he said. "I'm sorry"

"For what?" I asked, looking up at him confused. "It wasn't your fault"

"No" he said. "It was"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I knew" he choked out. "When you were little, I had a feeling that it was going to come back once you were six months. But I couldn't stop it"

"It's okay" I said, fighting the tears. "Daddy, it's okay" He fell silent after that, just sitting still.

"Okay" Sam said, coming back in. "Can you walk?" he asked me. I slowly nodded, trying to get to my feet. I was in pain for sure, but I was mostly just dizzy and tired. I think I was in somewhat of shock.

Sam helped my dad into the passenger seat, and I got in the back with Dean. He gave me reassuring smile. It didn't make me feel better. He was covered in blood and still trying to help me out.

"Just hold on, all right? Hospital's only ten minutes away" Sam said, driving down the highway minutes later.

"I'm surprised at you, Sammy. Why didn't you kill it?" my dad asked. "I thought we saw eye to eye on this—killin' this demon comes first. Before me, before everything"

Sam glanced at us in the rearview mirror. "No, sir. Not before everything" he sighed. "Look, we still have the Colt. We still have the one bullet left" He paused. I looked out the window, trying to focus on anything but the pain. I saw the lights, but somehow nothing registered, until it was far too late."We just have to start over, all right, I mean, we already found the demon—"

CRASH

I heard the crunch when the truck barreled into the Impala. I could hear the metal bend. I heard Dean scream at me to move. I could smell the air that somehow smelled like damage. It smelled like fire and gas and an automobile accident. I saw the lights come closer and closer until they were on top of us. I saw glass shatter, and bent metal, and Dean's terrified expression as he pretty much lunged on top of me to protect me. I could taste the blood in my mouth. I must've bit through my lip or something. It seemed I could do everything but actually feel.

I couldn't feel my body, or even my heart beating. Everything was disconnected. I tried to move, and found I couldn't. I suddenly came to the frightening realization that I was going to die. The reason I couldn't feel was that I was close to death. I felt my eyes slowly close, and then all I saw was blackness.


	26. Season 2, Chapter One

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! And here it is! Season Two! I hope you all enjoy it. This chapter is dedicated to my new friend Brittpage21 , who came up with this chapter. =) **

**P.S. I am in no way a doctor. I got all this info from Wikipedia, so don't get mad at me if it's not true. Lol**

**Chapter Twenty Six**

I wasn't dead. That was the first thing that went through my mind as I heard the sirens. I wasn't dead, but I guessed that I wasn't really alive either. I felt like I was going in and out of consciousness. I couldn't move anything. "Lexie" I heard Sam whine.

"Sammy" I tried to say back. I wanted him to know I was okay. I didn't want him to leave me. All that came out however was more like, "Smmie" My words slurred and I whispered. I felt someone pull me out of the car.

"Alive" I heard someone say. "Lost blood, contusions to upper forehead, possible dislocated shoulder. Possible cerebral edema." They were talking about me. I was on a soft surface. A stretcher? I didn't know. "Sweetie, can you hear me?" they asked.

I couldn't answer. I was able to flutter my eyes in response to tell them that I was alive. "She's out" the lady said.

I was awake. I don't care what medical science told you, I was wide awake. I could feel the burn of the IV in my arm. I could hear Sam demanding to know if everyone was okay and the whir of the helicopter blades. I was petrified. I couldn't move, and I couldn't get my eyes to open. I wanted to scream for Sam, for my dad, for Dean, for anybody who could help me. I just needed them to tell me I was going to be okay, because right now I wasn't sure I was ever going to be okay again.

By the time we got to the hospital, I had completely blacked out several times. They poked and prodded me, and asked my questions I couldn't seem to answer with more than a mumble. Then suddenly, everything hurt. My shoulder felt like a million knives were going into it, and I could feel the cuts on my face bleed. Everything was swimming around my head, making me want to puke even more than I already did. People clouded my vision, and I really wanted to rip the damn IV out of my arm. I knew the drugs that they were giving me were making me worse off than before. I just wanted them to fix me and then let me see my brothers

Doctors were all around me talking to each other. "She has a cerebral edema, mild to moderate at most" one said, shining a light in my eyes. "The swelling should go down on its own"

"Should we hook her up to—"

"No, she seems to be able to breathe on her own"

"…maybe an induced coma?"

I wanted so much to protest. There would be no putting me in a coma if I could stop it. "We have to do something, sir" the one said, looking to me. "The swelling won't go down if we don't do something soon"

Out of nowhere, my arm was yanked forward, and then pushed back in. I heard the loud crack as it popped back into place, and I sure as hell felt it. It felt like knives were shooting through my arm and it was on fire _and_ someone took a Louisville slugger to my shoulder all at the same damn time. In the words of Dean, son of a bitch! I yelped, in pain.

"Do the coma" the doctor said. "We'll see from there"

I felt the cool liquid quickly seep into my veins. I felt it like it was ice traveling to my heart, then, before I could even question what was going to happen to me, I was out.

I was standing staring at myself, if you can believe it. There I was, lying in the hospital bed completely still. I was dead, right? Or close? I had freaked out awhile ago, going on a rampage down the halls. I couldn't find anyone I knew, and even if I had I couldn't do anything about it since it seemed that no one could hear me. I was alone. All alone, and dying.

I couldn't feel anything in a sense. I couldn't feel the heat of the room, or any other sensation I normally felt. My heartbeat was there, but it was a dull throb, like I was only imagining it. I didn't have to breathe. That was the first thing I experimented with. I could hold my breath indefinitely. It was uncomfortable though, like not normal. I breathed anyway.

I stared at myself for what felt like hours. No one I knew passed through. I didn't know what I was waiting for. I had tried to get back into my body, but it just didn't seem to want me back in. In other words, I had done everything I could think of. I was screwed.

"Sam? Lex?" I heard from down the hall. "Dad?" I looked up. Was that Dean? It had to be. I ran into the hall, and watched him walk away from me down the hall. I followed him. "Excuse me. Hi. I think I was in a car accident with my dad and my brother. I just need to find them" Dean said to the receptionist. She ignored him, much like she had me. "Hello?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

He looked panicked. I caught up to him. "Dean" I breathed. He turned immediately. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been afraid that he wasn't going to be able to see me. "Hey" I said.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "Are you okay? What happened? Why can't anyone see or hear us?"

"Dean…" I said, slowly. I guessed he hadn't woken up next to his body like I had. "We're dying"

He blinked at me for a moment, processing what I had just said, and then ran. He ran down the hall back to where he had come from. He was freaking out, and I really couldn't blame him. I followed after him, trying to get him to listen. "Dean!" I called. "Stop!"

He went into a room and abruptly stopped, staring silently. I caught up and saw what he had been staring at. It was him, and he looked about a million times than I did. He was incubated with tubes going in his throat. I watched his chest rise and fall in sync with the machine and stopped.

"De" I said, slowly, as he seemed to go into oblivion. "Are you okay?"

He turned to look at me like I was nuts. "What do you mean am I okay?" he demanded, glaring at me. "We're _dead,_ Lex. Of course I'm not okay"

I was silent, and felt tears forming by my eyes. I hadn't even known I could cry. I choked back the sobs that were forming. I couldn't cry. Not now. My emotions didn't seem to follow my mind. "Shhh" Dean said, grasping me in a tight hug. "I didn't mean it. We're going to be okay"

"No, Dean" I said, pushing him away. I went to where his body was lying still and tried to touch his hand. It went right through. "You're right. We're dead" I looked back at him sadly, but calm. "We're going to die, De"

"No we're not" he growled. "I'll make sure of it"

"De—"

"No" he insisted. "Just shut up" I shut my mouth instantly. "Where are you at?" he asked.

I pointed to the direction of my room. He motioned for me to take him. I walked down the hall into my room and he stared at me, much like he had stared at himself. "You look better than me" he stated.

"They put me in a coma on purpose" I said, "They induced it" I added, using the word that they had.

"Why would they do that?" he asked, shaking his head in annoyance. I shrugged. "Okay" he sighed. "I think we should find Sam and dad, and…I don't know. I have to think" He paced slightly. "How long has it been?"

"I think at least a day and a half" I replied. I saw a green hoodie whizz by the door. I immediately knew who it was. "Sam" I said, and followed him down the hall back into Dean's room.

"Oh, no" Sam sighed. I glanced up at him, and then stared back at Dean, who had got the hint and followed. Dean looked to Sam, smiling

"Sammy" he chuckled. "You look good, considering" I wondered if we were looking at the same person. Sam's eye was still almost swollen shut, and he looked beat up. "Man, tell me you can hear me" Dean sighed.

"He can't" I said, even though I was sure Dean knew that.

"How's Dad? Is he okay?" Dean asked him, ignoring me. "Come on, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whisperin' or somethin" he pleaded.

"Dean" I said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "He can't hear you"

"Your father's awake, and your sister is stable" a doctor said coming in the room. "You can go see them if you like"

"Oh, thank God" Dean sighed, when he heard that.

"Doc, what about my brother?" Sam asked.

I stared at the doctor, waiting for his response. "Well, he sustained serious injury –- blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney. But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There's early signs of cerebral edema"

"Well, what can we do?" he asked.

"Well, we won't know his full condition until he wakes up –- _if_ he wakes up" he said.

"If?" I asked, at the same time as Sam, looking back to Dean. He looked worried, but rolled his shoulders, like he was shrugging it off.

"I have to be honest. Most people with his degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long" the doctor said softly. "He's fighting very hard. But you need to have realistic expectations"

"Screw you, doc, I'm wakin' up!" Dean scoffed gruffly in defiance. I smiled at him slightly.

The doctor patted Sam on the back, and then walked out. Sam choked on his tears, and looked destroyed. "Sam" I sighed, trying to touch his shoulder. My hand went right through.

"Come on, Sam" Dean said. "Go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me. I'll be fine" Sam turned away silently. "Sam?" Dean asked. Sam then walked out. I followed him, along with Dean. He entered a room that had my father in it. He was lying on the bed, and didn't look much better than Sam did. He was broken.

"Dean's bad" Sam said, walking towards the bed.

"What?" dad asked, his face falling into a frown.

"Dean, he…" Sam stuttered. "He hasn't woken up. The doctor said…he might not…he might…" He stopped, choking back tears. "They asked for insurance"

"All right, here" my dad said, taking out his wallet. "Give 'em my insurance"

Sam took the card, looking at it with a slight smile. "Elroy McGillicuddy?"

"And his three loving children" my father nodded. "So…what else did the doctor say about Dean? Or Lexie?"

"Nothin'" Sam said. "Look, since the doctors won't do anything…then we'll have to, that's all. I don't know, I'll find some hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on him"

"Maybe another faith healer" I said to myself.

"We'll look for someone" my father said carefully. "But, Sammy…I don't know if you're gonna find anyone"

"Why not?" Sam asked. "I found that faith healer before"

My father nodded, looking sadly at him. "Well, that was one in a million"

"So what? What, do we just sit here with our thumbs up our ass?" Sam asked, annoyed.

"No, I said we'd look. All right?" my dad said, calming him down. "I'll check under every stone" That seemed to appease Sam, and he nodded. "Where's the Colt?" he asked.

"Your son and daughter are dying, and you're worried about the Colt?" Sam asked him. I scoffed. Dean and I were as good as dead and these two were still fighting.

"We are hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us, too" my father said, "That gun may be our only card"

"It's in the trunk" Sam sighed. "They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83"

"All right, you've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside" my dad said.

"I already called Bobby" he said. "He's, like, an hour out. He's gonna tow the Impala back to his place"

"All right, you go meet up with Bobby" my dad said. "You get that Colt and you bring it back to me, and you watch out for hospital security"

"I think I got it covered" Sam scoffed, going to leave,

"Hey" my dad said, stopping him. He handed him a list. "Here I made a list of things I need. Have Bobby pick 'em up for me"

"Acacia? Oil of Abramelin?" he asked, reading it. "What's this stuff for?"

"Protection" my father replied.

"That's not for protection" I scoffed, leaning on the wall. Dean looked at me, I was going to respond, but Sam started talking again.

"Hey, Dad?" Sam said, stopping one more time. "You know the demon –- he said he had plans for me and children like me. You have any idea what he meant by that?"

My dad slowly shook his head. "No, I don't" he said. Sam nodded and left. I looked to my father.

"Well, you sure know somethin'" I scoffed. "I'm not as easy to fool as Sam" My father just looked through me.

"What did you mean?" Dean asked me.

"I don't know about that other crap" I started. "but Oil of Abramelin is used to summon a demon"

Dean rolled his eyes, and stood up straight. "I wonder how long it will take Sam to figure that out?"

"Not long" I said, walking out. We went back to my room, and I watched them move me. They put me in Dean's room, in the bad adjacent to him. I had to admit, it felt better this way. We both sort of looked at each other and sighed. I knew Dean had no clue what to do. We were so screwed.

My father entered in a wheel chair. He stared at both of our bodies sadly. He wheeled himself to right in-between us, and grabbed my hand. "Peanut, you in there?" he asked. I smiled, standing closer to him.

"You have no idea" I remarked.

He didn't say anything else, just sat there and watched us for awhile. Dean spoke up after about fifteen minutes. It was really just to fill the deathly silence than anything. "Come on, Dad. You gotta help us. I gotta get better, I gotta get back in there" he pleaded. "I mean, you haven't called a soul for help. You haven't even tried. Aren't you gonna do anything? Aren't you even gonna say anything?" he asked.

I walked out. I didn't want to watch Dean cry and beg. It was uncomfortable. I stayed in the hall for a moment. "I've done everything you have ever asked me. Everything" Dean cried. "I've given everything I've ever had. And now you're just gonna sit there, and you're gonna watch me die? I mean, what the hell kind of father are you?"

I grimaced. Then, all the sudden there was a transparent shape speeding through the hall. "What was that?" I asked, looking to Dean, who looked as shocked as I did. It rushed past again, into another room. I followed it this time, Dean hot on my tail. It stopped in another room I entered, and saw a woman lying on the floor, shaking. "Help! Help!" she pleaded to anyone. She couldn't seem to breathe.

"Hey! I need some help in here!" I shouted, running to the hall.

"They can't hear you" Dean said, correcting** me** this time. Dean kneeled next to her.

I ran to the doctor walking towards me. "Hey!" I yelled, trying my best to hit him or something. Everything went right through him. I ran back in, but she was silent. She was dead. Dean looked up helplessly, and shook his head.

I walked out, not wanting to watch her be found. I felt so helpless, so vulnerable. I couldn't do anything as a ghost, and it sucked. I wanted to be alive again. I wanted to be healed. I walked around for awhile, on my own, leaving Dean. I needed to clear my head.

"That stuff from Bobby!" Sam shouted from down the hall. Apparently he was back. "You don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one. You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you, and having some stupid macho showdown!"

I entered my father's room a little reluctantly. I really didn't want to listen to them argue anymore, but I knew that if it had something to do with the demon or Dean or me, I really deserved to be part of it. "I have a plan, Sam" my dad said calmly.

"What's going on?" I asked, even though I knew I would get no answer from either of them. Dean was already in there, watching them argue.

Dean nodded at Sam. "He figured it out"

"That's exactly my point! Dean is dying and you have a plan!" Sam shouted. "You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!"

"Do not tell me how I feel. I am doing this for Dean" My dad replied.

"How? How is revenge gonna help him?" Sam asked. "You're not thinkin' about anybody but yourself! It's the same selfish obsession!"

"Come on, guys, don't do this!" I scoffed, leaning on the wall. "I'm dying two rooms over"

"It's funny, you know what, I thought this was your obsession, too!" my dad shouted. "This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be part of this hunt! Now, if you killed that damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened!"

"Dad!" I shouted.

Sam scoffed. "It was possessing you, Dad, I would've killed you, too!"

"Yeah, and your brother would be awake right now!" my father spat out.

"Shut up, both of you!" Dean shouted from his spot.

"Go to hell" Sam said, tightening his fists.

"I should have never taken you three along in the first place" my dad said. "I knew it was a mistake!"

"I said, "Shut up!"" said Dean, swinging his fist. The glass of water sitting on my father's little table went flying to the ground. The glass shattered, going everywhere. "Dude, I full-on Swayze'd that mother" Dean said, staring at the puddle of water in shock.

"What was that?" Sam asked my father.

"How did you do that?" I asked Dean. He fell to his knees, and he looked like he was flickering like a light before it went out. "Dean?" I asked, worriedly. He groaned. Several doctors rushed past. I felt my heart flutter. "Dean" I breathed silently, now getting it. I ran out of the room back to Dean's. He was surrounded by doctors. They were shocking his chest and the machine was beeping.

"All clear" they shouted. They flat line didn't change. He was dying. Dean was dying right before my eyes. "Okay, let's go again. 360" They shocked him again, his body tensing and then falling flat. "Still no pulse. Clear"

I felt tears in my eyes, and looked around wildly for Dean's ghost. "Dean" I said, when I saw him. "You can't leave me here alone"

He nodded at his body, his eyes widening. I looked, and saw the ghostly shape from before. It was creepy, all white and transparent. It was inhuman and sinister. It's face was a skull. "Oh my—"

"You get the hell away from me. Stay back!" Dean said, rushing forward. He tried to grab at it. "I said get back!" he yelled loudly. He put his hands into it, and was pushed backwards into the wall.

"Dean" I said, going towards him. He nodded that he was okay. I gave a slight nod, but when I looked back to see if the ghost was still there, it was gone. "We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm" a nurse said.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and the doctors slowly disappeared from the room. Sam stared sadly, with tears coming down. "Don't worry, Sammy. I'm not goin' anywhere" Dean said, looking at him. "I'm gettin' that thing before it gets me. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it."

I shook my head. "Dean, that thing is a reaper" I said. "We don't know how to kill a reaper"

"I'll figure it out" he said determinedly. A girl screamed from down the hall. I looked over. "Stay here" Dean instructed. "Make sure neither of us dies"

"Okay" I said, with a nod. And I did. I waited, and made sure I didn't stop breathing. A doctor came in, after about an hour, and looked at my vitals and stuff. I wasn't sure what he was doing, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

"Well?" Sam asked him.

"We can wake her up now" the doctor said. "The swelling has gone down significantly"

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Right now?"

The doctor smiled. "I'll prepare" he said. "But I have to warn you, I don't know if she'll have nerve damage or if she'll be all there"

"I understand" Sam said.

"You can bring your father if you want" the doctor said, walking out to get whatever the hell he needed.

I was happy, but scared. I mean, it wasn't everyday you woke up from a coma. What if I was dying anyway? I went into the hallway to find Dean, but instead, I saw the figure again. I ran after it, running into Dean on the way. "Hey" I said, as we entered the room.

"Look" he said, pointing to a small girl in the bed. She was dying, and there were doctors trying to resuscitate her. It hovered above her body, and slowly stroked her face. Dean took a step forward, but it was too late. It was gone.

"All right. Let's call it" the doctor said.

"Time of death –- 5:11 PM" a nurse said. She looked sadly downward. "At least she's not suffering anymore"

"Dean" I said, as we walked out. "There waking me up"

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"They're taking me out of the coma" I said. "I can tell Sam that it's a reaper. We'll save you"

"Will you remember?" he asked.

"I don't know" I said. "Why wouldn't I?" He shrugged. I suddenly felt like something was pulling me. I collapsed to my knees. I groaned and tried to stand.

"Lex?" he said, kneeling next to me. "Don't forget okay?" I couldn't breathe again, not that I needed to. I felt cold. "Lex?" I heard him ask.

All went black. Again.

If an out-of-body experience was weird, and back-into-your-body experience was even weirder. I felt like someone had dragged me through water to the point where I was almost dead, and then beat me with a bat. Everything hurt. It hurt to open my eyes, it hurt to breathe, and it hurt to think.

I blinked my eyes open. "Alexis?" a foreign voice asked. "Can you hear me?" I nodded. "Can you speak?" he asked, shining a light into my pupils.

"Yes" I replied.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked, now poking my foot with his pen. I flexed my toes in annoyance.

"We were in a car crash" I stated, confidently. I would roll my eyes if I didn't think it would hurt too much. "My head hurts" I complained. My voice was hoarse, and everything was blurry.

"You had a severe injury" he said. "You're lucky to be alive"

I looked over to Dean. I suddenly remembered everything. Dean was out there still. He was still a ghost. "Dean" I said, in shock.

"He's in a coma" Sam said, as if I was freaking out because of _that_.

"Take it easy" the doctor said. "Get some rest" He looked to my dad. "We'll have to keep her for observation" My father just nodded, looking at me contentedly. The doctor smiled, and walked out.

"Peanut" my dad sighed. "You gave us quite a scare"

"Yeah" I said. "I have something you need to know" I sighed, and spilled my guts of everything I could remember from being out.

"What do you mean you were a ghost or something?" my dad asked me. He narrowed his eyes.

"I mean, it felt like…like being a ghost" I said. "Like I was a spirit. I swear. I heard everything that was going on"

"Like what?" my father asked, clearly not believing me.

"I heard you and Sam fighting because you wanted supplies to summon the demon" I replied. "And Dean knocked that water glass over, and then almost died"

"That's weird" Sam said. He looked to my father. "But do you think it's even possible? Do you think his spirit could be around right now?" Sam asked.

"Anything's possible" my dad shrugged. He seemed so nonchalant it was kind of pissing me off. I mean, I was freaking out here. I had just been a freaking ghost!

"Well, there's one way to find out" Sam said, turning for the door.

"Where you goin'?" I asked, annoyed.

"I gotta pick something up" he said. "I'll be back"

"Wait, Sam. I promise…I won't hunt this demon" my dad said slowly. "Not until we know Dean's okay" Sam gave him a nod, and then left.

I looked to my dad. "Dad" I said, trying to sit up. It was difficult. My body didn't quite seem to want to cooperate. "There's something I wanted to ask you"

"What?" he asked.

"If the demon came once for Sam or whatever" I started, wrinkling my eyebrows. "Why did it come back for me? What's so special about us?"

He looked at me curiously. "I don't know" he replied. I could tell he was lying. I knew enough to be able to tell that. "Maybe he really wanted to do your mother in. Maybe he wanted to kill. I have no clue"

"Oh" I said, and sat up. He wheeled out, talking about needing to get coffee. I stared over at Dean for awhile, trying to see if he would wake up too. I wished he would. I didn't know how to help him yet. I was going to talk to Sam about it as soon as he got back. My dad didn't seem to be as willing to listen to me right now.

"I like to think that he can hear you" the doctor said, passing by. "You can talk to him if you like"

"Thanks" I said. Dude, he had no idea. "I will" He nodded and left. I sighed. "Dean," I started. "If you can hear me, you need to wake up. Please." I couldn't help but recall what the demon had said to him. "I need you Dean" I stated. "I need you. We'll figure this out I promise. I'll get the reaper away from you"

I of course got no answer except for Sam running in moments later. "What?" I asked. He was holding a paper bag. "What did you get?"

"You'll see" he said. "What were you saying about a reaper?"

"I uh, I was a ghost, Sammy" I said. "And so was De. We found a reaper in the hospital, but it's here naturally you know? Collecting the souls?"

"So?" he asked.

"It wants Dean"

Sam was silent for a moment. "You think he's here? Right now?"

I took a moment. "Yeah"

"Hey" Sam said to Dean. "I think maybe you're around, and if you are…don't make fun of me for this, but, um…there's one way we can talk"

He pulled out an Ouija board. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me"

I watched him sit down cross-legged on the floor and arrange the board in front of him. "Are you going to help or can you not get up?" he asked me.

I huffed and struggled to get out of bed, and lied down again. "Help?" I asked, and Sam came over. He easily picked me up and placed me on my feet. It hurt, but was worth it if it saved Dean. I got myself situated and put my fingers on the planchette.

"Dean?" Sam asked, "Dean, are you here?"

Nothing happened. "Sam" I sighed, about to pull away. It started moving, and went to yes. I looked at Sam in shock. "De" I breathed.

"It's good to hear from you, man" Sam said. "It hasn't been the same without you, Dean" It started moving again. "Dean, what? H…U…"

"Hunt?" I asked as it moved towards the n. "What, hunting? You mean the reaper?" It went back to yes.

"Dean, it's in the hospital? It's still here?" Sam asked in excitement. "What is he spelling?" Sam asked, looking not at me, but at the board. It moved. R. E. A. P. "A reaper?" Sam asked. He looked up at me. "Like you said"

"Yeah" I said. "It's here naturally…there's no way to stop it" I stated.

"Man…you're, um…" Sam stuttered. I knew where he was going with that sentence, and I didn't particularly want him to finish.

"No…no, no, no. There's gotta be a way. There's gotta be a way" I stated. I looked to Sam, taking my hands off the board.

"Dad'll know what to do" Sam said. He stood up, leaving me and Dean alone.

I awkwardly put my hands back on the board. "Dean" I said. "If you're a ghost maybe if we both try hard I can see you?" I got no answer. I didn't really expect him to answer or anything. I doubted he knew. "Maybe" I sighed, thinking aloud. "If I concentrate…"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Say something" I said. I listened for anything.

"You're nuts" was all I heard.

"I am not" I scoffed. Then I opened my eyes. Had he said that? Or was that my subconscious? "Say more"

"What the hell do you want me to say?" he asked. "I have a reaper after me. Now's not the time to experiment, Lex"

"I heard you" I stated in shock. I felt my head start to pound as I pulled away from my focus. Apparently ghost hearing took a lot out of me.

"Hey" Sam said, coming back in. "So, Dad wasn't in his room"

"Where is he?" Dean asked. I flinched at the noise.

"Dean wants to know where he is" I stated. "And so do I"

"You can hear him?" Sam asked.

"With some concentration, yeah" I said. "But seriously. We have to save Dean. I promised him that when I was a ghost"

"Right. I don't know where he is" Sam said. "But I got Dad's journal, so who knows? Maybe there's somethin' in here"

"Tell him I said. Thanks for not givin' up on me, Sammy" Dean said softly.

"He says thanks" I scoffed, "I'm not a translator, Dean" Then he was gone. I didn't say anything to Sam. He didn't need to know.

Sam helped me back into my bed, where I immediately felt like going to sleep. My shoulder hurt like hell, my stitches hurt like hell, my entire body was in hell. I sort of wished I was a ghost again. At least there I wasn't in pain.

He sat down and searched through the book. I watched him turn page after page, already knowing he wouldn't find anything. I had literally memorized that book cover to cover. You couldn't stop a reaper. "I'm going to take a nap" I said, trying to get situated. I got caught in the sheets. Sam helped me out, giving me a sympathetic smile. "I'm exhausted" I sighed, holding my head.

He nodded, and I lied down. I thought my head was going to explode. I wondered if I was going to be okay. I wasn't out of the woods yet. I was still in trouble with my head, even if the swelling had gone down. "Dean, are you here?" I heard Sam say. I knew he wasn't, but I held back. "I couldn't find anything in the book. I don't know how to help you. But I'll keep tryin', all right? As long as you keep fightin'" He paused with a laugh. "I mean, come on, you can't leave me here alone with Dad and Lexie we'll kill each other, you know that" I could sense the tears in his eyes, and wished I could disappear

"Dean, you gotta hold on. You can't go, man, not now. We were just startin' to be brothers again" Sam pleased. He paused. "Can you hear me?"

"He's can't hear you" I said. "He's not here" I sat up, overcome by dizziness. I ignored it. "It's going to be okay, Sam. We'll save him" I paused, looking at Dean. "We have to"

I heard a noise, like a whoosh, and then Dean shot up. He started gagging on the tube in his throat. "Dean?" Sam asked, in shock.

I ran to the hall. "Help! I need help!" I screamed. Doctors and nurses came running. They started to work on Dean, taking the tube out of his throat and inspecting him. They forced Sam out the door. I watched as they shined lights in his eyes and poked and prodded him until he was barking at them to stop. His voice was hoarse from the tube, but other than that he was fine.

They did test after test on him, and we couldn't see him until then. They had taken him to another room. They did a million tests on me too, but all signs of the swelling I my brain was gone. My shoulder still hurt, but they said all signs of the brain trauma was gone. It was like a miracle. Sam and I waited in my room, while Dean was at MRIs and stuff. "He's okay" I breathed, resting my head on Sam's lap.

"Yeah" he said. "And so are you" He smiled. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll wake you up when we can see him"

"Okay" I said, drowsily. I was exhausted, but I felt different. I felt healed. I could tell that whatever had been wrong before I was better now. The last time I got some real sleep was days ago. I couldn't even remember. I closed my eyes.

As soon as the nurse said it was okay, I let Sam wheel me to his new room. Sam had waked me up. "Dean" I sighed hugging him. "You're okay!"

He looked at me funny, hugging me back. "What happened?" he asked. "All I remember is the car crash"

"You don't remember anything?" I asked.

"You've been out in a coma for three days, man" Sam replied. "They…said you weren't going to wake up"

"And then you were like a ghost" I added. "I was too for awhile. I was in a coma too. And then I could hear you. Dean, the reaper was after you" he looked at a loss. It was like I was speaking Spanish. "You really don't remember?"

"The doctor wants to talk to you" a nurse said.

The doctor came in moments later, a chart in hand. "I can't explain it. The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good" He paused with a sigh. "You've got some kind of angel watchin' over you" He looked to me. "And you're fine too. No signs that you were ever harmed. I don't even know what to say" he shook his head. "It's a miracle"

"Thanks, Doc" Dean smiled. The doctor left again, and Dean looked back to us. "So you said a reaper was after me?" he asked. I nodded. "How'd I ditch it?"

"You got me" I shrugged. "Dean, you really don't remember anything?"

"No" he shook his head. "Except this pit in my stomach. Sam, Lexie something's wrong" I hated to say it, but I had the same feeling. It felt wrong.

I turned at the knock on the door. It was my father, suddenly reappearing after last night. "How you feelin', dude?" he asked.

"Fine, I guess" Dean said. "I'm alive"

"That's what matters" my father nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Where were you last night?" I asked.

"I had some things to take care of" he replied.

"Well, that's specific" Sam scoffed angrily.

"Come on, Sam" Dean sighed.

"Did you go after the demon?" Sam asked. My father shook his head. "You know, why don't I believe you right now?"

My father gave him a smile. "Can we not fight?" he asked. "You know, half the time we're fightin', I don't know what we're fightin' about. We're just buttin' heads. Sammy, I...I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't wanna fight anymore, okay?"

We all stared at him in shock. "Dad, are you all right?" I asked finally. I swear to god, if he was possessed.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just tired" he replied. "Hey, Sam, would you mind, uh…would you mind gettin' me a cup of caffeine?"

"Yeah" Sam said slowly. "Yeah, sure" Sam slowly left, shooting him a look.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Lex" he sighed. "C'mere" He pulled me close and whispered to me. "You'll always be my little girl" he stated. "You know that right?"

"Yeah, dad" I said, "I know, but what—"

"You're a good hunter" he said. "I'm proud"

I felt my heart drop. "Thanks" I choked out.

"And I want you to know" he said. "That you have to be strong, okay? No matter what happens. You have to keep your brothers on the right track. Make sure"

"Okay" I said. "Dad, what's going on?"

"Nothing" he said, shaking his head. He squeezed my shoulder. "Can I talk to Dean alone?" I looked to Dean and slowly nodded. I headed into the hall, and went to find Sam. He was at the end of the hall by a coffee vending machine.

"Sam" I said. "Something isn't right"

"I know" he said. "Nothing seems to be right these days"

I choked back tears. "No" I said. "That's not what I meant" My voice cracked towards the end of my statement.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked.

"Dad just gave me a death speech, Sam" I said, pointing behind me. "Why would he do that?"

"Hey" he said. He put a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. "Go back to Dean. I'll be right there"

"Kay" I said, breathing heavily to stop the tears. I walked back to Dean, noting that my father wasn't there anymore. "Where's dad?" I asked him. He was staring ahead, looking confused and hurt. "De?" I asked.

I heard screaming. Sam was screaming. "Help!" he yelled. "I need help! Now!"

I took one last look at Dean and ran out the door, him quickly behind me. "Help me!" Sam yelled. Doctors were shoving him out of the way as they lifted my dad off the floor and started to do compressions on his chest.

"Sammy" I cried, pulling him towards me and Dean. I watched as they tried to push us out of the room.

"No, no, no, it's our dad. It's our dad!" Dean said.

"Okay, let's try again –- an amp of atropine" a doctor said. I watched in silence as my world came crumbling down around me. Everything was shattering and I was falling to pieces

"Okay. Stop compression"

"Still no pulse"

A snap of gloves and then there was al silence except for the flat line of the machine, blaring in my mind. "Okay, that's it, everybody. I'll call it" the doctor said gruffly. My heart plunged into my stomach.

"Time of death –- 10:41 AM"


	27. Season 2, Chapter Two

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

The fire burned. The flames licked at the sheet covered body, turning it into nothing. I watched the heat overtake everything. It destroyed everything in its path. I would've felt sad, devastated even, but that wasn't my father anymore. It was just a piece of meat. It wasn't John Winchester. I hadn't said a word since it…happened. I hadn't even cried. I refused, telling myself that I couldn't. I couldn't cry, because that would be admitting that he really was gone.

Sam cried the entire time. He probably could put out the fire with his tears. Dean's eyes were unmistakably red, but he didn't cry. I just stood there, not knowing how to feel. I only stared at the flames and didn't shed a tear. For some reason, all I could think about were stories, and how people always said that they feel numb. Let me be the one to tell you, there is no such thing as numb.

Numb is when you feel nothing. Numb is when you're empty. Numb is when you're dead. And right now, I feel anything but dead.

You actually feel pretty much anything but numb. You're scared. Angry. Upset. Pissed. Worried. Empathetic. Sick. Destroyed on the inside. You feel so many damn emotions that it comes to the point that you don't know what you feel at all. So you sit there confused and helpless as people say that you're numb. In reality, all you want to do is scream and cry and ask people why this is happening to you. You feel everything. And deep down, you wished that those people were right. You wished you could feel numb

I could feel myself, or at least part of me, burning away. A part of me was slowly disappearing, and I didn't know what part that was, but at this point I barely cared. Sam and Dean were still watching. "Before…before he…" Sam said, stammering. He stopped and looked to Dean and I. "Did he say anything to either of you? About anything?"

"No" I said, choking on the sobs that were starting to form in my throat. I pushed them down.

Dean didn't answer for a few more moments. "No" he said finally. "Nothin'"

The fire slowly died to nothing, just like my father, and I turned and walked away. Dean and Sam stayed behind for a moment, but I just didn't care anymore. I just wanted to be alone in my own little world, away from everyone else. I got into the car that we borrowed from Bobby, climbing into the backseat. Sam came next, sniffling, and then finally Dean. We drove back to Bobby's in silence.

We got there in record time, since Dean didn't pay much attention to the speed limit. I went right to my normal room. I always took the small back one with the double bed. Dean and Sam got the one right next door with the two single beds. Bobby's room was on the far end of the hall. I saw down by the window that faced the car junkyard and went into a daze.

I was confused and helpless. Everything was lost in the shuffle. I could barely tell if my heart was even pumping anymore. Before I knew it, the sun was raising high in the sky. A whole day had passed and I had barely moved an inch. The door clicked open. "Darlin' you want some breakfast?" Bobby asked. He stepped inside. "Did you sleep last night?" I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure I could without bursting into tears. "Lexie?"

"No" I replied finally. "I couldn't sleep"

"Come down for breakfast" he said, turning back to the door.

"I'm not hungry Bobby" I insisted.

"Yes you are" he persisted. He walked back over to me and held out his hand. I looked at it for a second like it might bite me, and then figured I could go downstairs if it would make Bobby happy. "You're starving" he added, pulling me with him.

Sam was staring at me, arms folded. His eyes were red and the giant scowl on his face told me that Bobby had forced him to come eat too. He quickly looked away as we sat down at the table, the three of us. "Thanks for the food" Sam said, as Bobby laid out toast and eggs and bacon.

I took a miniscule amount of each, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. "Yeah" I added. "Thanks" I took a bite of toast, the piece that wasn't burnt, and swallowed with difficultly. "Where's Dean?" I asked.

"Working on the Impala" Bobby replied. "He woke up at dawn, the idget" He handed me another piece of bacon, which I politely took. Sam did the same, still looking down at his feet. "You two gonna eat or what?" he demanded. "I didn't cook this for nothin" I took another bite of each, and then stood up.

"Thanks" I said quickly, and headed back upstairs. I changed into my sweats, the only ones I owned, and headed back out the door before anyone could say anything more to me. I started out at the familiar trail that looped into the woods and then back through the car yard. Three miles long in all.

My feet patted the ground in a familiar pattern. It seemed to be the only familiar thing around these past couple days. I ran around for a few hours, doing the trail twice before I was doused in sweat, and finally too tired to think. I could just run. I felt my heart racing and my leg muscles burning. For three years my dad made me do a run like this every morning, not counting weight training and cardio some days. Plus all the guns, and knives, and other crap. I kept going until my steps were faltering.

I was in the middle of the car yard, alone and panting. I angrily threw my hands on a car, and punched the window in. Glass shattered around my fist, making a thousand cuts appear. My fist was bloody, but it felt good. It felt good to get that anger out. I punched through the entire windshield. I sighed, tears pouring down my face.

"Damn it" I cried, wiping the blood on the grass. "God _damn_ it"

I tried to clean myself up, but it was getting hot out. I headed back to the house, with bloody knuckles and drenched in sweat. I ran upstairs, taking a shower, and went back into my room to be alone.

I was too exhausted to do anything but stare out the window again. "Where've you been?" Sam asked, walking in.

"Running" I admitted. "Clears my head"

"Oh" he said, sitting on the bed. He stared at me, and I knew he saw the bloody cuts on my hands. He didn't say anything. "How are you?" he asked.

I raised my eyes. "Seriously?" I asked. He gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm wonderful" I said, rolling my eyes. "How are you?"

He watched me for a moment. "Are we going to talk about it?" he asked.

I shrugged. "If you need someone to talk to Sam, go ahead" I said. "I'm listening, you know that"

"I'm not here for me, Lexie" he said, "I'm here for you"

"Oh" I said, turning back to the window. I could see Dean underneath the car. He was going to be there for awhile. It looked like he hadn't done anything, and yet he had already been out there for hours. "Well I don't want to talk right now"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I mean, you can tell me—"

"Sam" I said, stopping him. "I don't want to" I faced him. "Don't do this"

"Do what?"

"Push your problems on me" I said. "If you need to talk, talk. Don't pretend it's for me"

He blinked at me, and then walked out. "You'll have to talk to me eventually" he called over his shoulder. I just scoffed and sat back down. Sam always did this. He forced his problems on me or Dean so that we would want to talk, so that he could talk without feeling guilty. I was sick of it.

To tell the truth, I was sick of a lot of things. I was sick of the constant driving. I was sick of the motel rooms. I was sick of the lack of sleep and the injuries. I was sick of…hunting. My heart pounded as I said that. I never thought I would ever feel that way. I loved hunting, right? I loved…killing things.

I paused. No. I hunted because it made my father happy. It made him proud of me. So I worked my fingers to the bone and pushed myself until I was what he had wanted. A little hunter. But now…he was…gone. So now why was I hunting? I mean, it was an adrenaline rush, and I like it somewhat, but…could I keep doing it? That was when I realized what was really on my mind.

I didn't want to hunt anymore.

My cell phone was ringing. I stood up and grabbed it out of my bag. "Hey" I said, answering as Logan's name appeared on the screen.

"Hey" he said. "I heard, are you okay?"

"Yeah" I said, trying to sound normal and not like I had just punched a car, and told my older brother to go away. "I'm dealing"

"You want me to come?" he asked. "I only live like—"

"No" I said quickly. "I don't" It came out way harsher than I meant it to. "Sorry" I added. "I just…family thing, you know"

"Yeah" he said, still sounding hurt anyway. "It's okay"

"Um, can I ask you something?" I asked, uncomfortably.

"Anything"

"What if I said I didn't want to hunt anymore" I said. He didn't say anything. "Lo?" I said again. "You there?"

"Yeah" he said, breathlessly. "I just…what do you mean?"

"I mean I don't want to hunt anymore" I explained. "I'm sick of it; I just can't do it anymore"

"And you're sure about that?" he asked. "I mean, your father just died, and now you want to give up hunting for good?"

"Yeah" I said. "I'm sure"

He sighed. "Did you tell your brothers this?" he asked.

"Not yet" I said. "I wanted to gauge your reaction first, and judging by it, I'm going to have a hard time"

"Well, I mean" he stammered. "I support you, I just don't really believe you" He sighed again. "That is your whole life we're talking about. It's not like I don't want to play soccer anymore"

"I know" I stated. "Listen, I got to go. But I'll talk to you soon okay?"

"Alright, bye" he said, and I heard the click. I sighed and lay down on the bed. I was so tired from all of this. I just finally let myself sleep, closing my eyes and falling into oblivion.

Three days later, we were still at Bobby's, and Dean was still working on the car. I had done the last thing for the last two days. Wake up; eat breakfast, run for the three miles, and then stay in my back room for the rest of the day. The truth was that I was avoiding Sam. I visited Dean every now and again, but he was hostile and angry at the world, so it was really better to just be alone.

"Lex" Sam said, entering my room. "You haven't come out of here at all for three days"

"So?" I asked.

"So?" he asked me in surprise. "So you need to come out before you go crazy" He paused, trying to get a response out of me. I did nothing. "I'm trying to crack dad's phone" he said.

"Yeah?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah" He showed it to me. I wished he would stop mentioning dad. "Yeah" he said. "Might end up leading to some sort of case"

"Oh" I said, turning back to the window.

"Oh?" he asked. "Just oh?"

"Yeah, Sam" I said, rolling my eyes. "Oh"

"What?" he asked with a short laugh. "You don't want to hunt anymore?" I tensed, and then slowly nodded. He stared at me. "Wait, did you just say yes?"

"Yeah" I said softly. "I think I did" He stared at me. "I guess I really don't want to hunt anymore"

"You? Alexis? Don't want to hunt?" He blinked at me. "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

"I just…" I trailed off. "I'm done" I paused, thinking about what was coming out of my mouth. I really meant it. And that scared the hell out of me. "I don't want to hunt anymore"

"Oh" he said, now the one at a loss for words. He slowly backed out of the room. "Is this because of dad?" he asked, stopping. "Because he would've wanted you to keep hunting" Then he left before I could even answer him.

I saw him go outside to bother Dean again. I swear it was like he made rounds. He went from Dean, to me and then back to Dean before he gave up for the day. God, he was so…my brother. I wanted to say annoying, but I knew it was just because he cared. After I watched Dean yell at Sam to go away, I went outside to talk to Dean for the very first time.

"Hey" I said, sitting on his bench with the tools all over it. I watched him slide out from under the car.

"What?" he asked. "Are you here to ride my ass too?"

I shrugged, walking over to the car. "No" I said, patting the hood. "I came to help"

"Oh" he said, staring at me for a moment. He slid back under the car. "Hand me a socket wrench" I handed him one, and then watched him under the car, tinker away. It was nice to be able to sit in silence but not be alone. It was easier somehow. "Ratchet" he called. I looked for one, and then finally found it under his shirt, which was draped over the bench. "I hear you want to quit hunting" Dean said casually. "You wanna tell me why?"

He slid out from underneath the car. "Not particularly" I said, handing him the ratchet. "I just…don't"

"Oh" he said, sliding back under. "Get me a .16 socket" I handed it to him too. "And that's it?" he asked. "You just don't?"

"Yep" I sighed. "I don't want to hunt anymore"

"Okay" he said, handing the socket back to me. "Then you don't have to"

I pulled him out from under the car by his leg. He looked at me annoyed. "I don't?" I asked, ignoring his expression.

"No" he said. "You don't want to, you don't have to" He slid back under. "Of course that means you're going to be really bored when Sam and I are busy working, maybe you can get a job or something" I heard him swear and slide back out. He stood up and walked over to his tools.

"That's it?" I asked, still in shock. I had expected more of a contest from Dean than from anybody. "Really?"

"Did you want me to freak out?" he asked, wiping his forehead. "Cuz I can go all freak out mode on you. I just figure you're old enough to make your own decisions"

"No" I said. He nodded and got back down, going under the car again. "Thanks" I said.

"No problem ankle biter" he said gruffly. "Now get off your ass and get me a monkey wrench"

The next day, Dean and I had successfully avoided Sam all day. We worked on the car together in almost absolute silence. The only noise was Dean humming Metallica to himself. I handed him tool after tool, and just watched. I would've helped, but it probably would've done more harm than good.

I heard the distant roar of an engine coming up the driveway. At first it didn't register in my head, but when it finally did, I hopped off the bench and curiously peered down the drive. It was the familiar Buick Riviera that belonged to my boyfriend. I smiled to myself, the first time I had smiled in what felt like years, and shook my head. I was beginning to think this boy didn't listen to a word I said.

"You never listen, do you?" I asked, shaking my head as Logan got out of the car and sauntered over to me.

"No" he said, with a small smile.

"I didn't think so" I said, with a sigh. I was going to say more, but before I could even think the words, he had me in his arms, and his lips on mine. He kissed me like he never had before, pressing against me like he could never get enough. I could barely breathe, but found I didn't really care. I just let him have me, his lips gradually softening to a soft kiss.

I pulled away for air, and couldn't help but want to smile. "What was that?" I asked, in shock. He grinned and gave me another small peck on the cheek.

"You were in a coma" he said. "I didn't think I was going to see you alive again. I'm making every moment count this time"

"I'm not going to die anytime soon" I smiled, putting a hand on his chest. I could feel the muscle through the t-shirt.

"You can't promise me that" he said.

I frowned, thinking of my dad. He had always said he would always be there to protect me, and I didn't think he would ever be gone. I had always envisioned him as indestructible, but that had been disproven in a very harsh way. "I know" I admitted. "But I can try, right?"

"Yeah" he said. "But I'm not going to let anything stop me from making every moment count" He leaned in to kiss me again, with slightly less urgency as before, taking it slow. I could feel myself melting away into him. My hands wandered to his hair, and I wrapped my fingers in the short curly ends that laid against his neck.

Bobby cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Ya'll wanna stop macking on each other in my front yard?" he asked.

"Sorry" Logan apologized, not looking sorry at all. "But she almost died a week ago"

"I know that, you idget" Bobby grunted. "Just get a room or something"

Logan looked at me suggestively, and I shook my head. "Nice try" I whispered, and took his hand, and led him back to the house. We sat in the living room, and Bobby muttered something about going out to the store. I didn't know, I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy pretending to stare at the TV.

I was slightly uncomfortable since we had talked about having sex. I felt like I wanted to, I thought I wanted to, but I just wasn't sure. It was a big step, since I was pretty sure we were both virgins, and (call me cliché), but I wanted it to be special. Besides that, if Dean found out, and killed me, the experience wasn't something I wanted to regret.

Sam passed through, also saying something about going to talk to Dean and then out, and I nodded nonchalantly. Logan scooted closer to me, and his breath on my neck made my knees go weak. I put my head on his shoulder and sighed. He kissed my neck and I smiled. I put my hand on his thigh, testing this out.

Our lips connected, and I just let go of everything. I let myself just feel him, and his skin, and his muscular arms, and just Logan. I could breathe him in, and taste him on my lips. His hands were wandering slowly, like he was just trying this out too. It felt so good to be happy for a moment.

He went to pull away, but I pulled him closer. I let him wander under my shirt, and felt the callouses on his hands. They were rough, but they felt good. "Are you sure about this?" he asked me, pulling away from my lips for only a moment.

"Yeah" I said, working on unbuttoning his shirt. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He stopped me, and gave me a sympathetic smile. "I don't want any regrets" he said.

"Okay" I said, "I don't have any"

"Lex…" he sighed. "I just…I want this to be because you want to, not because you are upset about your dad"

I sighed, and pushed him off of me. "Way to kill the mood there Lo" I said, adjusting my top so that you couldn't see my bra anymore.

"I'm sorry" he said, running a hand through his hair. "I just…"

"No" I said, "I get it"

He stood up. "I should head home, I have school" He walked to the door and I gave him a small kiss, even though I was kind of mad at him. "Bye" he smiled, and walked out.

I sighed and listened to him drive away, and leaned on the wall. Everything was falling apart right before my eyes.

"Watch out" I said, glancing behind me. "Here comes Sam"

Dean grunted in response. "How's the car comin' along?" Sam asked, walking up. He looked to me, where I was sitting on the bench.

"Slow" Dean called from under the car.

"Yeah?" Sam asked. "Need any help?"

"What, you under a hood?" Dean snorted. "I'll pass. I got Lex for tools"

Sam nodded. "Need anything else then?" he asked casually. I think we all knew he was going to start again.

"Lex, go grab me some water" Dean said, sliding out from under the car. It was really just a plot to get rid of me for five minutes, but I didn't really want to stick around to hear them fight or talk about my father anyway.

"They fighting again?" Bobby asked, as I walking in the door.

"I don't know" I said, grabbing a glass and putting the water in it. "Probably. It seems to be the only thing that they do these days"

"Give m time" Bobby said gruffly, adjusting his hat. "They'll feel better. We'll all feel better" I looked over at the door, where I could see Sam holding a phone.

I quickly walked back out, taking that water for Dean. "John, it's Ellen…again" said a voice on the phone as I approached. "Look, don't be stubborn. You know I can help you. Call me"

"That message is four months old" Sam said, taking the phone back.

I stood awkwardly in the background here as Dean looked confused. "Dad saved that chick's message for four months?" He asked. Sam nodded. "Well, who's Ellen? Any mention of her in Dad's journal?"

"No. But I ran a trace on the phone number, and I got an address" Sam said.

Dean took the water from me. "Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars" he said, and Sam walked off to do just that. I looked at Dean. "You wanna come?" he asked.

I was curious. "It's not a hunt" I stated.

"Nope" he agreed. "It is not a hunt"

"Then I'll come" I said. I took the water out of his hand and took a sip out of it myself. "As long as we don't have to have a freaking heart to heart on the way there"

"You used to be chock full of heart to hearts" Dean said. "Chick flick moments from sun up to sun down"

"Things change" I stated stoically. I grabbed his shirt from the bench. "Put your shirt back on" I demanded, and walked back to the house to pack up some stuff.

"You're coming right?" Sam asked, entering the room. I nodded. "Okay" he said. "We're leaving in five"

I shoved another pair of jeans and a t-shirt or two in my bag, reminding myself I needed to tell Dean that we had to get some more clothes soon. Half of mine were bloodstained, and if I was going to be normal I needed new clothes. I headed down the steps and into the car that Bobby lent us. It was some sort of minivan. Dean was pissed to say the least.

"This is humiliating" Dean said. "I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!" We pulled up to the rundown bar. A big red sign on the outside said Roadhouse. It was basically a log cabin.

"It's the only car Bobby had running" Sam said.

I got out of the car and hesitantly made my way to the front door. "Hello? Anybody here?" I called.

"Did you bring the, uh…" Dean said, at a loss for words.

"Of course" Sam sighed, taking out the lock picking kit.

I felt uneasy as they looked to me. "I don't want to" I stated. I was so lying, but I was done hunting. And that meant done lock picking.

Dean took it and went down on his knees to pick the lock. I watched as he struggled. He sighed. "I can't—" I scoffed, making him move. I picked through the lock in two seconds, and handed the kit back to him. He gave me a sheepish grin.

Sam opened the door and we headed in. It was silent inside. I glanced ahead, and saw a man sleeping on the pool table. "Hey, buddy?" Sam asked. He man didn't even move. "I'm guessin' that isn't Ellen"

I looked around the bar as Sam went into the kitchen. "Oh, God, please let that be a rifle" I heard Dean say. I glanced over. A girl, at least Sam's age, was holding a rifle to his back.

"No, I'm just real happy to see you" she said sarcastically. "Don't move"

"Not movin', copy that" Dean said, shooting me a glance. He nodded his head slightly to the right. I moved around the right side of the bar. I reached habitually into my boot, where I always kept a small knife, and realized it wasn't there. I wasn't a hunter anymore.

"You know, you should know somethin', Miss" Dean said. "When you put a rifle on someone, you don't wanna put it right against their back. 'Cause it makes it real easy to do –-" He wheeled around and snatched the gun out of her hands. "–- that" he finished smugly.

She glared at him, and punched him. She took the gun back right out of his hands. "Lex!" he called. "I need some help over here!" he called. "I can't see, I can't even see" he complained.

I looked around, finally noticing the handgun inside the counter. I grabbed it, pointing it at the girl. "Sam!" I called. "Help"

"Sorry, Lex" Sam called, walking out of the kitchen hands on his head. "I can't right now. I'm, uh…a little tied up"

"Lexie?" The woman with Sam asked. "Sam? Dean?" She paused, looking from one of us to another. "Winchester?"

"Yeah" we all said together. Dean's sounded muffled though, since he was holding his nose.

The lady smiled. "Son of a bitch" she smiled.

"Mom, you know these guys?" the younger blonde demanded, still looking at me hesitantly as I was holding a gun at her.

"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys" she laughed. She lowered her gun. "Hey, I'm Ellen. That's my daughter, Jo" Ellen said. Jo slowly lowered her rifle, but I held mine still.

"Hey" Sam said. He shot me a nasty look, and I hesitantly put the gun down.

"You're not gonna hit me again, are you?" Dean asked Jo.

She smirked, and shook her head. "I'll get you some ice" Ellen laughed, walking back to the kitchen. "Here you go" she said, coming back.

"Thanks" Dean said. "You called our dad and said you could help –- help with what?"

"Well…the demon, of course" she scoffed. "I heard he was closing in on it"

"Was there an article in _The Demon Hunter's Quarterly_ that I missed?" Dean asked. "I mean, who are you? How do you know about all this?"

"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again, including your dad a long time ago" Ellen replied. "John was like family once"

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked. "How come he's never mentioned you before?"

"You'd have to ask him that" she said. I looked at Dean, but he didn't really seem fazed at all.

"So why exactly do we need your help?" he went on, clearing his throat.

"Hey, don't do me any favors" she said, hands up. "Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if…" She trailed off and stopped talking. "He didn't send you" I stood up and walked over towards the window. "He _is_ all right, isn't he?" Ellen asked.

"No. No, he isn't" Sam said. "It was the demon, we think. It, um...just got him before he got it, I guess"

"I'm so sorry" she said.

"It's okay" Dean said quickly. "We're all right"

"Really. I know how close you and your dad—"

"Really, lady, I'm fine" Dean said, a little too forcefully. It shut her up though, and for that I was thankful.

"So, look, if you can help…we could use all the help we can get" Sam cut in.

"Well, we can't" she said. "But Ash will"

"Who's Ash?" Sam asked.

I turned around as Ellen barked "Ash!" The man sleeping on the pool table bolted upright.

"What?" he said startled. "Closin' time?"

"That's Ash?" Sam asked.

"Mm-hmm" Jo said fondly. "He's a genius" Jo walked over, pushing Ash towards us. "They want your help, Ash" she said.

Sam took out the thick folder of papers that had been my father's and placed it in front of Ash. Dean shook his head. "You've gotta be kiddin' me" he remarked. "This guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie"

Ash chuckled. "I like you" he said.

Dean blinked at him, clearly a little taken aback. "Thanks"

"Just give him a chance" Jo said.

Dean slid the folder closer to Ash. "All right. This stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work, so, uh…let's see what you make of it" he sighed.

Ash opened it and pawed through it carefully. His eyes widened in shock. "Come on. This crap ain't real" he scoffed. "Ain't nobody can track a demon like this"

"Our dad could" I said, sitting next to Sam.

He paused, looking thoughtful. "These are nonparametric statistical overviews, cross-spectrum correlations. I mean…damn" He scoffed. I hadn't understood a word of anything that came out of his mouth.

I looked to Dean and Sam, who looked as confused as I was. "What?" I asked.

"They're signs –- omens" Ash explained. "If you can track 'em, you can track this demon –- you know, like crop failures, electrical storms" He paused. "You ever been struck by lightning?" he asked. "It ain't fun"

"No" I said, shaking my head.

"Can you track it or not?" Sam asked, trying to stay on topic here.

"Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time" Ash responded. "Uh, give me…" he thought, closing his eyes. "…fifty-one hours" he gathered up the research.

"That was specific" I remarked.

"Hey, man" Dean called. Ash turned back around. "By the way, I, uh…I dig the haircut"

Ash grinned, tossing his hair. "All business up front, party in the back" He turned on his heel and left, going into the back.

Sam was looking at the counter, his eyebrow's furrowed. "Hey, Ellen, what is that?" he pointed.

Ellen turned around and looked to where he was pointing. "It's a police scanner" she stated, turning back to him. "We keep tabs on things—"

"No, no, no, no. The folder" he said, pointing again.

She walked over to where it was next to the police scanner. She picked the folder up. "Uh…I was gonna give this to a friend of mine, but take a look if you want"

Sam took it from her, putting it down on the counter. "Thanks" He flipped it open, and frowned. I wanted to ask what he was looking at so much, but I couldn't. I wasn't a hunter anymore.

But then he frowned some more and I just couldn't help myself, hunter or not. "What?" I asked. I scooted closer. The file was full of newspaper clippings and other papers that talked about a handful of murders not too far from where we were. I caught sight of another word. Clown. This thing was a killer clown?

"You're quiet" Sam said, looking over at me.

"I don't have anything to say" I stated.

"Huh" he said, and went back to looking down at the folder. "Dean, come here" Sam called. "Check this out"

"Yeah" Dean said, walking back from where he had been talking to Jo.

"A few murders not far from here that Ellen caught wind of –- " Sam said. "Looks to me like there might be a hunt" I saw him peek at me from the corner of his eye, but I ignored him.

"Yeah, so?" Dean asked.

"So, I told her we'd check it out" Sam replied. He looked at me now directly. "You wanna stay here? I'm sure Ellen—"

"No" I said. "I'll go" I stood up. "I just won't touch anything. Or do anything. At all" I stopped talking. I didn't know who I was convincing, them or me. "Okay?"

"Whatever" Sam said, and we headed out the door with a quick call of goodbye to Ellen and Jo. We headed back into the van and drove. We drove for a long time and I was uncomfortable. It wasn't the same as the Impala.

Sam explained what was in the file, and I half listened. "You've gotta be kiddin' me" Dean scoffed. "A killer clown?"

"Yeah, he left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents –-" Sam said. He paused, flipping a page. "Ripped them to pieces, actually"

"And this family was at some carnival that night?" Dean asked.

"Right, right. The Cooper carnival" Sam nodded.

"So how do you know we're not dealin' with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?" Dean asked.

"Are we ever dealing with some psycho?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearin' down shop –- alibis all around" Sam said. "Plus, the girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are sayin' trauma, of course"

Dean smirked. "I know what you're thinkin', Sam. "Why did it have to be clowns?""

"Give me a break" Sam scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You didn't think I'd remember, did you?" Dean asked. "I mean, come on, you still bust out cryin' whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television"

"Remember when we went to that store in Nebraska with the giant clown doll and you nearly peed your pants?" I asked, leaning forward.

"At least I'm not afraid of flying" he stated towards Dean. "Or psychiatric hospitals"

"Planes crash!" Dean exclaimed.

"And crazy people are…nuts" I stated.

"And apparently clowns kill" Sam retorted.

"So, these types of murders –- they ever happen before?" Dean asked, changing the subject.

"Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers circus" Sam said, looking back down. "Same M.O. –- it happened three different times, three different locales"

"That's weird, though" Dean said. "I mean, if it is a spirit, it's usually bound to a specific locale - a house or a town"

"So how's this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "Cursed object, maybe? Spirit attaches itself to something, and the carnival carries it around with them"

"Great. A paranormal scavenger hunt" Sam sighed.

"This case was your idea" Dean shrugged. "By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job"

Sam looked over at him. "So?"

"It's just not like you, that's all" Dean said carefully. "I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt"

"I don't know" Sam said. "I just think takin' this job –- it's what Dad would have wanted us to do"

"What Dad would have wanted?" Dean asked. In the backseat, I was trying not to cry. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

Sam glared. "Yeah. So?"

Dean, looking at me in the rearview mirror, shrugged. "Nothin'" He paused, pulling off the exit. "We'll be there in a few"

We pulled up to a carnival. There were people all over, with some clowns and other carnies scattered all over the place. It wasn't too crowded yet, and I sighed. "You going to wait here?" Sam asked.

"She's not staying in a car all by herself at a carnival" Dean scoffed. "C'mon ankle biter"

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car with them. "Dean, I'm a big girl" I complained. "I can sit in a car by myself"

"Check it out –- five-o" Dean said, noting the cops. He went over to talk to them, and I waited impatiently with Sammy. This case was annoying as hell and I wasn't even participating in it. A clown walked past and I didn't even think about it.

I felt Sam tense up next to me. She was small, and in colorful clothes. He glared at her until she sauntered off. I snorted when he let out a deep breath. "Did you get her number?" Dean asked, walking up and laughing.

"More murders?" Sam asked him.

"Two more last night" Dean nodded. "Apparently, they were ripped to shreds, and they had a little boy with them"

"Who fingered a clown" Sam said.

I looked to Dean, and then shook my head. He did not just say what I think he said. I ignored it, putting the dirty thoughts out of my head. "Yes, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air" Dean added, looking equally confused.

"Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object –- it's like tryin' to find a needle in a stack of needles" Sam said. "It could be anything"

"Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything" Dean said.

"Oh, good" Sam said, rolling his eyes. "That's nice and inconspicuous"

"You brought the EMF right?" Dean asked me. I looked over to Sam, but he really was talking to me.

"No" I said, shaking my head. "I'm not helping on the case"

"Seriously?" he asked. I nodded. "Well now we gotta go back to the car to get it" he scoffed, annoyed.

"Sorry" I stated, not really sorry at all.

"Dean" Sam said, catching him by the arm. "How are we going to search around a carnival full of people with and EMF without looking like psychos?"

"I guess we'll just have to blend in" Dean said, pointing to the help wanted sign. "C'mon" I was planning on staying behind, but he pulled me with them. "You're coming too" he stated, pulling me along. He pulled me all the way to a tent before I was able to wrench my arm out of his grip. A man was throwing knives into a bull's eye, and was hitting it dead on. "Excuse me" Dean said. "We're lookin' for a Mr. Cooper. Have you seen him around?"

"What is that –- some kind of joke?" The man asked. He turned around, taking off his sunglasses. He was blind.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry, I-I didn't—"

"You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper or a sunset or anything at all?" he asked Dean.

I smirked, trying to hold in my laughter. "Wanna give me a little help here?" Dean asked us, desperately.

"Not really" Sam shrugged, a huge smile on his face.

"Hey, Barry, is there a problem?" said another voice entering the tent. I looked over my shoulder to see a little person with a sequined cape on. God I love the circus.

"Yeah, this guy hates blind people" the knife throwing guy stated, angrily.

"No, I don't" Dean argued looking taken aback.

The little man looked up at him. "Hey, buddy, what's your problem?"

Dean put his hands up in surrender. "Nothing, it's just a little misunderstanding" he insisted.

"Little?" he growled. "You son of a bitch!"

"No, no, no! Could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?" Dean asked, looking around exasperated. I couldn't help it. As soon as Sam started to crack up, I did too. "Please?" Dean added.

"In his office" the little man said. "Over there" he pointed across the lot.

"Thanks" Dean said, and quickly ran out of there. I laughed the entire way, not able to stop. Dean grumbled at Sam and me in annoyance. I stopped once we approached the door. A thought popped up in my mind. That was the first time I had laughed, like really laughed, since my dad had died. I suddenly didn't feel much like laughing anymore. Dean and Sam looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you going to ask for a job too or not?" Sam asked, saying what the both were thinking.

"I wasn't planning on it" I stated, "I just don't want to wait out here with the carnies who now all hate us thanks to Dean, here" I smacked him on the back. He shot me a mean glance.

Mr. Cooper answered the door. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Dean cleared his throat. "We're here for a job" he said. "Except her, she's just here to, uh…"

"She heard we were coming to the carnival and wanted to come" Sam said, making up a lie.

"Yeah" I nodded.

"C'mon in" he said, letting us in the door. "You boys picked a hell of a time to join up. Take a seat. We got all kinds of local trouble"

There were three chairs in the office. Two were foldout chairs and the other was built to look like a clown. Dean and I took one look at each other and quickly ran to sit in the normal chairs. Sam grimaced and sat slowly in the clown chair. He shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked Mr. Cooper.

"A couple of folks got themselves murdered" Mr. Cooper replied. "Cops always seem to start here first" He sat down in his chair behind his desk. "So, you two ever work the circuit before?"

"Uh, yes, sir –- last year through Texas and Arkansas" Sam said.

"Doing what? Ride jockeys? Pull shoot? A-and-S men?"

Sam looked to Dean for help, but Dean said nothing. "Yeah, a little bit of everything, I guess"

Mr. Cooper looked at all of us. "You two have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Nope. But we really need the work" Dean responded. "And Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady" Dean laughed and Sam narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"You see that picture?" Mr. Cooper asked. He pointed to the frame next to him. "That's my Daddy"

"You look just like him" Sam commented.

"He was in the business –- ran a freak show till they outlawed 'em most places" Mr. Cooper went on. "Apparently, displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So, most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress, I guess. You see, this place is a refuge for outcasts, always has been, for folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you two…you should go to school, find a couple of girls, have 2.5 kids –- live regular"

"Sir…we don't want to go to school. And we don't want regular" Sam said. "We want this" He sounded so convincing that I nearly believed him myself. "Please?"

Mr. Cooper sighed. "Alright" he said. He grabbed two uniforms from the trunk behind him. "You can be on janitorial duty until you prove your worth. You start tomorrow." He tossed them the two uniforms and two long pointy sticks. "And you young lady" he added, looking at me. "You enjoy yourself"

I smiled nicely at him. "Don't worry" I said. "I will"

We left the office and headed back to the car. "That whole, uh, "I don't wanna go back to school" thing –- you just sayin' that to Cooper, or were you…you know, sayin' it?" Dean asked Sam as we walked. Sam didn't reply. "Sam?"

"I don't know" Sam said.

"You don't know?" Dean pressed. "I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to Wussy State"

"I'm havin' second thoughts" Sam admitted.

"Really?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Yeah, I think…Dad would have wanted me to stick with the job" Sam said.

"Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted?" I asked.

"Yeah" Dean went on. "You spent half your life doin' exactly what he didn't want, Sam"

"Since he died. Okay?" Sam asked, tearing up. "You have a problem with that?"

Dean looked to me, as though telling me that yes he definitely did have a problem with it but couldn't tell Sam. "No, I don't have a problem at all" He stated. He walked faster, going ahead of us.

"Lex?" Sam asked.

"Nope" I stated, shaking my head. "I don't have a problem"

But I did. I had a big problem.

The next day we had to wake up early and go to the carnival. I didn't particularly want to go, but I really didn't want to stay alone either. I was stuck in the middle of all this crap whether I wanted to be or not. Sam and Dean put on their red carnie jackets and headed off to do their trash duty. I wandered.

I walked all around the place, just looking for something to do. I went on a few rides, ate some cotton candy, and won some dumb teddy bear. By the time it was three in the afternoon I was so bored out of my mind. I sat on a bench and watched all the people walk around with their families. I watched fathers carry their kids on their shoulders and carry them off to the car. I watched them laugh and watched the clowns. I quickly looked away, shaking my head. No. I couldn't do this right now. My phone started ringing.

"What?" I asked my phone.

"Meet us by the fun house" Sam stated. "I think we got something"

"Why would I care, Sam?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Not a hunter anymore remember?"

"Just get over here" he scoffed, and hung up. I sighed, looking around slightly, and walked over to where the fun house was.

"Where's Dean?" I asked. He was nowhere to be seen.

"You beat him here" Sam stated. At that moment, Dean was approaching us. "What took you so long?" he asked him.

Dean sighed and shook his head. "Long story" He looked at the cotton candy in my hands. "Having fun?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded. "My plan was to eat and then puke. This is the first step"

"That's disgusting" Sam said, grimacing at me.

"Mommy, look at the clown" a little girl said, pointing right past us. I looked over, but didn't actually see anything there. Her mother seemed confused too. There was no clown there. I looked over to Sam and Dean. I think we, I mean they, found what they were looking for.

"Dean, I cannot believe you told Papazian about the homicidal phantom clown" Sam argued as we pulled up to the little girl's house. She had seen the clown, so this was really Sam and Dean's only shot. I came along because Dean was too cheap to keep a motel room for another night so that I didn't have to go.

"I told him an _urban legend_ about a homicidal phantom clown" Dean countered. "I never said it was real" He picked up a shot gun and smiled.

"Put that down" Sam scoffed.

"Oh, and get this" Dean said, as Sam grabbed the gun out of his hands. "I mentioned the Bunker Brothers Circus in '81 and their evil clown apocalypse. Guess what?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers. He was their lot manager" Dean smiled.

"So you think whatever the spirit is attached to, Cooper just brought it with him?" Sam asked him.

"Somethin' like that" Dean shrugged. He paused and abruptly shook his head. "I can't believe we keep talkin' about clowns"

"Yeah, well I'm going to go to sleep" I stated, lying down in the backseat. "So if any clown comes to kill me, please wake me up"

I flipped onto my stomach and tried to get comfortable. It was impossible I was used to sleeping in the impala. I wasn't used to this stupid minivan. I shifted and grumbled before finally getting comfy and closing my eyes. I sighed and tried to relax. All I saw where those yellow eyes. I hadn't slept well in awhile now. I kept seeing the demon.

"Lex" Sam said, throwing something on me. "We're going in, you wanna come"

"No" I replied, and watched them run out of the car and into the house. I could see them in the front window. There really was a clown in there. It was one of those creepy older looking clowns. It even freaked me out a little. They shielded the girl and then shot the clown down. It stayed collapsed as the kid's parents came running downstairs.

"Get out! Get out of my house!" they screamed.

I hopped into the front seat and turned on the car. Sam and Dean came sprinting out of the house. They hopped into the backseat, which I opened, and I hit the gas. I sped down the road, my adrenaline running. Dean patted me on the shoulder, panting.

"Yeah," I said, "Your welcome"

"Pull over" he choked out after a few minutes. I did, but he stopped me. "Pull it into the bushes"

I shot him a confused look. "Why?" I asked. "You really think they saw the plates?"

"I'm not taking chances" Dean stated. He got out of the car, and removed the plates. "Besides, I hate this freakin' thing anyway" he added.

I grabbed my bag out of the back and we started walking. There was only me and long stretch of empty road. "Well, one thing's for sure" I stated.

"What's that?" Sam asked me.

"That thing was not a spirit" I replied. "That rock salt hit somethin' solid. I saw from the window" They looked at me, a little amused. "I wasn't helping" I stated. "That was just an observation"

"Yeah, so was it a person? Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, and dresses up like a clown for kicks?" Dean asked. "Did it say anything in Dad's journal?"

"Sam shook his head. "Nope" He took out his cell phone and began dialing.

"Who you callin'?" I asked him.

"Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash will know somethin'" he said. He searched through his contacts. "Hey, you think, uh…you think Dad and Ellen ever had a thing?"

"No way" Dean shook his head.

Sam stared at him. "Then why didn't he tell us about her?"

"I don't know" Dean shrugged. "Maybe they had some sort of fallin' out"

"Yeah. You ever notice Dad had a fallin' out with just about everybody?" No one said anything, and I avoided both of their gazes. I just kept walking forward. "Don't get all maudlin on me, man" Sam complained.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I mean this strong, silent thing of yours" Sam scoffed. "It's crap. I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talkin' about. This is Dad. I know how you felt about the man"

Dean glared at him angrily. "You know what, back off, all right? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to—"

"No, no, no. That's not what this is about, Dean" Sam said. "I don't care how you deal with this, but you _have _to deal with it, man. Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just want to make sure you're okay"

"Dude, I'm okay. I'm okay! I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwin' punches!" he shouted. "These are your issues. Quit dumpin' 'em on me" he looked to me. "Why don't you dump some on Alexis for awhile" he suggested.

"Why do you have to bring me into this?" I asked. "Sam's the one who can't leave anything alone and wants to be mister gung ho dad!"

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam demanded.

"I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad" Dean said. "It's like, "Oh, what would Dad want me to do?" Sam, you spent your entire life sluggin' it out with that man. I mean, hell, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him, and now that he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry, Sam, but you can't. It's too little, too late"

"Dean" I warned. He shouldn't say that. It was true, but he shouldn't say it.

"Why are you sayin' this to me?" Sam asked, looking more hurt than anything.

"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this! I'm dealin' with Dad's death!" Dean shouted. "Are you?"

We had stopped walking. They stared at each other for a long time before Sam took his phone and put it up to his ear. "I'm gonna call Ellen" he stated, and walked off a little ways.

"Nice Dean" I scoffed, annoyed. "Way to screw that one up"

"I didn't screw anything up" he scoffed. He kicked the dirt and sighed. "Are you dealing with dad's death?"

I blinked at him. "Does that really matter right now?"

"Yeah" Dean went on. "It kinda does"

"Yeah Dean" I replied. "I'm dealing with it. Just like you"

He stared at me again. I knew what he was trying to tell me. He wasn't dealing with this any better than I was. Hell, I had quit hunting, Sam was dad's new golden child, and Dean just wanted to be left alone. Too bad we weren't going to talk about it.

"Rakshasa" Sam said, coming back. He put his phone back in his pocket.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Ellen's best guess. It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures" Sam said. "They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited to"

"They dress up like clowns, and children invite 'em in" Dean stated. "Why don't they just munch on the kids?"

"Too small" I said, with a wicked grin. "Or maybe they like more mature meat?"

"You're gross" Dean said, shaking his head. "What else you find out?"

"Well, apparently, Rakshasa live in squalor" Sam said. "They sleep on a bed of dead insects"

"Nice" Dean remarked.

"Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty to thirty years –- slow metabolism, I guess"

"That makes sense –- the carnival today, the Bunker Brothers in '81" I stated.

"Right. Probably more before that" Sam sighed.

"Sam, who do we know that worked both shows?" Dean asked.

"Cooper?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Cooper"

"You know, that picture of his father –- that looked just like him" Sam said.

"You think maybe it _was _him?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, who knows how old he is?" Sam shrugged.

"Ellen say how to kill him?" Dean asked.

"Legend goes a dagger made of pure brass"

"I think I know where to get one of those" Dean said after a moment's thought.

"Well, before we go stabbin' things into Cooper, we're gonna wanna make damn sure it's him" Sam said.

"Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy" Dean remarked. "All right, I'll round up the blade. You go check if Cooper's got bedbugs"

"I'll wait outside" I said with a sigh.

"You could help you know" Sam suggested, after sharing a look with Dean. "It wouldn't be a bad thing"

"No" I said. "I can't. I mean, I don't want to" I shook my head. "I'll wait"

It was night and sort of chilly out. I shivered and waited impatiently outside of Cooper's office. Sam had picked the lock and went inside. "What are you doing?" Cooper asked, surprising me from behind.

"Uh…" I thought quickly. "My brother forgot something, and then he wanted to break into your office. I told him it was a bad idea!" I started to cry. His hardened expression softened. Sam must've heard us and came out.

"Sorry, sir" he said. "It was a stupid idea, it's just your office had so many cool things in it"

"Just get out of here" he sighed. He went into his office and shut the door.

"I wanted to see his office?" he asked me. "That's really the best you could come up with?"

"It was late notice, Sam" I scoffed. "Let's just go get Dean"

Dean ran up to us, out of breath. He looked over his shoulder, panting. "Hey" Sam said. "So, Cooper thinks I'm a peeping Tom, but it's not him"

"Yeah, so I gathered" Dean panted. "It's the blind guy. He's here somewhere"

"Well, did you get the..."

"The brass blades?" he asked. He shook his head. "No. It's just been one of those days"

"I got an idea" Sam said, with a smile. "Come on" He paused. "Lex if you don't want to help, stay clear of the funhouse!" They ran off, leaving me alone. I stood there, not knowing what to do.

I saw the blind guy go into the funhouse, and sighed. "Damn it" I ran to the funhouse to make sure that Dean and Sam knew that they were about to be killed. I snuck around, making sure to go slow. The thing could turn invisible at whim, so I was at a disadvantage here. I couldn't see or hear Sam or Dean anywhere.

"Sam!" I heard Dean yell. I ran towards the source. Dean was pinned to the wall, pinned by knives.

Sam was trying to remove a brass pipe from the organ. He couldn't seem to pull it off, since he couldn't grip it. It was too hot with the steam coming out of it. I scoffed at him and kicked one clear off. I grabbed it.

"Dean, where is it?" I asked.

"I don't know!" he yelled back. He looked up and pulled the steam vent. I looked around. I could see a vague outline of the thing next to Sam.

I lunged forward and hit the Rakshasa with the pipe. It fell to the ground, but I stabbed it again. And again. And again. I wanted to make sure this thing was damn well dead. I went to hit it again, but Sam stopped me. I looked up at him, and dropped the brass pipe on the ground next to the clothes. "I hate funhouses" I remarked, and then walked out.

We walked down the road again, since we still had no car. Dean was inspecting the holes in his shirt from the flying knives. "That was a…" Dean started, but I glared at him to stop talking. He abruptly stopped. I went back to walking in silence.

"Fine" Sam sighed. "I'll say it" We stopped walking. "That was scary, Lex"

"What?" I demanded. "I'm a hunter. I'm always going to be a hunter. I killed it. End of story" I looked from one to the other. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?" I started walking again.

The rest of the walk to where we could catch a ride to the Roadhouse was silent. We made it to the roadhouse by morning. Sam and Dean were still relatively quiet, and I wanted so much to say something, but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

"You boys did a hell of a job" Ellen smiled, after we told her the entire story. "Your dad would be proud"

"Thanks" Sam smiled.

Jo walked over, and Dean stared at us, telling us to leave. I got up quietly to just go, but Sam started mumbling. "Oh, yeah. I've got to, uh…I've got to go…over there…right now" he stumbled, and almost ran from the bar.

I laughed, following. "Idiot"

"Where you guys been?" Ash asked, coming in from the back. "I been waitin' for you"

"We were workin' a job, Ash" Sam stated. We had told Ellen to tell him where we were going. Ash seemed lost. "Clowns?" Sam said, trying to help him out.

Ash shook his head. "Clowns? What the—"

"You got somethin' for us, Ash?" Dean asked him.

Ash set hid laptop down, and opened it. "Did you find the demon?" I asked.

Ash shook his head. "It's nowhere around, at least nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises its head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like divine on dog dookie"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"I mean any of those signs or omens appear anywhere in the world, my rig will go off like a fire alarm" he said, pointing. I looked to the screen. There was a whole program filled with weather reports and other things.

"You mind?" Dean asked, going to touch, but Ash glared at him. Dean slowly removed his hand, smirking.

"What's up, man?" Ash asked him.

"Ash, where did you learn to do all this?" Sam asked.

"M.I.T., before I got bounced…for fighting" Ashe said, shooting me a smile.

"M.I.T.?" I asked in shock. This guy? Ash? With the mullet?"

"It's a school in Boston" Ash replied.

I rolled my eyes. "I know that"

"Then why did you ask?" he asked.

"Okay" Dean said, clapping me on the shoulder. "Give us a call as soon as you know somethin'?"

"Si, si, compadre" Ash remarked.

"Hey, listen. If you guys need a place to stay, I got a couple beds out back" Ellen pointed as we headed for the door.

"Thanks, but no" Dean said. "There's somethin' I gotta finish"

We had headed back to Bobby's. Dean had to get back to work on the car. I left for a minute from helping Dean on the Impala. I had to get a different wrench that we didn't have at the bench. I saw Sam walking out, and sighed. I headed back in a few minutes to see Dean hitting the Impala with a tire iron. He swung it again and again, making dents in the side and breaking a few of the windows. I just watched. He didn't know I was there.

He finally dropped the tire iron, giving me a destroyed look. We stayed like that for awhile, just looking at each other. I completely understood why he did that. I didn't even need to ask. "Hand me the socket wrench" he stated, going back to fixing the car he totally destroyed. I handed it to him without another word.

After a few more hours, Dean sent me off to get some sleep. He knew I hadn't been sleeping well. "You keep yawning" he complained. I left, heading back to the house. I dialed Logan, and waited until he answered.

"Hi" I said. "Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing really" he said, "You okay?"

"I un-gave up hunting" I said. "You were right, I couldn't do it. I couldn't stop hunting"

"Oh" he said, and I could tell that he wanted to say "I told you so", but he never would. He was too nice.

"I'm fine" I said, "I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Okay" he said. "Then what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know" I said. "You talk" He went on to tell me everything that had happened since our last little encounter together. He had such a normal life, since his dad was only a weapon's dealer. He was trained, and knew everything, but our lives were so different. I had realized that after he proceeded to tell me everything about school, and the movies, and everything.

"I miss you" he said. "When do you think you'll come back?"

"I don't know, Lo" I sighed. "Not for awhile. We're still trying to get back into the swing of things here"

"Oh" he said, sounding disappointed. "Okay"

"I'll talk to you tomorrow" I said, when I saw Sam. "Bye" I hung up, and walked over to him. He was staring out at nothing. "What did you say to Dean?" I asked. He didn't say anything at first.

"You guys were right" Sam said. I gave him a confused look. "You were right" he repeated. "About me and dad. I picked fights with him all the time and now…" He stopped, tears forming in his eyes. "And I'm not all right. Not at all" He put a hand on my shoulder. "But neither are you. That much I know. I mean, quitting hunting? That isn't like you"

"I, uh" I choked on the sob in my throat. I was going to talk about it. Something told me I at least had to say it aloud at least once. "Dad wanted me to hunt. That was always why I why I wanted to be involved. But uh," I paused, wiping a tear. "He's gone now, so I figured this was my chance to quit, you know? I didn't need to impress him anymore. I could be free from all that"

"Oh" he said. He sat down next to me.

"Yeah, and uh" I went on. "I used to literally fight him every time he told me to stop hunting or to slow down. He treated me like a child and I resented him for it. I didn't want to be his little girl" I paused, taking a deep breath.

"Sam" I said. "I would do anything, _anything _to be his little girl again"

Sam sadly pulled me into a hug. I let him hug me until the tears had started to fall freely, and I thought they would never stop. I was letting go. I was letting someone else be in control for once. I sniffled and pulled away. He turned around. "Hop on"

He carried me upstairs and to my room, and I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. Everything was falling apart, and I wasn't sure how to put back the pieces yet. It was like a puzzle that's pieces that just never fit.

I wished things could go back to how they were. I wished the pieces would fit. But it was going to take awhile, because that was how life was.


	28. Season 2, Chapter Three

**Author's Note: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! For those of you who asked, Chapter Five of season 2 will be an original chapter. Please Review and enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

We were speeding down the road, the Impala new and improved by none other than Dean himself, and ACDC blaring through the speakers. I was in the backseat, lounging in my usual fashion, looking at where we had carved our initials into the back of the bench. DW. SW. AW. Dean had actually done mine for me since I was like a year old at the time, but they were my initials none the less. I heard the faint rattle of legos in the heating system that Dean had shoved in there. I could see the army man that Sam had pushed into the cigarette lighter. The car had smelled like burnt plastic for months. I saw the indent of my car seat in the bench in the back. This car, the Impala, was my home in a way. And it felt great to be back in it. It felt good to get back to normal.

"Woo! Listen to her purr" Dean remarked, speeding down the highway. "You ever heard anything so sweet?"

"You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let me know, Dean" Sam scoffed. He was smiling though. He was glad to be back on the road like normal too.

Dean petted the dashboard. "Oh, don't listen to him, baby. He doesn't understand us"

"You're in a good mood" I stated, smiling slightly.

Dean shrugged, playing drums on the steering wheel. "Why shouldn't I be?" he asked.

"I don't know" I said, thinking of the past two weeks. I could actually think of a lot of reasons why, none of which I felt like discussing at this moment. I just wanted to be happy and free for just a day. That's all I was asking. A day. "No reason" I added.

"I got my car, got a case –- things are lookin' up" he said, happily. He grinned to himself in the rearview mirror.

"Wow" Sam said. "Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows, and you're Mr. Sunshine"

Dean chuckled. "How far to Red Lodge?"

I looked down at the map. "Uh, about another three hundred miles"

Dean smiled, turning the volume up. "Good" He stepped on the gas and we went barreling down the road.

I knew that this case was going to be one that I wasn't going to like the moment we went into the sheriff's office. We were posing as reporters. "The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time" the sheriff said to our questions.

"Sure, sure, we understand that" Sam nodded. "But just for the record, you found the first head last week, correct?" The sheriff nodded. "And the other, a Christina Flannigan?" he went on.

"That was two days ago" the sheriff replied. There was a knock on the door, and some woman came in, pointing to her watch. "Sorry, guys, time's up. We're done here"

"One last question" I said, "What about the cattle?"

The sheriff narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"You know, the cows found dead, split open, drained - over a dozen cases" Dean said.

"What about them?"

"So, you don't think there's a connection?" Sam asked.

"Connection with…" the sheriff said, clearly confused.

"First cattle mutilations, now two murders?" Sam asked. "Kind of sounds like ritual stuff"

"You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff" I added.

The sheriff stared at us for a second before breaking out into laughter. I looked at Sam. I told him that this wasn't ritual stuff. It had to be something else. The pattern just didn't make sense. The sheriff stopped laughing. "You're not kiddin" He stated.

"No" Dean said, shaking his head.

"Those cows aren't being mutilated. You want to know how I know?" the sheriff said. "Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty-eight hours the bloat will split it open so clean, it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground, get soaked up, 'cause that's what gravity does" he explained. "But, hey, it could be Satan" he chuckled. "What newspaper did you say you worked for?"

"_World Weekly News" _Dean replied.

"_Weekly World News" _Sam and I said.

"_World_—"

"_Weekly World_" Sam and I corrected.

Dean smiled at the sheriff. "I'm new"

The sheriff sighed, "Get out of my office" he said, pointing to the door. We exited Sam and me glaring at Dean in annoyance.

"Now what?" I asked. "We got nothing"

"I think we should head to check out the dead body" Sam said "Maybe there's something there"

So that was exactly what we did. I was less than enthusiastic to head to the morgue, but I didn't want to be left alone. I hated being alone lately. It was because of my dad. First all I wanted was to be alone, and now I would do anything to not be alone.

"John—" Dean said entering the morgue. He had looked at the nametag and seen J. Manners on it.

"Jeff" the man corrected, sounding annoyed.

Dean chuckled. "Jeff, I know that" he said, shaking his head. "Dr. Dorkin needs to see you in his office right away"

"But Dr. Dorkin's on vacation"

"Well, he's back" Dean said. "And he's pissed and he's screamin' for you, man, so if I were you, I would—"

"Okay" Jeff said, running off.

"Hey, those Satanists in Florida –- they marked their victims, didn't they?" Dean said, as soon as the man left.

"Yeah, reverse pentacle on the forehead" Sam replied.

Dean handed each of us a pair of latex gloves. I took them, disgusted. If he thought I was going to touch this thing…. "So much F'ed up crap happens in Florida" I stated.

Dean opened the compartment, and there was a body on the table. Her head was next to her in a bun. Nice. "All right. Open it" Dean said to Sam.

Sam glared at him. "You open it"

"Wuss" Dean scoffed. He opened it hesitantly, grimacing. "Well, no pentagram" he remarked.

"Wow. Poor girl" I said. She had not died nicely. Not that dying is ever really nice, but you get the point.

"Maybe we should, uh, look in her mouth, see if this wacko stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kind of like the moth in "Silence of the Lambs."" Dean said, with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead" Sam said.

"No, you go ahead" Dean said.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Put the lotion in the basket." Dean said.

"Right, yeah, I'm the wuss, huh?" Sam asked. "Lex?" he asked me.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm not putting my hand anywhere near that" I stated.

"Whatever," Sam sighed. He cleared his throat and then opened her mouth, slowly sticking his hand in. "Dean, get me a bucket" he said.

"Find somethin'?" Dean asked.

Sam wrinkled his nose. "No, I'm gonna puke"

I grimaced and looked away. It was really gross, I had to admit. I didn't want to be with the decapitated head anymore. Sam took his hand away and sighed in relief. "All right, lift up her lip again" Dean said, staring at her lip.

Sam glared at him. "What? You want me to throw up, is that it?"

"No, no, I think I saw something'" He said, going for the head himself. He lifted her lip up to show us a hole in her gums. "What is that, a hole?" Dean asked. He pushed on it, making me cringe. A tooth popped out.

"It's a tooth" I stated.

"Lex, that's a fang" Dean corrected. "It's a retractable set of vampire fangs, you gotta be kiddin' me"

"This changes things" Sam said.

"You think?" I asked, shaking my head. I looked to Sam and smirked. "Told you it wasn't cult stuff" He glared at me and made a face. I stuck my tongue out back.

"C'mon" Dean said, putting the head back. "We better get out of here before that guy comes back to kick us out" He put an arm around me and we headed out the door. "You okay?" He asked me as we got into the Impala. Sam was still cleaning up behind us.

"I'm fine" I said. "I see dead bodies all the time"

"No, I mean…" he trailed off. "You were upset still at Bobby's. About hunting. And then the whole Clown-"

"I'm fine" I smiled slightly.

"You sure?" he asked, "I'll talk about it if—"

"Dean" I sighed. "I get enough psychotherapy from Sammy. I'm fine I promise"

"What are you two talking about?" Sam asked, walking up and opening the car door.

"We're talking about how I think we should go get a drink" Dean said, going around to the driver's seat. "You cool with that?"

"Yeah" Sam and I said together. "We can scope out for the vamps at the bar" Dean smiled and started the car. He barreled off down the road again. We went to the first bar we found after getting the motel room.

We walked in together, and I scoped out the pool tables. No one there seemed to be probable to fall for anything. Oh well. "How's it goin'?" Dean asked the bartender.

"Livin' the dream" he remarked. "What can I get for you?"

I was still checking out the bar, when I noticed the man sitting at a table all by himself. He seemed to be staring at us slightly. "Dean" I said, turning back around.

"What?" he asked, not really paying attention to me. "You want anything?" I shook my head. "Two beers, please" he said to the bartender.

"So, we're lookin' for some people" Sam said.

"Sure. It's hard to be lonely" The bartender said.

"Yeah. But, um…that's not what I meant" he said, taking out a twenty. The bartender eyed him skeptically, and took it. "Great. So, these people would've moved here about six months ago. Probably pretty rowdy, like to drink"

"Yeah, real night owls, you know? Sleep all day, party all night" Dean added.

"Barker Farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot. Drinkers, noisy. I had to 86 'em once or twice" the bartender said.

I turned around to see if the black man was still staring at us, but he was gone. "Dean, I think we have to go" I said. "I feel bizarre"

Dean nodded, saying that he got my code word, and smiled at the bartender. "Thanks" he said, and then pulled me out. Sam followed, looking confused. "I saw him too" Dean said. "Black guy?"

"Yeah" I said, as we rounded the corner back to the car.

"You got your knife?" Dean asked me quickly. I reached into my boot and handed it to him. "Is he following?" Dean asked Sam, who was coming up the rear.

"What the hell are you two freaking out about?" Sam asked. "I didn't see anybody"

"The black guy sitting at the table by the door" Dean said. "He walked out when we started asking questions"

"Oh" Sam said. "I feel dumb"

"He's coming" I stated, pointing to the elongating shadow that was rounding the corner. Dean and I dodged into the alley of the buildings, and Sam stood stupidly until I yanked him in. We waited until he passed the alley without too much of a second glance. We stealthily walked out, and as soon as he turned around, Dean and Sam were right up in his face

"Smile" Dean demanded.

"What?" the guy asked confused, trying to shove him off.

"Show us those pearly whites" I stated, taking a step forward.

"Oh, for the love of…you wanna stick that thing someplace else?" He asked. "I'm not a vampire" I shot Sam a surprised look. "Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there" he said, rolling his eyes.

Sam glared at him. "What do you know about vampires?"

"How to kill 'em" he replied, motioning at the knife. "Now, seriously, bro. That knife's makin' me itch" He tried to move, but Sam shoved him harder against the wall."Whoa. Easy there, Chachi" he said, He lifted up his upper lip. His gums were normal. "See? Fangless. Happy?" Dean and Sam reluctantly backed off and Dean handed me my knife back. I stuck it back in my boot. "Now, who the hell are you?" the guy asked us.

"I'm Dean Winchester and, this is Sam and Alexis" Dean said, pointing us out.

We stood around Gordon's car. I still wasn't really sure I liked this guy too much. I had met other hunters with my dad, and not all of them were so friendly. "The little Winchesters" he laughed, pulling an arsenal out of his truck. "I can't believe it" He moved some of the weapons around nonchalantly. "You know, I met your old man once - hell of a guy, great hunter" he stated, with a nod. "I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes, but, from what I hear, you guys fill 'em - great trackers, good in a tight spot"

"You seem to know a lot about our family" Dean said slowly, trying to get a feel for this guy.

"Well, word travels fast. You know how hunters talk" Gordon said.

"No, we don't, actually" Dean replied back, a little harshly.

"I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?" Gordon asked, skeptically. I looked to Dean for some explanation as to what he meant, but he didn't seem to know either.

"So, uh…so, those two vampires - they were yours, right?" Sam asked.

"Yup" Gordon responded. "Been here two weeks"

"Did you check out that Barker Farm?" I asked, thinking back to the bartender.

"It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks" Gordon said. "Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone"

"Where's the nest then?" Dean asked.

Gordon smiled, and put his arsenal back into his car. "I got this one covered" he stated. "Look, don't get me wrong, it's a real pleasure meetin' you fellas. But I've been on this thing for over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it"

"We could help" I urged. I might not trust this guy too much, but I wanted a good hunt. I have been itching to kill something again since the clown case.

"Thanks, but I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy" Gordon insisted.

"Come on, man, I've been itchin' for a hunt" Dean pleaded.

"Sorry" Gordon said. "But hey, I hear there's a chupacabra two states over. Go ahead and knock yourselves out" He got in his car and started it up. "It was real good meetin' you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flipside" He drove off without another word, and I glanced at Sam and Dean who both looked as confused as I did.

"I guess he doesn't play nice" I stated, going to the Impala.

"Yeah" Dean said, following. He opened the trunk and took out a knife.

"Don't tell me we're going anyway" I said, shaking my head. "He doesn't want us, Dean, you heard him!"

"Uh-huh" he said, feeling the knife with this finger. He nodded to himself, satisfied. "Here"

"Did you just hear anything I just said?" I asked, deadpan.

"Uh-huh" he said again. "I'm just ignoring you" He smiled, handing me my knife, and closed the trunk.

We followed Gordon all the way across town to a mill. It was quiet, a little too quiet if you asked me. I followed Dean and Sam out of the car into the mill. We were stealthy and sneaky, and I couldn't help but think about my dad, and how he taught us this. He pounded this into our brains until it bled out our ears and I was never appreciative of it, and then he just…. I quickly shut my mind off and told it to shut up, and got back to what I was supposed to be doing, which apparently was sneaking up on Gordon.

We watched silently as Gordon crept up on the guy there, and in an instant his head was under the chopping machine. This vampire was strong, and Gordon was at a loss. "Lex, left, Sam flank me" Dean said, running in. I immediately went to the left of the vamp and Gordon, and watched as Sam caught Gordon by the shoulders, pulling him away. Dean stabbed the vampire with the knife I tossed him when he motioned, and then shoved him under the chopping machine. He slowly lowered the lever, blood spraying. I closed my eyes.

The look on his face was engrained in my mind. Dean was out to kill, and I had seen that look on his face only once before. It was when he was so pissed, so freaked, that it showed up. I opened my eyes again, and sighed, the look on Dean's face slowly disappearing. "So, uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink" Gordon said.

We headed back to the same bar where we met Gordon the first time. He bought the boys beer and I sat with them, since Dean wouldn't let him buy me any. I didn't know why he cared. He probably drank when he was my age. And I know for a fact he let Sammy drink when he was my age. I guess I can just chalk it up to the fact that I was the baby of the family. God forbid I grow up one day.

As you can tell, I wasn't in the best of moods. Sam was in an even worse mood than me though, if that was possible. He had seen Dean's face too, and he wasn't able to just drop it like I did.

"Another one bites the dust" Gordon cheered happily, raising his shot glass.

"That's right" Dean smiled, downing his and giving me a big grin. I grinned back, trying to feel this burst of happiness he had gotten over the last day or so.

"Dean" he laughed. "You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend"

Dean snorted. "Thank you"

"That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful" Gordon went on. "And you are just one little spitfire, aint you?" he asked me.

"Yep" Dean sighed, slapping me on the back. He looked at me, and then frowned at Sam. "You all right, Sammy?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I'm fine"

"Well, lighten up a little, Sammy" Gordon chuckled.

Sam glared. "They're the only ones that get to call me that"

"Okay. No offense meant" Gordon said, hands up. "Just celebratin' a little, job well done"

"Right" Sam nodded, stoically. "Well, um…decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess" He shot me a glance, like telling me that we needed to get out of here now. He was being all moody and crap, and I wasn't in the mood to put up with it. I wasn't in the mood for anything right now.

"Oh, come on, man. It's not like it was human" Gordon argued. "You've gotta have a little more fun with your job"

Dean snapped his fingers. "See, that's what I've been trying to tell him" he said. He nodded at Sam. "You could learn a thing or two from this guy"

Sam looked extremely annoyed. "Yeah, I bet I could. Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel"

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" Sam nodded, looking to me helplessly. I looked back to Gordon. I really didn't want to go back to the motel room with Sam to hear him complain.

"Lex" Dean said, handing me the keys to the car. "Go with him"

I scoffed, taking the keys. "Why?"

"Cuz you can't drink anyway" he responded. "And smack the attitude outta him, will ya?" he instructed, motioning to Sammy, who was anxiously waiting in the doorway.

"Yeah, yeah" I sighed, and headed out the door. I followed Sam to the Impala, where he was already impatiently waiting in the driver's seat now. I was going to hear it, so I bucked up for the waterworks. I tossed him the keys as I hit the passenger seat. He was silent for a second, and then looked over at me helplessly. "Okay" I sighed. "I'll bite. What's up?"

"Can you believe Dean?" he asked. "You saw that look on his face, right?" I nodded. "And what's with this Gordon guy? I don't trust him. Something's up"

"Sam…" I sighed. "I don't think we should do anything"

"What?" he asked, as he drove down the road. "What do you mean?"

"Dean…he needs…" I trailed off, trying to figure out what I wanted to say. "He's all…game face right now. He isn't dealing with dad. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't let him figure it out for himself"

Sam didn't answer right away. "He's using Gordon as dad" he stated, pulling into the motel parking lot. "He can't do that"

"Why not?" I asked. "He'll move on from Gordon, Sammy. You just gotta give him time"

"He needs to deal now" Sam replied, getting out of the car abruptly. "Just like I'm dealing, and just like you're dealing" he stared at me. "Although, I don't think you're dealing well either"

"Sam" I scoffed, opening the door. "Don't make this about me"

"It is about you" he said, staring me down as I walked in. "First you quit, then you go psycho like Dean on that clown…you and Dean are so much alike"

"What?" I asked, confused. I plopped down on the bed. "I'm not Gordon's new best friend"

"You're replacing dad with Dean" he said, as though he had just found out this great mystery or something.

"Dean is not dad, Sam" I growled, getting mad.

"No" he agreed. "He's not"

"For someone who thinks they have it all figured out, you don't know much" I scoffed. "Dean has on his game face for us. He thinks he…never mind"

"Tell me" he urged.

"Dean doesn't just miss dad, Sam" I said. "There's something else. I'm not sure if I know what it is, but he's dealing, okay? He doesn't want to talk about it, and neither do I" He picked up his phone and dialed. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Calling Ellen to find out about this Gordon guy" he said.

"God" I said, falling onto my back. "You're not going to give this up, are you?" He shushed me. I angrily flipped over and listened to his conversation.

"Hey, Ellen. Uh, Sam Winchester" he said. "Yeah, everything's fine. Got a question. You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker?" There was a pause. "And? ….oh Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kind of working with him, I guess" He seemed defeated, like I was right. I smirked. His face fell. "I…I thought you said he was a good hunter. Ellen—"He sighed. "Right, okay"

I sat up. "Well?"

"Ellen said he's a good hunter, but bad news" Sam said. He grabbed his jacket. "As soon as Dean gets back, we're out of here" He went to the door.

"Wait" I said. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk" he said, and disappeared, slamming the door behind him. He was upset that I didn't want to side with him. The truth was I was almost positive he was right. Something was up with Dean, and it wasn't good. However, I couldn't, or wouldn't, do anything about it. I wasn't in the mood to play mediator to them right now. I had problems of my own to deal with. I had been slowly figuring out what had really happened back at the hospital, and I didn't like what I had been coming up with.

I sat alone in the motel room, just staring out the window for Sam to come back. I was bored, and contemplated calling Logan, but all he wanted me to do was talk about my dad, which was one of the last things I wanted to do. I sighed when I saw Dean already walking up to the door. "Hey" he said, bringing Gordon in with him. "Where's the neighborhood party pooper?"

"He went for a walk" I said, not looking up from the window. "He hasn't come back yet" I looked up at him, as Gordon took a seat.

He caught my worried glance. "I'm sure he's just moping around" he scoffed, pulling out a whiskey bottle. "He's fine"

"Yeah" I said. "But uh, Ellen—"

"Just hold that thought" Dean said, taking a sip of the whiskey and plopping himself down. He looked over expectantly.

"Never mind" I sighed and went back to staring out the window. I would just let him say that as long as I didn't have a reason to think that Sam wasn't okay. As soon as I got one whiff of a reason, I was out this door. I scanned my brain for any sign of a headache. I think I was giving _myself_ a headache. It wasn't the same sort of pain. This was a dull throb; the other pain was a sharp searing pain.

I looked to where Dean was looking at a map with Gordon. "Well, this is the best pattern I can establish. It's sketchy, at best" Gordon said.

"Looks like it is all coming from this side of town, which means the nest would be around here someplace, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking" Gordon nodded. "Problem is, there's thirty-five, forty farms out there. I've searched about half of 'em already, but nothing yet. They're coverin' their tracks real good"

"I guess we'll just have to search the other half" Dean grinned. "What time is it?" he asked. "Where is Sam?" He looked to me, a little more worry showing now. I think he was sobering up.

"Car's parked outside" Gordon shushed him. "Probably went for a walk –- seems like the take-a-walk type"

"Yeah, he is, but..." I started. Sam opened the door. "Where you been?" I asked, standing up.

Can I talk to you two alone?" Sam asked.

I nodded, and then looked at Dean. "You mind chillin' out for a couple minutes?" he asked Gordon. Gordon looked back down at his map and shook his head.

I followed Dean and Sam outside into the parking lot. I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be good. Sam's jaw was set in a hard line, and he looked annoyed. "Sam where were you?" I asked. "I thought you were going for a walk?"

"I—"he stuttered. Dean closed the door. "Just listen" he said. "Dean, maybe we've gotta rethink this hunt" Sam started.

"What are you talkin' about?" Dean asked.

"Sam, where were you?" I asked again, agitated.

Sam paused and squirmed uncomfortably. "In the nest"

"The Nest?" I asked, in shock.

"You found it?" Dean asked.

"They found me, man"

"How'd you get out? How many did you kill?" Dean asked him, excitedly.

Sam shrugged. "None"

"Well, Sam, they didn't just let you go" I scoffed.

"That's exactly what they did" Sam said.

Dean threw his hands up. "All right, well, where is it?"

Sam shook his head. "I was blindfolded, I don't know"

"Well, you've gotta know somethin'" I said.

"We went over that bridge outside of town, but Dean, Lex" He said, now exasperated. "Listen, maybe we shouldn't go after 'em"

I glanced at him confused, and Dean glared. "Why not?" we asked together.

"I don't think they're like other vampires" Sam explained. "I don't think they're killing people"

Dean and I stared, giving each other a small glance. I think we were both thinking that Sam was nuts. I mean seriously nuts. "You're joking" Dean said. Sam just pleaded with his eyes. "Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are?" Dean asked.

"The cattle mutilations. They said they live off of animal blood" Sam said.

"And you believed 'em?" Dean asked.

I was too busy thinking now to say much. It made sense. "Look at me, guys. They let me go without a scratch" Sam went on.

"Wait, so you're sayin'...no, man" Dean scoffed. "No way. I don't know why they let you go, I don't really care. We find 'em and we waste 'em" Dean started back to the motel room. I turned to follow him. I was so confused.

"Why?" Sam asked, begging.

"What part of "vampires" don't you understand, Sam?" Dean growled. "If it's supernatural, we kill it. End of story, that's our job"

"Dean…" I sighed, trying to make sense of this in my head.

"No, Dean, that is not our job. Our job is hunting _evil_. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil" Sam argued.

"Of course they're killing people!" Dean exclaimed. "That's what they do. They're all the same, Sam. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of 'em"

"No, Dean, I don't think so, all right? Not this time" Sam countered, shaking his head.

"Lex?" Dean asked me. I looked to Sam, then back to him.

"I honestly don't know" I stated, with a sigh. "I kind of think we should listen to Dean on this one Sammy" Sam scoffed and Dean gave a slight now.

"Gordon's been on those vamps for a year, man. He knows" Dean pleaded with us.

"Gordon?" Sam asked, annoyed. "You're taking _his_ word for it?" Dean nodded. "Ellen says he's bad news"

Dean looked pissed. "You called Ellen?" Sam and I nodded. "And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her, Sam. No thanks, I'll go with Gordon"

"Right, 'cause Gordon's such an old friend" Sam scoffed. "You don't think I can see what this is?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he?" Sam asked. "A poor one" He added.

I glared. "Sam, now isn't the time to—"

"Shut up" Dean scoffed, cutting me off. He turned around again.

"He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day" Sam went on.

Dean smiled, so pissed he was laughing now. This wasn't a good sign. "You know what, I'm not even gonna—"

"You know what, you two slap on this big, fake smile, but I can see right through it, 'cause I know how you feel, guys!" Sam shouted. "Dad's dead! And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to! De, you with Gordon, and Lex with anything! It's an insult to his memory"

I stood there stupidly, and Dean paced. "Okay" Dean said his back to Sam. He wheeled around and punched Sam in the jaw.

"Dean!" I yelled, pissed off. I made sure Sam was okay.

Sam fell back, wiping his mouth. He looked slightly stunned. I was too. It wasn't often Dean seriously picked a fight. "You can hit me all you want. It won't change anything" Sam stated.

"I'm going to that nest" Dean said. "You don't wanna tell me where it is? Fine. I'll find it myself" He looked to me. "You coming Lex?" I shook my head, still in shock. Dean had hit Sam. He was leaving. What the hell was going on? "Fine" he said and he wheeled away without another word.

"Dean" Sam called.

"Thanks" Sam said to me as we went after Dean.

"This doesn't mean I'm on your side" I stated, with a growl. "Not even close, Sammy"

"Gordon?" I heard Dean call.

"You think he went after 'em?" Sam asked.

"Probably" I sighed.

"Dean, we have to stop him" Sam said.

"Really, Sam? 'Cause I say we lend a hand"

"Just give me the benefit of the doubt, would you?" Sam pleaded one last time. "You owe me that"

"Yeah, we'll see" Dean scoffed. "I'll drive, give me the keys"

Sam pointed to the key rack and then stopped. The keys were not where they put them. "He snaked the keys" Sam said. He turned around, to look at Dean as though to say, See I told you.

Dean scoffed, and walked away. "I can't believe this. I just fixed her up, too" he said, leaning over the Impala. He was hot wiring it now. "So, the bridge –- is that all you got?"

Sam looked down at the map he grabbed out of the car. "The bridge was four-and-a-half minutes from their farm" he said.

"How do you know?" I asked, scanning the map.

"I counted" Sam shrugged. I looked up at him incredulously. "We took a left out of the farm, then turned right onto a dirt road, followed that for two minutes slightly uphill, then took another quick right, and we hit the bridge"

"You're good" Dean said, as the engine turned and we got in. "You're a monster pain in the ass…but you're good" He pressed on the gas and we sped down the road.

We were silent as we neared a bridge and then kept going to find the farm. "Guys" Sam said. "Promise me we aren't going to go in there killing everything in sight"

"Sam…" Dean sighed.

"No, Dean" I said. "Just stop. Stop fighting, or I will seriously kill you both with my bare hands" I looked from one to the other. "We're going to go in there, see what's up, and then decide how to deal with it. Okay?"

Dean looked at Sam and then back at me again, and then sighed. "Fine" he said, quickly. "We look at the situation first"

We got to a farm with Gordon's car in it. We ran inside to see Gordon standing over a vampire girl he had tied to a chair. He had a blood-soaked knife, and was slicing her up. Even though she wasn't human, and could heal it, I knew it hurt and found myself wincing. "Sam, Dean, Lex come on in" Gordon grinned.

Dean looked at him with a hard expression on his face. "Gordon, what's going on?" he asked.

"Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood" he said coolly, as though he was just talking to her instead of slicing her up into a bloody mess. "She's gonna tell us where all her little friends are, aren't you?" he taunted her. He looked at Dean. "Wanna help?"

Dean looked uncomfortable. "Look, man—"

"Grab a knife" Gordon said, "I was just about to start in on the fingers" He cut down her forearm.

"Whoa, whoa, hey. Let's all just chill out, huh?" Dean said, watching him.

"I'm completely chill" he said. Sam took a step forward to stop him, but Dean stopped him. "But it sounds like its Sammy who needs to chill" Gordon added.

"Just step away from her, all right?" Sam asked, not moving now.

Gordon paused, staring at the girl. "You're right" he said, slowly putting the knife down. "I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk" He took put a much larger knife, more like the one used to do major damage. "Might as well put her out of her misery. I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane"

"Gordon, I'm letting her go" Sam said, stalking forward angrily.

"You're not doing a damn thing" he said, pointing the knife at Sam. I angrily took a step forward. If he laid a hand on Sam I would kill him myself. My brothers might drive me crazy, but I wasn't going to let some random guy hurt them. Ever.

"Hey, hey, Gordon, let's talk about this" Dean said, putting his arm out to hold me back.

"What's there to talk about?" He asked. "It's like I said, Dean –- no shades of gray"

"Yeah, I hear you. And I know how you feel" Dean said.

Gordon smirked. "Do you?"

Dean nodded. "The vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but—"

Gordon laughed. "Killed my sister? That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So I hunted her down and I killed her myself"

"You did what?" I asked, in shock.

"It wasn't my sister anymore. It wasn't human. I didn't blink…and neither would you" he said.

"So you knew all along then" Sam accused. "You knew about the vampires, you knew they weren't killing anyone. You knew about the cattle, and you just didn't care"

"Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Takin' a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that?" Gordon asked, shaking his head. "Trust me. It doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it"

He grabbed at me, and pulled me forward. He quickly sliced my arm, and pulled me against him. He had the knife to my throat. I gasped in shock. I had been completely unprepared for that. I could feel the cold blade against my neck, and my heart panicking. Blood was dripping down my arm.

Dean already had his gun out and pointed. "Let her go" he demanded. Gordon didn't move. "Now!" he shouted, anxiously.

"Relax. If I wanted to kill her, she'd already be on the floor" Gordon said, pushing the knife harder to prove it. "Just makin' a little point" he said. He squeezed the cut on my arm towards the vampire. She hissed and I looked away. Her fangs were bared.

"Hey!" Sam shouted.

"You think she's so different? Still wanna save her?" Gordon asked. "Look at her. They're all the same - evil, bloodthirsty"

The girl slowly went back to normal, fighting it. "No. No!" she moaned, turning her head away.

"You hear her, Gordon?" Sam asked. Gordon's grip on my arm loosened, and I pulled away, gripping my arm to stop the bleeding. "We're done here" Sam said, stepping in front of me.

"Sam, get her out of here" Dean said, pointing to the vamp.

"Yeah" Sam said, picking her up and walking out. Gordon tried to follow, but Dean stopped him.

"Uh-uh! Uh-uh! Gordon…I think you and I got some things to talk about" Dean smiled. Gordon wielded his knife, while Dean pointed his gun.

"Get out of my way" he growled.

"Sorry" I scoffed, holding my arm.

"You're not serious" Gordon said, looking at Dean angrily.

"I'm havin' a hard time believing it, too, but I know what I saw" Dean stated. "You want those vampires, you've gotta go through me"

They glared at each other. "Fine" Gordon said, stabbing his knife into the table. Dean loaded his gun, but Gordon punched him before he could make a move. Gordon grabbed at me again, but I was able to fight against him until he gave me one punch to the gut. I was so stunned, I let him grab me and pull me. Dean went towards him, but he had the knife on me again before I could even take a breath.

"Who's worth more?" he asked.

Dean watched him for a moment, and then looked at me. He was trying to tell me something. I was getting my breath back when he cut my neck slightly. I could feel the knife cut into my skin. Dean slowly stepped aside, but as soon as Gordon forced me to walk, I was kicking and punching. The knife cut in a little more, but I was able to pull him off and roll away.

Dean punched him back, and Gordon swung at him with the knife. He was able to get the knife away from him and gave it to me. "What are you doin', man? You doin' this for a fang?" Gordon asked. "Come on, Dean, we're on the same side here!"

"I don't think so, you sadistic bastard" He replied. Gordon shoved him, and threw Dean into a table.

"You're not like your brother" Gordon said, stepping towards Dean. I stood and took a step towards Dean too. "You're a killer, like me" he added. Dean got back up, and Gordon pushed me out of the way. He was distracted however, and Dean was able to pounce. He beat on Gordon, then helped him up and dragged him. "Oops. Sorry" he said sarcastically running his head into a wall.

He threw him onto a chair and I grabbed the rope. I tied it nice and tight; while Dean made sure he stayed down. "You know, I might be like you, and I might not. But you're the one tied up right now" he grinned.

"Did I miss anything?" Sam asked, re-entering the house. He looked at Gordon tied to the chair, and the bruises that Dean and I were forming.

"Nah, not much" Dean said. "Lenore get out okay?"

"Yeah. All of 'em did" Sam said, smugly.

"Then I guess our work here is done" Dean smiled. "How you doin', Gordy? Gotta tinkle yet?" Dean taunted. "All right…well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have 'em come out, untie you"

I threw the knife down way out of his reach. "Ready to go, guys?" Sam asked us.

"I guess this is goodbye" Dean laughed, "It's been real" He turned for the door.

"Hang on" I said, and walked up the Gordon. I punched him as hard as I could, probably doing more damage to my hand more than I did to his face. He fell backward. I shook my hand. "Okay. I'm good now" I smiled, walking past them. "We can go"

"Sam?" Dean said, stopping him in front of the car. Sam looked at him. "Clock me one"

Sam looked confused. "What?"

"Come on. I won't even hit you back. Let's go" Dean said, bracing himself.

Sam looked stunned. "No"

"Let's go, you get a freebie!" Dean went on. "Hit me, come on"

Sam scoffed. "You look like you just went twelve rounds with a block of cement, Dean. I'll take a rain check" We reached the car and I leaned on it, feeling the blood on my neck.

"I wish we never took this job, 'cause we jacked everything up" Dean sighed.

"Tell me about it" I scoffed, rubbing the blood on my jeans.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Think about all the hunts we went on, Sammy, our whole lives" Dean explained. "What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know, I mean, the way Dad raised us…"

"Dean, after what happened to Mom…Dad did the best he could" Sam said.

"I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect" Dean said. "I mean the way he raised us to hate those things, and man, I hate 'em. I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill, I didn't even think about it. Hell, I even enjoyed it"

"You didn't kill Lenore" I said.

"Yeah, but every instinct told me to" he pleaded. "I was gonna kill her, I was gonna kill 'em all"

"Yeah, Dean, but you didn't. And that's what matters" Sam said.

"Yeah…" Dean sighed. "Because you're a pain in my ass"

"Guess I might have to stick around and be a pain in the ass then" Sam laughed.

"Thanks" Dean said.

"Don't mention it" Sam replied. I got in the car in the front seat, and leaned back with a sigh. Dean grabbed my arm and looked at the cut.

"Ow" I complained, pulling away. "I'm fine"

Dean smiled and let go. "You're a pain in my ass too"

"Gee thanks" I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm so glad" I pulled my hurt arm out of his grip, and he glared at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I stared in silence for a moment before answering. "I'm not your mediator" I said finally.

Sam turned to look at me, his eyebrows wrinkling in confusion. "What?"

"I'm not the mediator between you two, okay?" I said again, sitting up straight. "I'm not here to make sure that you two are always getting along. I'm not here to take sides" I paused, flexing my hand, which was already starting to bruise. "I'm your sister, not your referee"

"We never said you were" Sammy replied.

"Then stop treating me like one"

There was a long silence as Dean started up the car. "Okay" he said, putting an arm around me. That was all he said. Okay.

I sighed and nodded. "Okay" I repeated. I put my head on Sammy's shoulder, and relaxed. I wasn't going to sleep. I hadn't slept much since before the accident.

I was just going to relax, and let that be enough for now.


	29. Season 2, Chapter Four

**Author's Note: Thanks to all my reviewers! I love you guys and appreciate it more than you know! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please keep reviewing! **

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

_Everything was dark. Everything. The sky was overcast, and the sun was absent. I watched my father smiled at me, and tell me those same words over and over again. __"You'll always be my little girl"__he whispered to me. __ "You have to be strong, okay? No matter what happens" _

_He slowly crumbled away, saying that over and over again. I could feel something else watching me. The yellow eyes appeared on my father's face, piercing into me. He stopped repeating that, and started repeating something else. "Your fault" he sneered, with a wicked grin. "It's your fault your daddy's dead"_

I shot awake, and realized that we had driven over a pothole or something, which had woke me up. I groaned. I had been having that same nightmare for weeks now. I hadn't gotten more than an hour's sleep at a time since the accident anyway. I was exhausted. The reason we were driving recklessly down the road was because Dean was arguing with Sam too much to really pay attention to his driving at the moment. I cringed as we slammed into another pot hole. "Dean" I complained. "Watch it!"

"Sorry" he said, straightening out, and then looking back at me in the rearview. "You can't tell me you think this is a good idea though?"

"Dean, seriously?" I asked, rubbing the nightmare away from my eyes. "What's it going to hurt?"

"Come on, Sam, I'm begging you" Dean went on, now ignoring me since I wasn't agreeing with him. "This is stupid"

"Why?" Sam asked for the millionth time.

"Going to visit Mom's grave?" he asked. "I mean, she doesn't even have a grave. There was nobody left after the fire"

"She has a headstone" Sam replied.

"Yeah, put up by her uncle, a man that we've never even met" Dean countered. "So, you wanna go pay your respects to a slab of granite put up by a stranger? Come on"

"Dean, that's not the point" Sam replied.

Dean shook his head. "Well, then, enlighten me, Sam"

"It's not about a body or a casket" Sam sighed. "It's about her memory, okay?" Dean slowly nodded. "And after Dad, it just...it just feels like the right thing to do"

"It's irrational, that's what it is" Dean said.

"Look, De, no one asked you to come" I said. "You could have stayed behind"

"And leave you two freaks alone?" he asked, shaking his head. "Why don't we swing by the Roadhouse instead?" Dean asked, desperately. He really didn't want to go visit my mother at all. "I mean, we haven't heard anything on the demon lately. We should be hunting that son of a bitch down"

"That's a good idea" Sam nodded. "You should. Just drop us off, we'll hitch a ride, and we'll meet you there tomorrow"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Right. Stuck with those people, making awkward small talk 'til you show up? No, thanks"

"Then stop complaining" I said. He glared at me and I smirked, knowing that he was going to shut up now. Once you silenced Dean, he usually didn't start up again. I could see the cemetery now. I wasn't exactly comfortable with this idea, but Sam had really wanted to come, and I knew that if I didn't side with him there would be no convincing Dean.

I could barely remember my mother. I had seen pictures, like the ones in the journal. I stared at them sometimes for no reason at all. I was trying to remember anything about her. Anything at all. Dean told me all sorts of stories when I was younger. She used to cut the crusts off his sandwiches and played army man with Sammy. She would hold me on her hip and she was one of the only ones who could get me to stop crying at first. Then that job was passed on to Dean.

I missed her, but in a different way than Sam and Dean. I couldn't exactly miss something I couldn't remember. I more longed for her to be here. She was almost like a ghost though. She was unreachable no matter what I did. I wished I could talk to her. I wondered if she would approve of me, if she would be proud of me. Sam always said she loved me no matter what, but sometimes I wondered if that was really true. How could she love me at sixteen? She didn't know me.

We hopped out and Sam pretty much dragged me towards the headstone. I stared at it for a minute. It had the date she died, November 2nd, 1989. The day I turned six months old and whatever the hell happened that night occurred. (Sam and I had the same birthday, six years apart. Weird. I know) it just happened. Sam says that he remembers the fire. He remembers the heat, and me crying my eyes out. Dean remembers our dad screaming at him to get us out of there. I can't remember anything. All I remember is what everyone else told me. I feel so left out a lot.

Sam dug up a small patch of dirt and put my father's dog tags in the spot. "I think, uh…I think Dad would've wanted you to have these" He stuttered. He covered them in dirt and then smiled slightly. "I love you, Mom" he choked out.

"That was nice, Sammy" I said, trying not to cry myself. He stood up and I hugged his waist. He seemed taken aback, probably since I usually wasn't a hugger. He slowly hugged me back though, I it felt good to know that someone else was taking care of me, even if it was only for a moment.

I let go abruptly, and sniffled. I would not cry, god dammit. "You okay?" he asked me.

"Fine" I sighed, choking back everything I actually wanted to say. I pushed it down farther. It would have to wait. I looked back at my mom, now fully realizing what was at the top of my mind. "I'm an orphan" I whispered to myself.

"Huh?" he asked me, looking concerned.

"I said, where is Dean?" I asked him, totally pulling that out of my ass. He whirled around and scanned the graves for our brother.

"There" he pointed, across the cemetery. Dean was standing on top of a grave almost a hundred feet away. I walked over, where he was staring at the ground. Everything was dead. The grass looked yellow and parched, while all the grass around it was green. It was in a perfect circle too. The flowers on the grave were dead as well. There was no headstone yet. The grave must be too new.

"Stay here" he said, as soon as I walked up. I looked to Sam confused, but he just shrugged. He walked to where the groundskeeper was standing, and started talking to him. He came back a few minutes later, holding a piece of paper. "Angela Mason" he said. I wondered what this was supposed to mean to me. "She was a student at the local college. Her funeral was three days ago"

"And?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

"And? You saw her grave, everything dead around it in a perfect circle" Dean scoffed. "You don't think that's a little weird?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe the groundskeeper went a little aggro with the pesticide"

"No, I asked him" Dean said, shaking his head. "No pesticide, no chemicals. Nobody can explain it"

"Okay, so, what are you thinking?" Sam asked him.

"I don't know. Unholy ground, maybe?" Dean asked.

"Un-?" I stuttered, skeptically.

"What?" Dean demanded. "If something evil happened there, it could easily poison the ground. Remember the farm outside of Cedar Rapids?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Could be the sign of a demonic presence" Dean said, cutting me off. "Or that Angela girl's spirit, if it's powerful enough" Sam looked more skeptical than me. He nodded anyway, and then headed to the car. "Well, don't you two get too excited, you might pull something" Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"It's just…stumbling onto a hunt? Here, of all places?" Sam asked.

"So?" Dean asked.

"So, are you sure this is about a hunt, not about something else?" Sam led on.

Dean glared at him. "What else would it be about?"

At first I thought Sam was going to start arguing about it, but he just sighed. "You know, just forget it" he said, opening the car door.

"You could believe what you want, Sam. But I let you drag my ass out here, the least we can do is check this out" Dean went on.

"Yeah" he said quickly. "Fine"

"Lex?" Dean asked me, hopefully.

"Yeah" I said, with a shrug. "Might as well if something is going on"

"Good" Dean smiled. "The girl's dad works in town. He's a professor at the school" He got into the car and started the engine, rearing to go. I shot Sam a weary look, but got into the Impala nevertheless. We pulled up to the college building in record time.

I knocked on the door. "Dr. Mason?" I asked the old dude who answered the door.

"Yes?" he asked me, looking down skeptically.

"Hi, I'm Alexis. This is Sam. This is Dean" I said, pointing them out behind me. "We were friends of Angela's. We wanted to offer our condolences"

He gave me a sad smiled and opened the door wider. "Please, come in" he said. He picked up a scrapbook that was on his desk and opened it, showing Sammy photos of his dead daughter. I scanned the room for anything unusual all I got was some dead plants. I wasn't sure that actually had anything to do with anything. The guy had just lost his daughter; I doubt he would remember to water his plants.

"This is an unusual book" Dean said, holding it up. The cover was a bunch of strange letters and symbols.

"It's ancient Greek" Dr. Mason responded. "I teach a course"

Dean nodded, putting it back on the shelf. "So, a car accident. That's horrible" I said. I was trying to get some kind of info about this case. So far we had dead grass.

Dr. Mason sighed. "Angie was only a mile away from home when, uh…"

"That's gotta be hard –- losing someone like that" I stated.

"Sometimes it's like they're still around" Dean added. "Almost like you can still sense their presence. You ever feel anything like that?"

"I do, as a matter of fact" Dr. Mason said.

Dean looked at Sam and me smugly. "That's perfectly normal, Dr. Mason. Especially with what you're going through" Sam replied.

"You know, I still phoned her" he chuckled. "The phone was ringing before I remembered that, uh…" He paused, his eyes red. "Family is everything, you know? Angie was the most important thing in my life. And now I'm just lost without her"

"We're very sorry" I said, glaring at Dean. "We'll go now" I pulled on Sam's arm, and leading them both out to the car. "What was that?" I asked Dean, rolling my eyes. "You made a grown man cry"

"We had to get the info, Lex" he replied, pushing me to the car. "We should get a motel room here. Bunk up for the night"

I looked to Sam, and we both gave each other what the hell is up with him looks, and then got in the car to follow. I got the room, and Dean pulled the car over. "I'm telling you, there's something going on here. We just haven't found it yet" Dean said, pacing.

"Dean, so far you've got a patch of dead grass and nothing" Sam argued, sitting down at the table.

"Well, something turned that grave into unholy ground" Dean countered, shaking his head.

"There's no reason for it to be unholy ground" I said. "Angela Mason was a nice girl who died in a car crash. That's not exactly "vengeful spirit" material. You heard her father" I shrugged. "I mean, we got nothing to go on"

"Yeah, well, maybe Daddy doesn't know everything there is to know about his little angel, huh?" he asked. I shrugged slightly.

"You know what? We never should have bothered that poor man" Sam scoffed. "We shouldn't even be here anymore"

"So what, Sam? We just bail? Without even figuring out what's going on?" Dean asked.

"I think I know what's going on here" Sam said, standing up. "It's the only reason I went along with you this far"

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked.

Sam stood his ground. "This is about Mom's grave"

"Oh my god" I said, grabbing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I stomped to the bathroom and glared back at them. "You two are nuts!" I slammed the door, and locked it so they couldn't get it. I didn't care about them anymore. I was done with all of this.

I got into the shower and wondered what would be going on right now if my father were alive. I bet he and Sam would be fighting about something stupid, and Dean and I would be mediating. At least them I wouldn't be alone in the middle. Sam and Dean had been horrible lately. Sam could relate everything back to my mom or dad, and half the time it wasn't even true. He was pulling shit out of his ass. I swear to god, if he tries something on me again, I was going to kill him. I found myself angrily scrubbing away, as though I could wash my problems down the drain.

I got out and got dressed, and found Sam staring at me as I exited. I couldn't help but notice that Dean was absent. "What?" I growled.

"Don't take this the wrong way" he started. "But you and Dean need to deal before we all go crazy"

I was fuming. "I wish you would stop tell us to deal, Sam" I said. "Take a good long look at the situation here. How can he deal with dad when every two seconds you're shoving it in our faces? Huh?"

"Did you ever think that maybe I keep reminding you because you aren't dealing with it as well as you think you are?" he asked. I sat on the bed across from him and sighed.

"Sam, don't pretend you understand" I said. "You have no idea how I feel right now"

"Oh yeah?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Try me"

I stared him down for a moment. I could only picture my father with those pale yellow eyes, and how I knew, I just knew, that the reason I was suddenly feeling so much better was because of him. Dean was alive because of him. That was the only reason that I was walking and breathing right now. "It's just…" I put my head in my hands. "I know that dad is dead, I know he's not coming back, and I know that no one can fix it. And I know that it's my fault"

"Your fault?" he asked, but the door swung open, and Dean walked back in. "I thought you were going to get a drink?" Sam asked him, annoyed.

"Bar sucks" was all he said, before he pulled off his jeans and got into bed. He seemed to be asleep in a moment later, even though it was only ten o'clock.

I eyed Sam tiredly, and grabbed a blanket, and lay down on the couch. Sam tossed a pillow at my head, and I took it gratefully. I pulled the blanket over me and stared at the ceiling. I wasn't tired, and I could never sleep. I just kept having that nightmare anyway. I wanted to cry. I was so past the point of exhaustion, I thought I was going to pass out from lack of sleep.

But I just lay there until I heard Dean stir and get out of bed.

It was still early for him. I sat up and looked over. "You're up early" I remarked.

"So are you" he said.

"I never went to sleep" I admitted, showing him how I still had my jeans on.

"Oh" was all he said, and he pulled his jeans back on. He grabbed his jacket and the car keys. "I'll be back" he said, heading to the door.

"Wait" I said, standing up. "Don't leave me here with the family psychiatrist" I pointed back to Sam who was snoring softly, still asleep.

He looked from Sam and then back to me. I gave him my best puppy eyes I could muster up and he scoffed, pushing me to the door. I smiled back at him, grabbing my jacket and going with him. We fell into a comfortable silence as we got into the Impala. Dean turned on the radio and sang along softly with Def Leopard. I listened for a moment, feeling better than I had last night. "So" he said, looking over at me. "I noticed you haven't been sleeping lately at all"

"Nope" I said. "Nightmares"

There was a long pause. "About what?" he asked.

I glanced up for a moment, before going back to staring at my feet. "Dad" This time the silence was really awkward. "Where are we headed?" I asked.

"Angela's place" he replied. "We're going to look around for anything weird"

"Okay" I said, with a nod. "Should I grab the EMF?" He grunted a yes, and I nodded again.

"Ankle biter" he said, as he pulled over. "What were you telling Sammy last night? When I walked in?"

I paused for a second. I wondered why he wanted to know that at all. I thought he didn't want to talk about anything. "Nothing" I breathed.

"It was something" he said, staring me down. "And you're going to tell me what it was"

We had a mini-staring contest, and he looked at me sternly. "I told him that dad's death was…my fault" I admitted.

He blinked a few times, and then sighed. "It's not your fault" he stated, and then abruptly got out of the car. "Grab the lock picking thing" he added, walking up to the door.

I grabbed it and followed. Way to avoid a subject, De. I kneeled at the lock, and picked it as fast as I could, opening the door. I let Dean go in first. He entered without a word, and we began our search. I picked up a book, and glanced at it. It was a college textbook. I went to the room down the hall. "Who the hell are you?" I heard.

I spun around to see Dean looking at a girl with a shocked look on her face. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on" Dean said, trying to calm her down.

She ran back into the bedroom she came from and slammed the door. "I'm calling 911!" she threatened.

"We're Angela's cousins!" I yelled after her, and I heard her stop moving.

"What?" she yelled back.

"Yeah, her dad sent us over to pick up her stuff" Dean shouted. "My name's…Alan. Alan Stanwick, and my sister Gail" I rolled my eyes, and he shrugged.

"Her dad didn't say that you were coming" She said, peeking the door open slightly.

Dean pulled out his keys. "Well…how else would I have a key to your place?" he chuckled. "Can we talk?" he asked after a moment.

She came out and ran a hand through her long hair. "Yeah, I guess" she said, leading us to the couch.

Lindsey already had tears in her eyes at the mention of Angela's name. "So…I'm sure you got a view of Angela that none of the family got to see. Tell me, what was she like? I mean, what was she _really_ like?" I asked.

"She was great" Lindsey sobbed.

"Mm" Dean hummed, shooting me a look.

"Just…great" Lindsey went on. "I mean, she was so…"

"Great?" Dean suggested, with a roll of his eyes. I stomped on his foot, and he grimaced. Lindsey didn't seem to notice. I handed her a tissue.

"You two must have been really close" I said.

"We were. But it's not just her, it's Matt" She replied, calming down a slight bit, so I could actually comprehend what she was saying.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"Angela's boyfriend" she said, matter-of-factly.

"Right, Matt" Dean said. "Uh…what about him?"

"He killed himself last night. He cut his own throat" she responded, starting to cry again. "Who does that?"

"That's…terrible" I said, at a loss for words. I had a major feeling that this wasn't a suicide.

"He was taking Angela's death pretty hard. And I guess…I mean, he'd been messed up about it for days" she said, going on.

"Messed up how?" Dean asked.

"He kept saying that he saw her everywhere" she said.

"Well, I'm sure that that's normal. I mean, with everything that he was going through" I said, reminding myself of what Sam had said to Angela's father.

"He said that he _saw_ her. As in, an acid trip or something" she said, blowing her nose.

"Were Angela and Matt a happy couple?" Dean asked. "I mean, was there any reason that Angela would be angry with him?"

"What?" Lindsey asked, confused. "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"Just asking" Dean said with a shrug.

I looked to Lindsey. "Where did Matt live?"

I grabbed the coffee from the car, and made it to the door after Dean entered already. I was hanging back incase Sam had decided to go all anal or something on us for leaving this morning. "Awkward" Dean sighed.

"What's awkward?" I asked shutting the door behind me. I put the coffee on the table and turned back to Dean.

"Trust me" he said, with a short laugh. "You don't want to know"

"Where the hell were you?" Sam asked.

"We were working my imaginary case" Dean said.

"Yeah, and?" Sam asked.

"Well, you were right, I didn't find much" Dean started. "Except Angela's boyfriend died last night –- slit his own throat. But, you know, that's normal. Let's see, what else? Oh, he was seeing Angela everywhere before he died. But you know, I'm sure that's just me transferring my own feelings"

"Enough" I said, although I was a little smug too. Sam had been overreacting about all this.

"Okay, I get it" he said. "I'm sorry, maybe there _is_ something going on here"

"Maybe? Sam, I know how to do my job, despite what you might think" Dean scoffed.

"We should check out the guy's apartment" Sam said, after a pause.

"We just came from there" I said, handing him a coffee. "Found a pile of dead plants, just like the cemetery" I took a sip of my coke. "Hell, dead goldfish, too" I added. "Someone was not happy with Matt"

"So, unholy ground?" Sam asked.

"Maybe" Dean shrugged. "But I'm still not getting that powerful, "angry spirit" vibe from Angela. I have been reading this, though" he pulled out a pink notebook.

"You took Angela's diary?" I laughed, reaching for it. He pulled away from me.

"Yeah, Lex." He said. "And if anything, the girl's a little _too_ nice" He paused. "But that might just be because I'm used to you"

"I'm nice" I scoffed, pulling the book away from him angrily. I flipped through it for a moment. There wasn't anything to really read. It was all boo hoo crap.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Sam asked.

"Keep digging" Dean stated. "Talk to more of her friends"

"You get any names?" Sam asked.

"You kidding me?" Dean asked, taking the diary out of my hand. "I have her bestest friend in the whole wide world" He opened to the middle. "I was reading earlier…" he sighed. "Here Neil" he tapped the page. "I say we find Neil"

"Okay" Sam said, standing up. "Let's go"

We got back into the Impala. Dean's mood had improved slightly, but Sam was still silent towards me other than things like 'grab that' or 'thanks.' I ignored him and focused on the hunt.

"Neil" Dean said, as a college kid answered the door. "Hi, we're grief counselors from the college"

"I didn't realize the college employed grief counselors" he said, sadly.

"Oh, yeah. You talk, we listen" Dean nodded. "Maybe throw in a little therapeutic collage, whatever helps jump-start the healing"

"Well, I think I'm okay. Thanks" he said, going to close the door.

"Well, you heard what happened to Matt Harrison, right?" Sam asked, stopping him from closing the door.

"Yeah, I did" he said, looking down.

"We just wanted to make sure _you_ were okay" I said. "Grief can make people do crazy things"

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to him. I am. But if Matt killed himself, it wasn't 'cause of grief" Neil said, shaking his head.

"No?" Dean asked, in surprise. "Then what?"

"It was guilt. Angie's death was Matt's fault, and he knew it" Neil accused.

"How was Matt responsible?" I asked.

"She really loved that guy. But the night of the accident, she walked in on him with another girl" Neil said. "She was really torn up, that's why she crashed the car" He sighed, and I looked at Dean in shock. "Look, I've gotta get ready for work. So, thanks for the concern, but seriously, I'll be okay" he then proceeded to close the door in our faces.

"He was too okay" I remarked, staring at the door.

"So?" Sam said. "Maybe he's dealing with his grief"

I glared at Sam, daring him to start something. "Sure, Sam" I said, "Wanna relate that to _my_ issues?" He said nothing, scowling at me.

"Well, that vengeful spirit theory is starting to make a little more sense" Dean said, with a small smirk as we walked away. "I mean, hell hath no fury"

"So, if Angela got her revenge on Matt, you think it's over?" I asked. "You think she's done?"

"Well, there's one way to be sure" Dean said. "Burn the bones"

I grimaced. "Burn the bones? Are you high?" I asked, getting into the car with both of them in the front seat. "Angela died last week"

"So?" Dean shrugged.

"What do you mean so?" I asked. "So, there's not gonna _be _bones"

"Yeah there will be" he scoffed.

"Dean" Sam said, "She means there's gonna be a ripe, rotting body in the coffin"

"Since when are you two afraid to get dirty, huh?" he grinned.

We headed to the grave in the dead of night, which was fine by me for once since I wasn't sleeping anyway. Sam held the flashlight while Dean and I dug. I shoveled for at least a couple hours before we hit the coffin. We cleared the dirt away.

"Ladies first" Dean said, motioning for me to open it.

"Hold that" I scoffed, handing him the shovel. I grimaced, and then went to wrench open the coffin. It was really easy to open, which was my first clue that something was wrong. These things were airtight. Usually it was hard to impossible for me to open. My second clue was that the coffin was empty.

"It's empty" I stated, looking up at Dean and Sam. Dean hopped back in the hole and stared at the open coffin with me.

"They buried the body four days ago" Dean said, as though that was supposed to mean that that was the reason why the body wasn't there. I noted the claw marks on the top. Angela must've fought to get out.

"I don't get it" Sam said, shaking his head.

"Dean" I said, pointing to where the lining was ripped. "Look" Dean kneeled and moved the lining to reveal weird looking symbols. "What is that?" I asked Sam. He usually knew crap like this.

He seemed at a loss for words. "I'm not sure"

Dean looked at me. "I've seen these kinds of symbols before" He wiped his hands on his pants and sighed. "C'mon" he said, lifting me out of the hole. "We gotta go"

Dean was on a freaking mission as he recreated the symbols on a piece of paper from memory in the car. "What's going on?" I asked watching him scribble furiously, and then start the car.

"It's her father" he said. "Those symbols…" he groaned. "We gotta do some research"

"Now?" I asked. "It's six in the morning"

"I don't care" he replied, and sped down the road. We went into the library, and started our research. Dean already knew what to look for, and so I just hung back and watched. He gripped his paper in anger. "It's a goddamn spell" he said. "I knew it"

Sam looked at the computer screen. "I'll drive" he said, taking the keys. Dean was jittery the entire way the Dr. Mason's office. "Dean, take it easy, okay?" Sam said, trying to slow him down as he bee lined for the office.

Dr. Mason answered the door. "You're Angie's friends, right?" he asked.

I sighed. "Dr. Mason—"

"We need to talk" Dean said, cutting me off.

"Well, then, come in" he said, opening the door and letting us inside.

"You teach Ancient Greek? Tell me. What are these?" Dean asked, pacing. He pulled out the paper. "What are they?" he asked again, as Dr. Mason stared at them.

"I don't understand. You said this had something to do with Angie?" he asked.

"It does" Dean said, fuming. "Please, just humor me"

"They're part of an ancient Greek divination ritual" Dr. Mason replied.

"Used for necromancy, right?" Dean guessed.

"That's right"

Dean nodded. "See, before we came over here, we stopped by the library and did a little homework ourselves. Apparently, they use rituals like this when communicating with the dead. Even bringing corpses back to life –- full-on zombie action"

"Yeah. I mean, according to the legends" Dr. Mason said, looking confused. "Now, what's all this about?"

"I think you know" Dean scoffed.

Dr. Mason didn't look like he knew. "Dean" Sam warned, getting the same vibe that I did.

"Look, I get it, okay?" Dean said, the little vein in his forehead throbbing. "There are people who I would give anything to see again. But what gives you the right?"

"Dean!" Sam warned again.

"What are you talking about?" Dr. Mason asked.

Dean stormed at him. "What's dead should stay dead!" he yelled. "What you brought back isn't even your daughter anymore. These things are vicious, they're violent, and they're so nasty they rot the ground around them. I mean, come on, haven't you seen _Pet Sematary_?"

"Dean. Stop" I said, trying to put a hand to him to shut him up. He shrugged me off.

Dr. Mason glared at him. "You're insane"

"Where is she?" Dean demanded.

"Get out of my house" he said, picking up the phone.

"I know you're hiding her somewhere. Where is she?" Dean asked again, looking like he was ready to kill.

"Dean, stop, that's enough" I said, grabbing him. He pushed me away with so much force I crashed back into Sammy. He caught me, and looked at Dean in shock.

He put me up straight, and held Dean by his shoulders. "Dean, look!" he pointed. "Beautiful, living plants"

"We're leaving" I said, to Dr. Mason, heading to the door. I didn't wait for Sam or Dean. I was so mad. Sam was always pressing things on me, and now Dean was just uncontrollable. I couldn't handle this anymore. I just couldn't. I was choking on the tears that were trying so hard to break through.

"What the hell's the matter with you, Dean?" Sam demanded, as they came up behind me.

"Back off" Dean sneered.

"That man is innocent! He didn't deserve that!" Sam said. "And neither did Lexie!"

"I didn't mean to push her that hard" Dean scoffed.

"Yeah" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Okay, so, she's not here. Maybe he's keeping her somewhere else" Dean said, shooting me a glance. He didn't look sorry at all.

"Stop it! That's enough, okay? Enough!" Sam said.

"Sam, I know what I'm doing" Dean shouted.

I couldn't help it. I snapped. "No, you don't! At all!" I yelled, turning around and stopping Dean in his tracks. I stared him down and wiped a stray tear. "You're driving me nuts!"

"I'm driving _you_ nuts?" he laughed.

"Dean" Sam said, cutting off our fight. Dean turned to glare at him. "Dean, I don't scare easy, but man, you're scaring the crap outta me"

"You're being overdramatic, Sam" Dean scoffed.

Sam shook his head. "You're lucky this turned out to be a real case, 'cause if it wasn't, you would've just found something else to kill!"

"What?"

"You're on edge, you're erratic" Sam said. "Except for when you're hunting, 'cause then you're downright scary. You're tail-spinning, man. And you refuse to talk about it and you won't let me help you!"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I can take care of myself, thanks"

"No, you can't!" Sam said. "And you know what? You're making Lex think she can too! She's acting just like you!"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not fucking right here!" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. "I can fucking hear you!"

"Stop swearing" Dean growled at me.

I folded my arms over my chest. I was pissed, we were all pissed, and right now there was no stopping me. "Make me"

He took a step towards me, but Sam stopped him. "Hey" he said. "You don't have to handle this on your own, Dean, no one can" Sam went on.

"Sam, if you bring up Dad's death one more time, I swear" Dean growled.

"Stop, please, Dean –- it's killing you. Please" Sam pleaded. "You wanna know why I keep bringing it up? We've already lost Dad. We've lost Mom. I've lost Jessica. And now I'm gonna lose you two, too?"

There was a pause were we all just avoided each other's gazes. "We better get out of here before the cops come" Dean said finally. "I hear you, okay? Yeah, I'm being an ass, it's rubbing off on all of us, and I'm sorry. But right now we've got a friggin' zombie running around, and we need to figure out how to kill it"

Sam scoffed. "Our lives are weird, man"

Dean shook his head. "You're telling me" he remarked. "Come on" He shot me an apologetic look, and I knew he was trying to tell me that we would be okay, but I didn't believe him this time.

My brothers were dicks, and they were going to have to make it up to me.

We can't just waste her with a head shot?" Dean asked, pacing back and forth across the room.

Sam shook his head. "Dude, you've been watching way too many Romero flicks"

"You're telling me there's no lore on how to smoke 'em?" Dean asked, ignoring Sam's sarcastic response.

"No, Dean, I'm telling you there's too much" Sam sighed. "I mean, there's a hundred different legends on the walking dead, but they all have different methods for killing them" He leafed through pages and sighed. "Some say setting them on fire, others say cutting out their hearts" He picked up another page. "One said…" he stated, scanning. "Right here, feeding their hearts to wild dogs" He paused, looking up. "That's my personal favorite"

"Who knows what's real and what's myth?" I shrugged. I fell back on the bed in defeat.

"Is there anything they all have in common?" Dean asked desperately.

"No, but a few said silver might work" Sam replied.

"Silver's a start" Dean nodded.

"Yeah. But now, how are we gonna find Angela?" he asked.

"We gotta figure out the person who brought her back" Dean replied.

"I think if it's not her dad, it might be that guy, Neil" I said, piping up.

"Neil?" Sam asked. "How'd you come up with that?"

"Well, you've got your journal, I've got mine" I said, holding up the diary.

"I thought you thought going through her stuff was wrong?" Dean asked.

I ignored him. ""Neil's a real shoulder to cry on. He so understands what I'm going through with Matt." And there's more in here where that came from" I sighed. I tossed the book at Dean in annoyance.

"It's got unrequited Duckie love written all over it" Dean remarked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he brought her back from the dead" Sam sighed.

"He's Professor Mason's T.A." Dean said, in realization. "Has access to all the same books"

"I'm a genius" I remarked. "I know" I stood up and went to the door. "Let's go get this freaking thing over with"

We drove to Neil's house in the dark. I wanted to waste something so bad. I just need to do something before I went nuts. I picked the lock and Dean barged in. "Hello? Neil!" he yelled. "It's your grief counselors, we've come to hug!"

"Maybe no one's home" I remarked.

Dean pulled out his gun. "Silver bullets?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, enough to make her rattle like a change purse" Dean said.

We walked slowly and quietly throughout the house. I checked the kitchen. There was a dead fern or something in the corner. I touched the withered ends. "Huh" I remarked, and then headed back to Dean and Sammy.

"This is where he keeps his porn" Dean said, motioning at the basement door. I unlocked the door, half expecting something to come running out. Nothing did. I went down the stairs after Dean, and came into a room with a makeshift cot. "Sure looks like a zombie pen to me" Dean stated.

"Yeah. An empty one" Sam said.

I looked around. "You think Angela's going after somebody?" I asked.

Dean pointed towards the opened window. "No, I think she went out to rent _Beaches_" he said.

I clenched my jaw in annoyance. "Look, smartass, she might kill someone"

"I know that" Dean said, staring at me.

"We've gotta find her, Dean" Sam added.

"Yeah" Dean said, with a sigh. "All right, she clipped Matt because he was cheating, right?" I nodded. "Well, it takes two to, you know…have hardcore sex"

"Her roommate" I stated, looking up at Dean. "You think?" He only shrugged.

"This is like a freaking soap opera" Sam sighed, running up the steps. Dean and I followed swiftly behind. We literally sped the entire way to Lindsey's and then ran inside. We entered to see Angela pulling bloody scissors from her chest, where there was now a gaping wound.

Dean shot her a few times before she turned and dashed out the window. Dean angrily ran after her. "I've got you, I've got you" Sam said, comforting Lindsey. I sprinted after Dean.

"Dean" I said, stopping him. She was nowhere in sighed. "She's gone" I said.

He swore and headed back to the house. "Damn, that dead chick can run"

"What now?" Sam asked as Lindsey sobbed.

"I say we go have a little chat with Neil"

"Will you be okay?" Sam asked Lindsey. She nodded, so we left heading back to the motel room.

"So, the silver bullets –- they did something, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, something, but not enough" Dean sighed, as the car started. "What else you got?"

"Um…okay, besides silver, we have nailing the undead back into their grave beds" Sam sighed, reading from the journal. "It's mentioned a few times. It's probably where the whole vampire-staking lore came from"

"Their grave beds?" I asked. "You serious?"

Sam nodded. "Well, how the hell are we gonna get Angela back to the cemetery?" Dean asked. He angrily hit his hands on the steering wheel and slammed the car door before going back into the motel room. He was sitting on the bed when Sam and I came in.

"What?" he asked, throwing his hands up.

Sam looked from him to me, and put his hands up in surrender. Dean looked over at me. "You look like shit" he remarked.

"Thanks" I stated, not amused.

"When was the last time you got some sleep?" he asked, looking worried.

"Can't remember" I said, with a shrug. I kind of wished that he would just shut up. "Why do you even care?"

"Um, I don't know" he said gruffly, glaring at me. "Maybe because I'm your older brother?"

I rolled my eyes. "Bite me, Dean" I got up and went out the door without another word. If he thought I was just going to forgive him for all of this, he had another thing coming. I sat right outside the room on the cold concrete. My butt was frozen, and I had my knees hugged to my chest. I didn't know what to do anymore. I was just so confused; my own thoughts weren't making sense anymore.

I picked up my cell and dialed the only person who I knew could give me good advice. "Bobby?" I asked, when I heard him pick up. "It's Alexis"

"You in trouble?" he asked, concerned.

"No" I said. "But I think I'm about to become homicidal"

"Your brothers?"

"Yeah"

He grunted and I heard the scraping of a chair as he sat down. "I remember when you was little? You and your brothers were as close as ever, but even close siblings fight, you know?" He paused. "You need to get this out of your system, understand?"

"Yeah" I said. "Thanks, Bobby"

"No problem, darling" he said gruffly, and hung up.

Bobby was a man of little words, but he got shit done.

I put my head on my knees, trying to come up with a really good reason to calm myself down, suck it up, and go back in the room. So far, I wasn't thinking of much. I was only going to get an earful from Dean, and Sam's moodiness. In the end, I didn't have to do either, since Sam came outside and sat next to me. "I won't bring it up anymore" he said finally.

I took a moment to absorb that. I scooted closer, leaning on him more. He put his arm around me and squeezed. "I'm still mad at you" I said, putting my head on his shoulder.

"Uh-huh" he smirked, ruffling my hair a little.

"Thanks, Sammy"

Dean opened the door, coming out with a purpose. "You two ready to go talk to our little friend?" he asked.

I didn't say anything, and got into the backseat. We headed back to Neil's office, where we were sure he had to be. Sam knocked on the door. "What are you guys doing here?" Neil asked, opening the door.

"You know, I've heard of some people doing some pretty desperate things to get laid, but you? You take the cake" Dean scoffed, walking in the office.

"Okay, who are you guys?" Neil asked, shaking his head.

"You might wanna ask Angela that question" Dean replied.

Neil's eyes darkened. "What?"

"We know what you did" I said. "The ritual, everything"

Neil scoffed, shrugging my words away. "You're crazy"

"Your girlfriend's past her expiration date, and we're crazy?" Dean asked. "When someone's gone, they should stay gone. You don't mess with that kind of stuff"

"Angela killed Matt" Sam said. "She tried to kill Lindsey"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Neil denied. He wouldn't look us in the eyes. That was a definite sign that he did in fact know what we were talking about.

Dean stomped over and grabbed him by his collar. "No more crap, Neil! This blood is on your hands. Now, me and him can make this right, but you've gotta tell us where she is. Tell us!"

"My house. She's at my house" Neil gasped, looking freaked. I glanced at the dead plant next to me. Right. She was at the house.

"You sure about that?" Dean asked him, catching the same drift that I had. Neil nodded, but looked over at the closet. Dean looked over too. "Listen, it doesn't really matter where she is. There's only one way to stop her, and we've gotta perform another ritual over her grave to reverse the one that you did"

He looked at Sam and me. "We're gonna need some black roots, some scarweed, some candles" he listed. I was confused as to why he was listing the supplies for a séance, until I realized the plan that he was going with. I hoped to god it worked. "It's very complicated, but it'll get the job done. She'll be dead again in a couple hours. I think you should come with us" Neil just looked confused. "I'm serious. Leave with us, right now"

"No" Neil said, looking at the closet again. "No"

Dean went close to him, speaking so quiet I could barely hear him. "Listen to me. Get out of here as soon as you can. But most of all, be cool. No sudden movements. Don't make her mad" He smirked, and we left walking slowly.

"Nice" I scoffed, walking to the car. "What are we going to do if she doesn't come?" I asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" Dean said, heading towards the cemetery. We grabbed the shovels, and some other random crap that would make it looks like we were doing some sort of ritual. "Just for the record?" I said. "I vote not to be bait"

"Then who is?" Sam asked, looking at Dean. Dean scoffed, and pulled out a coin. "Heads" Sam said quickly. Dean looked at it and smiled. "Damn it" I lit a candle and handed it to Sam. "You really think this is gonna work?" Sam asked, placing the candle in a circle.

"No, not really" Dean sighed. "But it was the only thing I could come up with"

There was a rustle by the trees. Dean and I looked at Sam and I motioned for him to go. He was bait after all. He took the gun out his pants and headed into the trees. Dean and I hid off a little ways.

I heard a gunshot, and then Sam running towards her grave. He tripped, and she dived on top of him, reaching for his neck. I shot at her, hitting her dead on. She fell sideways. Dean moved forward and kept shooting her, knocking her backward until she fell into her grave. He handed me his gun and slid into her grave, ready to nail her down. "Wait, don't!" she cried.

Dean ignored her, not even flinching, and drove the knife into her chest. She gasped, and the fell limp again. She was dead. Again.

"What's dead should stay dead" Dean said.

I helped him out and we shared a sad glance. Sam handed me a shovel, and I took it gratefully. This bitch was going to stay dead. We shoveled dirt back on top for what felt like hours. The sun was up by the time we were done. "Rest in peace" I stated, patting the dirt.

"Yeah, for good this time, okay?" Dean scoffed.

"You know, the whole fake ritual thing? Luring Angela into the cemetery? Pretty sharp" Sam sighed. Dean smiled. "But did we have to use me as bait?" Sam asked.

"You lost the coin toss" He replied, smugly. "I figured you were more her type, anyway thought. She had pretty crappy taste in guys"

Sam frowned. "I think she broke my hand"

"You're just too fragile. We'll get it looked at later" Dean said, he shot me a glance, and I sighed unhappily at him. I was still mad. Sort of.

I let him open the door for me without a word, and he smacked me on the back. I glared at him, but shook my head. Dean looked back at my mother. "You wanna stay for a while?" Sam asked.

"No" Dean said, after a long pause. He shut the trunk, and got in the car.

We fell into a comfortable silence for the first time in awhile. We were all content with just letting it be. I lay still in the back, wishing so badly that I could sleep. I felt the car veer right, and sat up in confusion. Dean stopped the car, and got out. I looked to Sam. We were in the middle of nowhere.

He was sitting on the hood of the car, just staring out at nothing. "Dean, what is it?" Sam asked.

Dean didn't look at us. "I'm sorry"

"For what?" I asked, looking up at him.

"For shoving you back there. For the way I've been acting" he replied. I crawled onto the hood and sat down next to him, Sam sitting next to me as well. "And for Dad. I mean, he was all our dads" he added. "It's my fault he's gone"

"Your fault?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you've been thinking it, so have I" Dean said to me. "Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Back at the hospital, I had a full recovery. And it was a miracle. Then, five minutes later, Dad's dead and the Colt's gone"

"I was healed too" I said, shaking my head.

"Not like me"

Sam sighed. "Dean—"

"You can't tell me there's not a connection there. I don't know how the demon was involved. I don't know how the whole thing went down exactly. But Dad's dead because of me" Dean said. "And that much I do know"

"We don't know that" Sam replied. "Not for sure"

"Sam…you and Lexie, and Dad –-"he said. "You're the most important people in my life. And now…" I could see the tears in his eyes. "I never should have come back, Sam. It wasn't natural. And now, look what's come of it. I was dead. And I should have stayed dead" His voice was broken up. He was struggling not to cry, and it was destroying me on the inside. "You wanted to know how I was feeling. Well, that's it" He looked at Sam, and shook his head. "So, tell me…what could you possibly say to make that all right?" he asked. Tears were now falling freely down my face, and I realized that I did too. I wiped them away, looking up at the sky.

"I'm sorry too" Sam said after a moment. "I've been pushing this on you two, and I shouldn't. And…I don't know how to make this okay"

There was another long pause. None of us knew how to make this okay. "I'm sorry too for…." I shrugged. "I don't know" I said. "For being bitchy" No one said anything to that. We just sat in silence.

I lay back over the hood of the car, and Sam followed. The sun had gone down, and the stars were bright. Dean finally did the same, one arm behind his head. We all watched the stars in silence for awhile, before Sam said something. "Remember that one time in Tampa?" he asked. "When dad came back from a hunt and wanted to sleep?"

"And he threatened us that is we didn't either shut the hell up or leave he would kill us?" I smiled, shaking my head.

"Yeah" Dean snorted. "We went to get ice cream, and then did what we're doing now"

"And Lex dropped hers on the car" Sam laughed. I blushed. "I thought you were going to kill her, man"

"Because you kept poking me" I scowled, glaring at him.

"You always had butter fingers, ankle biter" Dean grinned.

"Shut up" I laughed. I found myself blanking out again. It was getting really late.

"We should get a room" Dean said, getting up. "It's late"

"Yeah" Sam said, with a yawn. "I need some sleep"

I got back in the car, in the front seat, and we got a room after only an hour. We pulled in, Dean got the room, and then I headed in. I sat down at the table while Sam took a shower and Dean messed around with his stuff. "You going to bed?" he asked me.

"Oh" I said, "Yeah, I guess" I sat there, not feeling tired right now. I would pretend if that would make Dean happy though.

"Okay, seriously?" he asked. "When was the last time you slept? Every time I wake up you're up. I haven't seen you sleep in weeks"

"I don't know" I said, thinking. "Before the accident"

"You haven't slept in a month?" he asked, surprised. "Why don't you take a pill or something?"

I paused, sitting up straight. "Because every time I close my eyes, all I can see is…." I shuddered. "I keep having nightmares"

"You're going to kill yourself" he said, shaking his head. "Try"

"Dean" I complained. "I can't"

He stared at me and sighed. "I'm going to the vending machine" he said. "Want anything?"

"Coke!" I called, as he left. Sam came out, with a smile, and started watching TV. He was already asleep by the time that Dean was back.

He walked in, went to hand me the coke, and then handed me a little pill instead. "Dean, I thought I said no" I scoffed, pushing his hand away.

"But I said yes" he argued. "And I'm the oldest, and you have to do what I say"

"I do not" I said, eyeing the pill suspiciously.

"Yeah, you do" he said, holding it out again. I glared at him. "Lex, I swear to god, I'll force it on you. Take it" I didn't move. He raised his eyebrows, daring me to keep going.

I scoffed, but took the stupid pill from him. He handed me the coke, and I downed the stupid pill, and then opened my mouth to show him I took the stupid thing. "There" I said. "Happy?"

"Very" he said gruffly. I just sat there, watching him get ready for bed and turn the TV off. "You might want to get into bed and lie down. I hear that helps when falling asleep"

I fell backwards, not bothering to lie under the blankets or anything. Dean shook his head in frustration. He came over, and swung me over his shoulder. "Put me down" I gasped, slamming my fists on his back. He threw me onto the bed.

"Sometimes I just want to shoot you with the sawed off" he said, flopping into bed next to me.

"Love you too, Dean" I smirked, and closed my eyes.

I fell asleep, and I didn't dream at all for once. I was healing, even if it was really slowly. I was going to have to let go. It would always hurt, but I had help with that. I had my brothers.

Even if they drove me nuts most of the time.


	30. Season 2, Chapter Five

**Author's Note: Thank you all for all your reviews! They mean a lot and I love the feedback. Sorry it took longer, but I tried to make this chapter really awesome, so definitely let me know what you think about it, okay? (Also, I made this entire thing up. If I got any information wrong, I seriously just googled it, so don't freak out, okay?) Also, I made a new one-shot series called younger years, so check that out if you like this story! **

**I don't own supernatural, except for Lexie and Logan!**

**Okay, shutting up! On with the show…**

**Chapter Thirty**

For the first time since my father had died, two things happened. One, I wasn't all depressed and moody. Two, we decided to take a break from hunting until we were all feeling up for it. Sam actually had broken his hand last hunt with the zombie chick anyway. We all needed some time to just breathe and be together and not be fighting, the supernatural or each other.

To tell the truth, I was bored. Dean and Sam were boys, and I am a girl. I know that's pretty obvious, but hey, it's true. All they wanted to do what stupid boy stuff or things that I couldn't do. Well, okay, the second part was mainly Dean. He wanted to drink and bring women who couldn't seem to keep their legs closed back here. Sam would go along with it, if it weren't for me. I told them that they could send me off to Logan's and I wouldn't mind, but Sam was adamant that we stay together. We had to be a family. Whatever that meant to him.

I didn't really mind too much, I guess. It gave me a chance to catch up on schoolwork and stuff like that. I was currently going through my duffel bag and picking out all the clothes that were ripped, torn, didn't fit, or were too bloodstained to ever really wear again. That only left me like three shirts and one pair of jeans. I proceeded to go through Sam and Dean's clothes, since I had to do laundry soon anyway, and ended up throwing away half their clothes too. (Except underwear. You couldn't pay me to touch that)

"Dean" I said, getting to my feet and going over to where he was sitting in front of the TV. "We have to go shopping"

"Shopping?" he asked, shaking his head. "For what? Food?"

"No for clothes, stupid" I said, pointing to the emptied duffels. "We have almost nothing left"

"_We_ have nothing left, or _you_ have nothing left?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I had been known to want to go shopping after all.

"Definitely we" I replied. "Trust me. I do your laundry"

He scoffed, and flipped the channel to some stupid daytime drama. "Well go without me" he complained. "I'm not shopping with you two girls"

"Hey" Sam said. "You're the picky one!"

I grinned and nodded. "It's true, De" I laughed. "You're the one who takes the longest, and I'm a girl. So that's saying something"

"Yeah, well" he stated, glaring at Sam.

"We could pick up some real food too" I added, as Sam opened the fridge. "I'll cook a real meal for once"

Sam shot me a look. "You can cook?"

"Yeah" I said. "Pastor Jim taught me a few summers ago" I sat down on the couch next to Dean. "Please?" I begged. I wasn't exactly a girly girl, but I mean, it was shopping. Dean ignored me, trying not to look at me. I laid my head on his lap, so that there was no way that he could look away from me. I pulled out my best puppy eyes, and smiled. "Please, De?"

He sighed, turning to Sammy. "You believe this?"

Sam snorted, and looked at him with his best puppy eyes too. "Please, De?" he mocked.

Dean rolled his eyes, and shut the TV off. "Fine" he said. "But I don't know where the mall is and I am not looking it up" Sam popped open his laptop, and within a minute, he had directions. "Stop encouraging her" Dean growled.

"C'mon" I said, pulling my shoes on. "Let's go"

From the moment we arrived at the mall, all of our moods improved. It wasn't too crowded, which was nice. I was so awestruck I wasn't actually sure where I wanted to go first. We walked for a couple minutes, before I dashed into JC Penny's. I hadn't shopped therein years. Usually my father objected to buying me any clothes other than from Walmart.

Dean went off on his own, saying something about grabbing some jeans. Sam stayed with me, and let me drag him all over Junior's section of the store. I went from rack to rack, pulling out shirts that I knew I would never have the occasion to wear, and then putting them back reluctantly.

I grabbed shirts I knew didn't cost a million dollars, and that I could fight in without my boobs popping out. I grabbed a couple v-necks and two plaid button ups. I was satisfied, and then held them up for Sam. "Good?" I asked.

"Fine" he shrugged. "I'm going to check out some jeans and make sure Dean's okay. You okay by yourself for a minute?"

It was times like these I wished I had sisters. "Yeah" I said, and he left. I grabbed one more v-neck t-shirt, and then went to the jeans. "Crap" I said, looking at the sizes. I had no idea what size I was. I seriously hadn't been shopping in months, and my old jeans were getting too small. I stared at them for a minute and then grabbed one size bigger than my pants said now.

I tried them on, and they actually fit. I was impressed. I had no butt or curves really, so finding jeans that didn't hang off my butt was a problem. I grabbed two pairs and then went back to the shirts. I stared at the red one that I really liked. I wasn't sure when I would ever wear it. It was longer, and kind of low cut.

"Hey" Sam said, coming up behind me. "You good?"

Dean was sulking, with nothing in his hands. "You didn't find anything?" I said, rolling my eyes. He was seriously that picky. He could find something wrong with everything.

"No" he scoffed. "This store sucks"

"Yeah" I said, eyeing Sam's selection of button ups and jeans. "I can see where you'd have a huge problem with it"

We went to check out, and I pulled out my wad of cash that I had collected from random jobs and hustling. "Lemme get it" Dean said, pulling out his wallet.

"I have money" I stated. I didn't move, and he shoved me out of the way, handing the amused clerk the card. Dean handed me the bag, a satisfied look on his face. "Thanks, De" I said, with a smile.

"No problem, ankle biter" he replied, and we left.

We went to three more stores before I had bought enough clothes to last me awhile, and I knew I didn't need any more. Sam had insisted that I get a Hollister hoodie that he knew I wanted, so I made him buy a new pair of tennis shoes that he insisted he didn't need. We usually didn't splurge on ourselves, so this was a big accomplishment for us. Sam and I had even convinced Dean to buy the expensive boots that he was eyeing.

All in all, it was a good day.

"Want to go into here?" Dean asked, pointing to the music store.

"I'll meet up with you here in ten" I said. "I have to go get some things"

"What things?" Sam asked, calling after me as I walked away. They didn't want me to head off all by myself.

"Girl things!" I called back, making him cringe. For god's sake, he had lived with a freaking girl when he was at Stanford. How did these things honestly make him uncomfortable?

I went to the one store that I never actually thought I would go in. Victoria's secret. It was too pink and just….pink. I think that was the only word to describe it. I nervously walked around, eyeing all the different styles and claims. I had to admit, I would not mind if I got a bra that would increase my bra size by two cup sizes. Dean would though. Yeah, Dean would definitely mind. A lot.

"First time here?" an employee asked, folding some panties and putting them back on the display.

I blushed. "Yeah" I said.

She smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about it" she laughed. "Do you know what you're looking for?"

"Something cute" I said. "Just not too…"

"I hear you" she replied, not even bothering to let me finish that sentence. "Got a boyfriend I take it?" I nodded, feeling myself getting redder by the minute. She walked me over to a display, and pulled out a black and pink striped bra. "Here" she said. "Covers enough, but is still cute. She eyed me for a moment. "You look like a B cup"

I took the bra she handed me, and then she also handed me matching underpants. "Can I try it on?" I asked.

"Of course" she said, pointing me in the direction of the fitting area. I went in, peeled everything off, and put the bra on.

I looked…different. I wasn't like the models that showed these off, but I didn't look too bad either. I felt weird, since I looked so promiscuous, but I was happy with it nonetheless. I bought both things, and then shoved them both in the JC Penny's bag. I had to hide this from Sammy and Dean, or they would freak. I remembered asking Dean if I could get a bra in the first place, and I thought he was going to die. And don't even get me started about my period. They both still freaked when they saw me pop a few Midol.

I found them in the music store, Sam complaining to Dean about his music choices. "Seriously man" Sam whined. "You have all this music"

"Yeah" Dean argued. "But this is the _best _of Led Zeppelin" He held up the cassette tape. "It's all on one tape"

"So?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes.

"So?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "You just don't understand, man"

"Hey" I said, "I'm good"

"You got your…"Sam trailed off, looking away from me embarrassed.

"Yeah" I smirked. "We can go"

Dean ended up buying his tape, and then we exited the store, and I walked happily back to the Impala, all our bags in hand. We threw them in the trunk, and headed back to the motel room. Dean went back to watching TV, and I went to take a quick shower before we headed out later to get food.

"Dude!" I heard Dean exclaim. "What the hell is this?" I ignored him, shaking my head, until I heard the banging on the door. "Lex, are you decent?"

I groaned, "Yeah!" I called back. "What do you want?"

Dean opened the door and held up my new bra by the strap. He held it out at me like it was poison or something. "This look familiar?" he asked, angrily.

"Dean!" I said, snatching it away from him. "Why are you going through my stuff?"

"I wasn't" he replied. "I thought it was my stuff! And what they hell do you need that for?"

"It's a _bra_, Dean" I stated, rolling my eyes. I figured you would at least be familiar with those at twenty seven"

"I mean, why do you need one like_ that_?"

I scoffed. "What do you mean?"

"It unhooks in the front" he complained, pointing at it like it was a monstrosity to all mankind. "Why can't you just where a normal one?"

"This is normal, Dean" I said, going to close the door.

"Yeah, okay" he said sternly. He stopped me from closing the door. "But remember its called Victoria's_ secret_ for a reason okay?"

"Yeah, Dean" I scoffed. "I got it" I shut the door in his face, and locked it. "And stay out of my stuff!" I added. Leave it to Dean to make a crappy joke like that.

I took a shower, and headed out to see Sam staring intently at the TV screen in confusion. "What?" I asked, towel drying my hair. "What's wrong?"

"This murder" he said, pointing. "It's weird and the third of its kind"

"I thought we weren't doing any case profiling" Dean said, coming over and looking at the screen too.

"We aren't" Sam said. "But if it's something of ours we should at least see if we can help, right?" he asked. "I mean, we can't let more people die"

Dean looked at me, and I shrugged. I could care less. "Alright" he said, "What's going on"

"A girl was found in an empty field in the next town over. She's the second to be found there. None of them were actually killed there. They were taken there after" he said.

"That doesn't sound like our kind of gig" I said, sitting down and watching the screen in interest. They were talking about some stupid dog pageant show now. Way to get your priorities straight, news channel.

"Both women were found with a death tarot card next to them" he went on. He was already on his laptop. "I never thought those cards were to be taken literally"

"I don't think they are" I said. "They represent other things"

"So this person is an amateur" Dean scoffed. "They don't even know the lore"

"Yeah" Sam said. "Or they're trying to get attention" he scanned the screen. "Yeah" he said. "The death card actually means change, or a new cycle starting"

"Well I don't think that's how they meant it" I said, shaking my head.

"Why don't we just check the site and body for any signs of supernatural activity, and if we don't find anything, we'll stop" Sam said, looking to Dean.

"Sure" he said. "But I get the morgue and Lex is going with me"

I grimaced. "Fine" I said, grabbing the hair dryer they gave with the room. "But I gotta do my hair first"

Dean and I went into the morgue, and walked to the back with a purpose. No one even stopped us. Dean went to the files and looked up where our latest body was. He pulled it out and took the sheet off. "There's nothing weird" I stated, looking at the bruises on her neck. "What was the cause of death? Strangling?"

"Yeah" Dean said, eyeing the bruises too. "By hand apparently. This person meant business"

"What's that?" I asked, putting on a glove. I picked it up and looked at the dark purple fleck.

"Paint?" Dean asked, with a shrug.

"No" I said, looking at it. "Nail polish"

"What does that mean?" he asked, sliding the body back. He looked back at the file cabinet and pulled out more reports.

"Means our killer was a woman" I replied. I paused. "Although…"

"Shut up" he smirked. "That doesn't really help anyway" he replied. He pulled out the Tarot card. "And what's up with the cards?"

"I don't know" I sighed. I pulled the glove off and ditched it. "Like Sam said, it doesn't seem like the person knew anything about Tarot cards"

"I think we just have a psycho here" Dean said, handing me the card. "There's nothing weird about it.

"Should we take it?" I asked.

"Why not?" he shrugged. "Maybe Sam can tell us more about it" I shoved the card in my jacket pocket. "None of the other victims have anything special either"

"Nothing?" I asked. "So so far we got cards and purple nail polish"

"Maybe Sam got something" he shrugged. "C'mon we better get outta here" We met Sam back at the motel room, where he seemed to be staring intently at a little piece of paper. "What's that?" Dean asked.

"I found it at the site" he stated, holding it up. "All it has is the number six on it"

"Oh" I said, sitting down. "Well that's cool. We found out she was strangled by a supposed woman with purple nail polish and that the Tarot card is so far completely irrelevant"

"I don't think this is our kind of case, Sammy" Dean said, sitting down. "We'll check out the girl's house, but if nothing turns up…"

"Yeah" I agreed. "We'll check it out, and drop it if we find nothing"

"Alright" he sighed, already getting up. I shot him a confused look "I got the address while I was waiting for you guys to get back" he admitted.

Dean rolled his eyes and we headed back out. I had to admit, this case had to be a dud. We had nothing. Just nothing. We got to the girl's, whose name was Karen, house. We went into the backyard. Sam lifted me onto the deck roof and I opened the window, and then the back door. It was no use breaking the police tape on the front door.

I let them in and we began our search. "What are we exactly looking for?" I asked. I picked up a pillow and put it back on the couch.

"Maybe she's a witch or something" Dean said, opening the fridge.

Sam closed it on him. "That piece of paper could have originally had three 6's on it" he suggested. "That could be something"

I looked through the backs of closets and the basement for some sign of witchcraft. I found no hex bags, but when I opened her desk drawer, I pulled out a pile of letters the same blue color as the piece of paper Sam had found, and they all had numbers one through five. "Dean" I said, holding them up. "Look"

He came over and took them, his eyebrows wrinkling in confusion. "Huh" he said, pulling Tarot cards out of them. "That's weird"

"Yeah" I said.

"Sammy" he called, "I think we got something"

Sam put the EMF back in his pocket and picked the cards up. "Huh" he said, identical to Dean. "The one that this paper belongs to isn't here"

"Nope" I said, shaking my head. He handed them back, and I put them back in the drawer for the police to find.

"You think we got something though?" Dean asked, "I mean, I don't know of any monsters that kill by tarot cards"

"Maybe it's just a psycho" I sighed. I looked out the window. "Five-O, we gotta get out" I said, motioning to the police cars that pulled up.

We walked back to the Impala, which we parked around the block. "I don't know, guys" I said "I think we should lie low, and if nothing turns up, we ditch this case"

"That's sounds good" Sam nodded. "So you wanna stop so that you can cook us that meal?" he joked. Dean shook his head with a laugh.

"Just because you said that" I said, glaring at them. "Yeah. Let's stop"

"I was just kidding" he scoffed, opening the door for me.

"I wasn't" I shot back. This was going to be the best freaking meal they had ever had. I would make sure of that.

"Well I think we should just head back" Dean said. "You can cook us a meal after we're sure that this case is nothing, okay?"

I sighed. "Fine"

The girl answered the phone for the millionth time. "Have you checked the children?" he gravelly voice asked.

"Who is this?" Jill demanded.

"Have you checked the children?" he asked again.

"This isn't funny" she replied, and he hung up. She proceeded to run upstairs and check the children. They were sleeping soundly.

The door banged shut behind me and I jumped, grabbing Dean's arm. "Hey" Sam said, walking in. I abruptly let go of Dean's arm and cleared my throat. Dean was laughing his ass off.

"Shut up" I grumbled.

"Would you two stop watching that?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes. "You know how it's going to end. This is the remake"

"Dude shut up" Dean said. "This one's got a hotter chick in it" He went back to the screen, and I grimaced as the cop yelled at her through the phone that the man was in the house with her. Dean laughed, shoving his face full of cheeseburger that Sam handed him. "This is where the shit hits the fan"

The rest of the movie was her evading the dude, getting the kids out, and then freaking out in the hospital. The credits rolled and Dean burped, throwing his wrapper to the trash. "I'm gonna go fill up the car" he stated, grabbing his coat.

Sam looked at him. "Can you grab me—"

"Dude, just come with me" Dean complained. He looked at me. "You too scared to stay alone now?" he smirked.

"Just get out" I stated, rolling my eyes. "I think I can handle it"

Dean smirked one last time, dragging Sammy out the door behind him. They were gone a few minutes and my cell phone rang. I rolled my eyes when I saw unknown caller and picked it up anyway. "Hello?" I asked. It was only breathing. "Dean, nice try" I scoffed, before hanging up.

It rang again, and I picked it up. "Dean, this is retarded if you think that—"

"Are you all alooonnnee?" the voice asked. I thought it sounded like Sammy.

I smirked. "Why?" I asked. "Is this that guy I hooked up with the other night?" There was no answer. I dropped to a seductive tone. "Because if it is—"

"What?" I heard Dean asked in the background, and the person abruptly hung up. I laughed to myself and shook my head.

I searched the fridge for that coke that I bought earlier and downed some of it before the room phone rang. I picked it up. "If you think that switching lines is going to—"

"Miss?" a girl's voice said, sounding confused. "This is from the front desk? We have something here for you?"

"Sorry" I apologized, mentally smacking myself for confusing this poor girl. "I'll be right there" I locked the door on the way out and walked the twenty feet to the little main office the motel had. I walked in, and the lady smiled.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

I gave her a confused look. "Um, I think you just called my room? Room 14?" I asked. "You said you had something for me?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "No…" she said. "I didn't call you, hold on" She turned around and opened the door. "Hey! Did you call room 14? Or did someone leave anything here for them?"

"No!" came the reply.

"Sorry" she said with a shrug. "Must have been a mistake"

Immediately, all my senses were on the suspicious and freaked setting. I made my way back to the room, and pulled out my cell phone. "Dean" I said, as he entered. "Please tell me that was you"

"What was me?" he asked, and I could hear Sam yelling to him if he wanted anything. "No, man" he called back.

"Someone called me saying to go to the front desk" I said. "But they said no one did"

"Is this a joke?" Dean asked, sounding annoyed. "Because it's not really that funny"

"No" I said, now freaking out. I was standing outside our room. I pulled out my key, but realized the room was already opened. "Dean" I said, backing away and not going in. "Someone was in our room while I was gone"

"How—"

"I locked the door" I said, and shuddered. "And it's not locked now"

"Are you sure you—"

"I'm positive" I shot back, irritated. Dean didn't believe me, and I was freaking petrified. "Hang on" I said, kicking the door open all the way with my foot. "I'm going in"

"No, Lex don't—"

"I've got my knife" I said, kneeling down and pulling it out. "I'll call you back"

"Lex, I swear to god, don't—"

I didn't hear the rest because I hung up on him. I knew I was going to pay for that, but I had to make sure that no one was in there anyway. I gripped my knife and went inside. I was ready for an attack. I turned on the lights, and found it empty. It didn't look like anyone was in here. I checked the bathroom. My cell rang. "Yeah" I said into it, ready to get an earful.

"What the hell?" Sam shouted, and I could hear Dean yelling next to him. "Are you okay?"

"M'fine" I said. "Whoever was in here was gone"

There was noise, and Dean was on the line. "Salt and lock the damn doors and windows" he instructed.

"De—"

"DO IT!" he yelled, and I locked myself in and got out the salt. "Good?" he asked.

"Yeah" I said, lining the door and the windows. "You close?"

"Pulling in the lot" he said, and then the connection clicked off.

I sighed and sat down on the bed, waiting. I went to take another drink of my coke, hoping it would calm down my quickening heart beat. It didn't, because that was when I saw the blue piece of paper on the table. I stared at it, as the door opened.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Dean demanded. "You could've been attacked or—"He stopped when he saw my shocked face. "What's wrong?" he asked, immediately more concerned than mad.

I picked it up and showed it to him, Sam gasped. Dean took it and opened it without a second thought. Two Tarot cards popped out, the moon card and the five of cups. He looked at them, trying not to look freaked out like Sam and I clearly were. I was pacing like I always did when I was freaking out. "You think this was meant for us?" he asked.

"No" I said. "I think these were meant for the guy next store. They probably just got us mixed up with the other people who were looking up this case"

"I meant us or just you" he replied, not looking amused. He sat down with Sam at the table and watched as Sam went all crusade on his laptop. Although he wasn't trying to show it, I could see the familiar worry lines on his forehead.

"I think me" I replied. "Otherwise why would they wait until I was alone?"

Dean said nothing. "What do they mean?" he asked Sam after a minute.

Sam sighed. "Tarot cards are typically read in a twelve or six phase spread" he started. "I think that's where the six on the paper I found came from" he added.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked.

"This is the first set of six" Sam explained, holding up the two cards. "That represents what you're feeling now"

"What do they mean?" Dean asked.

"The moon means regret or remorse" Sam said, scrolling down. "Like in mourning. The five up cups is deception, or that the person is being deceived"

There was silence. My heart was panging in my chest. "I'm mourning" I said. "I'm being deceived by the person giving me this" I held up the blue envelope. Still, neither said anything.

"It's a game" Sam said finally.

"What?" Dean asked.

"The Tarot cards are clues" he said, uneasily. "Whoever is doing this? It's all a game to them. And if you don't figure it out by the six phase—"

"I die" I stated.

"No" Dean said, getting up. "You're not going to die" He went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. He seemed calmer when he came back. "Okay" he said. "What about the other girls? Did they receive cards before they were killed?"

"Yeah" Sam said, turning the laptop around. "The mother of the first death said that she received these letters with them inside for a week before she died"

I grimaced. "So we have a week?" I asked.

Sam shrugged. "We don't know"

"Well this person apparently knows who we are" I scoffed. "How did they know that I'm mourning?"

"It has to be something supernatural" Sam said. "A demon or a witch is the only ones I know that could find that out"

"We have no leads" Dean said, packing his gun in his pants. "We gotta figure this out fast"

"Where are we going to go?" Sam asked. "It's almost eight o'clock"

Dean stopped what he was doing and looked at me before taking the gun back out of his pants and sighing. "Fine" he said. "First thing then" He pulled his shoes off and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

I looked to Sam, who was back into his research, and crawled up next to him. He said nothing, just putting his arm around me. "I'll be okay" I stated.

"I know" he said, pulling me closer. "I won't let anything hurt you"

"I know, Dean" I said, looking up at him. "I know that"

He clenched his jaw. "I promised dad that I would take care of you" he said. "And this is what happens"

"Shut up" I said, not wanting to talk right now. "We'll figure this out" I went on. "I trust you, De"

"Thanks, ankle biter" he smiled. "But I'm supposed to be comforting you right now"

"Then just shut up" I repeated, my head on his arm. I fell asleep like that, and woke up in nearly the same spot except Dean was gone, already in the shower when I woke up.

I rolled onto my back and wiped the stray tear from my eye. I wasn't going to lie, I was scared. Hell, I was terrified. I wasn't sure Dean or Sam knew how to get me out of this. I sure didn't have a clue.

"You alright?" Sam asked, kicking the door closed with his foot. He put the coffee on the table.

"M'good" I sighed. "Figure anymore out?"

"Yeah" he said, tossing papers at me. "The girl's were around this diner a lot? But it's the only place in the town, so I'm not sure if that's really a connection"

"Worth a shot" I sighed, and pulled on some jeans and my converse that I got at the store the other day. "We can check the first girl's house. Maybe it was some witchcraft gone rogue"

"Maybe" he said, as Dean came out fully dressed already.

"Where are we going first?" he asked, taking a long sip of his coffee. I glanced him over. I wasn't sure he slept much last night. My heart panged. That was my fault.

"First dead girls house" Sam replied. "Then a diner"

"Diner?" he asked. "To eat?"

"That and the girl's frequented it" Sam smiled.

"Let's go" he said, not even finishing his coffee. I was shocked. I knew I was supposedly going to die, but hell. Dean had finished his coffee even when _he _almost died.

We went to the first dead girl's house, Sarah, where she had lived with her boyfriend. "I already told the cops about the stupid cards" he said, as he led us inside. "She didn't say anything about them"

"Not a thing?" Dean asked desperately.

"No" he replied. "I already told the cops that"

"Right" Sam said. "Well do you mind if we check her room? We think we may have missed something"

"Whatever" he said. "Upstairs on the left"

Sam, Dean and I made it into her room and started looking around. I found her diary and flipped it open. "This is interesting" I said, holding it up. It was filled with pictures of death and skulls and other stuff like that.

"Whoa" Dean said. "She was into something"

"I don't know" Sam said, "That isn't anything witchcraft like or anything. It just looks like Macabre"

"What's that?" I asked.

"Just art that is about death" he sighed.

"So it's nothing" Dean sighed, tossing the book back down. "We got nothing"

"C'mon" I said, putting the book back. "Let's get to that diner" I left the room without another word.

I exited the house, fighting the tears. We think we found something, and yet we have nothing. I was going to die if we didn't figure this out soon. "You okay?" Sam asked me, as they caught up to me.

"Yeah" I said, "I'm freaking out a little. But I'm okay"

"It's going to be okay" Sam said, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"You already said that" I replied, coldly. "Everyone says that"

Sam shrugged, grinning slightly to try to make me feel better. "That's cuz it's true"

The diner was small, and a very small town type place. Everyone seemed to know the waitresses and all the customers were drinking their coffee. I noticed this in the first moment that I walked in the door and the hostess smiled at us curiously. "You new in town?" she asked, grabbing three menus. "You don't look familiar"

"We're just passing through" Dean said, giving her a flirtatious smile. "We heard this place is good"

"Oh, it is" she giggled, as Dean looked her over. I looked at Sam and rolled my eyes in annoyance. Dean couldn't wait to get out here and save my life by flirting with a freaking waitress. "We have the best coffee in town"

"Great" Dean smiled. He looked around. "Seems like this is one tight knit town, too"

"Yeah" she nodded. "Gossipy too"

"Really?" Dean asked, although I knew this really did not shock him at all. "About what? What's the latest?"

"Why don't you let me seat you, and I'll tell you" she laughed. Dean nodded and she sat us down at a table in the back corner. "There's been a couple brutal deaths around here"

"What happened?" Sam asked, jumping into the conversation.

"These poor girls were killed by some psycho" she shook her head. "Poor girls. They hung around here almost every day, friends with some of my waitresses here. Like I said, small town"

A girl came over and smiled at the hostess. "I can take over" she said. The hostess smiled at Dean again, and sauntered off. "My name is Christina. I'll be taking care of you" she said. She had on tons of jewelry, including some necklaces with weird crap on them. "What can I get you?" she asked.

"Two coffees and an orange juice" Dean replied without another thought. She walked off and he looked to me and Sam. "You think it has something to do with one of the waitresses here?"

"I'm not sure, Dean" Sam shook his head.

The waitress laid down two coffees and my juice and I decided that if I wanted to live, I was going t have to freaking take charge. "Those girls who died" I said, as the waitress stopped. She turned to look at me. "Did you know them well?"

"Uh, sort of" she admitted. "But Rachel was better friends with them" She pointed to a girl who was at the counter taking cash.

"Thanks" I said, and she walked off. I looked to Dean. "I think we need to talk to Rachel"

"Good call, Lex" Sam said. We ate, and our plan was to confront Rachel as soon as we were going to get out of here. By the time that we had eaten however, Rachel was gone.

"She bartends at the bar on Gregory Ave" our waitress said to Dean. "I would check there"

We walked out the door, and I felt slightly better. At least now we had someone to talk to, we had someone to go off of. "Hey!" Christina, our waitress called. "I think you left this!"

I turned around to see her waving a blue envelope in the air. It looked exactly like the first one, except this one had the number 2 on it. I took is hesitantly, and nodded. "It was on your table" she said.

"Thanks" I said. I contemplated telling her to throw it out. Maybe if I ignored it this would all go away. Too bad life didn't work that way.

Dean wrenched it out of my hands and opened it. "Justice" Dean stated. He handed it to Sam. "What does that mean?"

Sam pulled his laptop out and sat down in the car. "What you most want at this moment" he replied. "Justice, for what happened to all the people in this town?" He shrugged, and looked at me. "What do you want Justice for?"

"A lot of things" I said back, getting into the backseat. "This isn't a very good clue" I paused, and then found myself panicking. "Hang on" I said, running back inside of the diner. Dean tried to stop me, but when he couldn't was hot on my trail. I glanced back at Christina. She had purple nail polish. I pointed and mouthed polish at Dean. He looked and then immediately went from annoyed with me to fuming.

He stalked over. "Can you tell me where you were on Tuesday?" he asked.

She gave him a confused look. "Here" she replied. "What the hell is this?"

"You're sure you were here?" he asked. He looked down at her nail polish.

"I can account for that" the hostess said, smiling at Dean. "Why, is there a problem?"

Sam stopped Dean, not wanting him to make a scene. The entire diner was already looking at us. "No" I said, I looked down. "Nice nail polish" She gave me a weird look, and we left.

"Damn it" Dean swore, kicking the tire of the Impala. "I thought we actually had something"

"Can we just go talk to that girl?" I asked, opening the car door. "Please?"

We had to wait until later, which really just meant that I had to spend my time watching Dean pace around the motel room, and Sam scan over his laptop for something, _anything, _that would help us figure this out. We were so screwed. I was so screwed. I got off the bed and grabbed my coat. "I'm going for a walk" I stated, and went out the door before either of them could stop me.

My head was killing me. I just wanted to at least get something. I decided to go over everything in my head. Two girl's had died so far. They received Tarot cards for up to a week before they were killed by someone. Maybe the cards were cursed? No, we would've seen signs of foul play. There were no signs of witchcraft at all. A demon maybe? But who was possessed. No one so far seemed to have the tell tale signs. They seemed normal. Christina had the nail polish, but she had a solid alibi. It all rested on this Rachel girl. I hoped that she could tell me something about what the hell was going on here.

I went back and Dean and Sam were staring at me like I was nuts. "What?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Nothing" Dean said, with a shrug. "You're just freaking out"

I gave him a deadpan stare. "Can you blame me?"

He said nothing, and Sam stood up. "Let's go" he said, and we went to the bar.

Rachel was bartending, but looked really distraught. Dean walked up and smiled. "Hi" he said. "We're with the Police department, and we'd like to ask you a few questions"

"I already talked to the cops" she replied, wiping the table.

"Well we'd like to go over it all again" Sam said, "Please?" he asked, when she looked pissed off. She sighed and motioned for us to come around the back. She brought us into the little back room and closed the door behind her. "Okay" she said. "What?"

"You were friends with both of the girl's who died?" Sam asked. She nodded. "Did you notice anything weird about them days before they died?"

"No" she said. "They were all fine"

"And the Tarot cards?" Dean asked.

"I don't know where they came from" she said. "I mean, Sarah was into some stuff, and she showed all of us, but as I don't think she killed herself and then managed to kill Karen too way later"

"What kind of stuff?" I asked, hoping this might be our answer.

"I don't know" she scoffed. "Just stuff" She looked at us, annoyed. "Look, whatever Sarah was doing had nothing to do with her death. That was just some psycho"

"Have you got any Tarot cards?" Sam asked, looking semi hopeful that the answer would be yes.

"What?" she asked, with a shrug. "No, can I go now?"

"Wait" I said, "One last question" I looked at her purple painted nails. "Is that your nail polish?"

She looked at me like I was crazy and curled her fingers in. "No" she said, shaking her head. "It was Sarah's"

I nodded. "Thanks" She nodded too, and then left the back room. "I don't believe her" I said to Sam.

"About the nail polish?"

"No" I said. "About the Tarot cards. Didn't you see her face when you asked her?"

"Well what do you want us to do?" Dean asked.

"I don't know" I said, exasperated. "I was just saying. Maybe she's in trouble too"

"We don't even know how to save you" Dean said, motioning us to the door. "We can't help her if we can't help you"

"Yeah" Sam agreed, as we walked out of the bar. I didn't say anything. I just pointed to the hood of the Impala. There was something under the windshield wipers, and I had a really good feeling it was not a ticket. I picked it up and opened it, pulling out two more cards.

"Three of swords and Eight of swords" I stated, and looked at Dean.

"Get in the car" he said, pushing me in. We sped off back to the motel room and Sam went to look up what they meant. I sat on the couch with my head in my hands.

"Your fears" Sam stated, sitting next to me. "Three of swords is physical harm and eight of swords is Nightmares that come true"

"This is my nightmare come true" I stated, not moving from my fetal position. Sam sighed, and looked to the TV.

"Holy shit" he said, and turned up the volume.

"Our strange Tarot card killer has struck again" the news anchor announced. "This time, it's Rachel Hubbard, a local waitress. She was friends with the other two recent deaths. Is this some random killing? Or a planned attack? Police have not commented yet"

"Shit" Dean said, pacing again."Shit. Shit. Shit." That was his mantra as he paced around the room. "You were right" he said, "She was getting them. She fucking lied"

"Dean" I said.

"She lied to us. She could've helped. She could've told us—"

"Dean" I said, cutting him off. "Breathe"

He stopped and looked at me like I was nuts. There was a knock, and he stalked over to answer it."Hey" Dean said, answering the knock on the door. "Lex"

I looked up to see Logan smiling at me. "Logan" I said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi to you too" he laughed, hugging me tightly. "Sam told my dad that you were in trouble and I made him tell me what was going on, but that was all he would tell me. That you were in some sort of trouble" he said, in reply to my question. I shot Sam an annoyed look. Why did he have to tell my problems to the world? "I snuck out and took two buses to get here"

"Thanks" I said, with a small smile. "But you didn't have to come"

"I had to make sure you were okay" he stated. "I was worried" I smiled, and let him kiss me. Dean cleared his throat and I backed away from Logan, blushing slightly. "Oh" he said, pulling something out of his jacket pocket. "The lady at the front desk asked me to give this to you"

It was another blue envelope. Dean grabbed it from him and grabbed his shirt. "Where the hell did you get this?"

"The lady at the front desk" he repeated, looking freaked out. "Get off" he demanded, pushing him away. Dean handed me the envelope and then stomped out of the room. "What is going on?" Logan asked.

"I'm getting letters from a psycho killer" I stated. "And by the sixth one I'm supposed to die"

"What?" Logan asked, glaring at me.

"You're not going to die" Sam said, shaking his head. "We'll stop it"

"What number are you on?" Logan asked.

"Four" I replied.

"This is representing what is going for you" Sam replied. "Seven of wands mean that you must overcome your fear, and use fear for whatever"

"Use my fear?" I asked. "Seriously?" I collapsed back on the couch. "I don't want to use my fear, I want to kill whoever is messing with my mind!" I exclaimed.

Dean's phone rang. "Joshua" he said, looking at Logan. "Yeah, he's here" Logan gave me a guilty smile. "Yeah, it's only a few hours away, I can bring him home" He paused. "He wants to yell at you" Dean smirked, handing him the phone.

Logan took it, shooting me an apologetic smile. "No, dad, I know that" he rolled his eyes. "Can't I just stay until—"He stopped short. "Fine" he said, and handed Dean the phone. "Asshole" he scoffed.

"Yeah" Dean said, shaking his head at the phone. "I'll send Sam"

Sam scoffed, and grabbed his coat. "I'll be right back" he said, "C'mon"

Logan pouted the entire way to the door. I walked the way with him. Once the door was closed behind me, I grabbed his arm, and kissed him with so much force I thought my own lungs were going to give out. He looked slightly dazed, which was how I usually felt. "I hope your dad doesn't give you too hard of a time" I smiled. He smiled back, and Sam cleared his throat, his face all red. Logan hopped in the Impala, waving to me as they left.

I went back inside, and my mood immediately went back to dismal. Logan didn't know it, but that might be the last time I ever kissed him. I sat next to Dean, who was staring at nothing. I stared at nothing with him for a moment, before I felt myself start panicking again. My headache was way worse now. I choked on the tears that were forming. "I don't know what to do" I admitted.

"It's going to be—"

"Why do you keep telling me that?" I cried, too scared and irritated to keep back my emotions anymore. "It's not going to be okay, De. We both know that" He came closer, wrapping his arms around me in a very unlike Dean way. This was Sammy's job. "I'm freaking scared" I said. "And don't you dare tell me it's going to be okay"

"I won't" he said, gripping me tighter. We stayed like that for awhile, until I was only sniffling. "Get some rest" he said. "I'll wake you up if I have a breakthrough or something" He pushed me to the bed, even though I really didn't feel like sleeping right now.

I lay down, and did nothing but lie there. Dean called Bobby after an hour or so had passed. "Really?" I heard him say. "Thanks, Bobby" He hung up, and looked at me. I sat up. "I think we have something"

I came over by him, curiously. He took out all the Tarot cards so far and flipped them over, checking them out. "What is it?" I asked.

"Bobby said that most Tarot cards have marks on them that the owner made" Dean said, "They mark them as their own, to get better readings or something" He pointed to a tiny symbol etched with a pen in the upper corner.

"It looks familiar" I stated, scanning my memory. I sighed in frustration. "I can't remember" I threw the cards on the table. "I'm going to sleep" I stated, and flopped back on the bed.

I wasn't actually planning on going to sleep. I was planning on using the time to think and try to remember where I saw the stupid symbol before. I didn't realize that I was asleep until I found Dean shaking me awake. "What?" I asked, pushing him off of me.

He said nothing, and held up another envelope. I sat up, and was dizzy for a moment. My head was pounding. "Where did you—"

"I went to the pop machine down the hall" he said. "It was pushed through the window on the other side"

"Shit" I said, tearing it open. I went to the laptop, where Sam had bookmarked a site that explained Tarot cards. I silently thanked him and opened it up. "What is going against you" I said, looking at the screen. "Seven of cups, the person must make a choice about something in their life" I read. "A choice about what?" I asked Dean. He shrugged, and picked up the envelope.

"Ten of swords" he stated, handing another to me. "What's that mean?"

"The use of evil" I replied, staring at the screen. I put my head in my hands again. "This headache is—" I looked up, in surprise "Oh shit" I said, standing up and reaching for my cell phone. "How could I be so freaking stupid?"

"What?" Dean asked, as I dialed Sam. I got no answer. I tried Logan, and still got no answer.

"Shit" I repeated, wanting to cry.

"Stop swearing and tell me what the hell is—"

"She has them" I stated. "My head hurts, and Sam has to be in danger, and I was too tired and scared to freaking figure it out" I wiped the tear. "It fucking _has _them Dean"

"Where though?" he asked, staring at me.

I shook my head, and then got another spasm of pain through my head. "The symbol" I stated. "I know where it's from" I opened my eyes, and stood up. "Christina" I said. "She had a necklace"

"The waitress chick?" he asked.

"The diner" I stated. "They've got to be at the diner" I rushed out the door, and Dean and I sprinted our way to the diner, which was a mile away. I didn't stop once, my heart pounding. I couldn't believe that we didn't see that one coming. She was the only one left. The only other one who was wearing the nail polish. Her alibi had been solid, but it would've been easy for her to get the girl if she was right freaking there at the diner. She wouldn't have even had to leave.

"Go in" Dean said, as we stopped right before going in. "I'll go around back"

He left me on my own. I couldn't see anything through the windows. The lights were on, but the shades were pulled down. I grabbed my knife, and I opened the door, hearing the bell chime as I walked in. "Sammy?" I called. "Logan?"

"Hey" Christina laughed, as I rounded into the seating area. "Welcome to the party, Alexis" She had both Sam and Logan tied up, their hands tied in the air to the ceiling and their feel dragging on the floor. "I know you already know our other guests" she smiled.

"Let them go" I growled, clenching my fists.

"Um, I don't think so, sweetie" Christina laughed. "This is my game. I make the rules"

"This is a shitty game" I remarked, not moving an inch.

"Well" she said, pretending to be offended. "For thinking it's so shitty, you're not very good at it" She walked towards me a step.

"What are you, a demon?" I asked.

She grinned. "Surprise" she laughed, showing me her black eyes. "Pretty funny story"

"I'm sure it is" I stated.

"These silly girls and their stupid books" she giggled. "Sarah got a little too cozy with some demon stuff and called me up from the pit. I decided I had better teach them a lesson" She smiled at me. "You're just a bonus"

"Lucky me" I said, looking at Sam for some guidance. He didn't seem to have any words of advice.

"You got the last cards I take it?" she asked. I didn't respond. She smirked. "So you know you have a choice to make?" She looked over her shoulder at Sam and Logan, then back at me.

"I'm not choosing between them" I scoffed, inching closer. I gripped the knife closer. "Besides, don't I get one more card?"

She grinned, a sadistic smile. I wondered where the hell Dean was and what was taking him so damn long. "Check your pocket" she said. I reached in without taking my eyes off her and she grinned wider as I pulled out the Death card from the other girl's death. "You had that one the entire time" she said.

"Now" she said, taking it out of my hands. She put it towards Logan, who looked at me wide-eyed, and then at Sam, who was just glaring at her. "Choose" she demanded.

"No" Dean said, pointing a gun at her head.

"Dean" she said, happily. Dean went flying across the room into a wall. He groaned and she turned to look at him. "Take a load off" she said, throwing him again, this time over the counter. "We're not done yet" He went silent as he slumped over, having passed out.

I choked back another strangled sob. "Are you going to choose or do I have to?" she asked, no longer smiling. "Tick tock, Winchester"

I did the only thing I could honestly think of doing. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus" I started, reciting the exorcism from memory. "Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursion infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica"

She grimaced and twitched, but took a step towards me. "Choose, or I will kill them both!" she screeched.

"Ergo Draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te" I continued. "Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare"

"I said stop!" she said, throwing me across the diner. I fell against the counter with a gasp of pain. She took a step towards Sammy. She put out her hand and he screamed in pain.

I felt warm blood on my face. "Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis"

She fell, but laughed. Sam's head slumped forward. "You stupid hunters" she said. She turned to come at me, and I felt a surge of something go through me.

The window behind her crashed into a million pieces, and shards of glass went flying. She turned around, looking actually frightened. Hadn't she done that? I reached up and felt the drop of blood that was coming out of my nose.

"What the hell are you?" she asked me, as I struggled to stand up and walk over the glass towards her.

"You're worst nightmare, bitch" I said, "Humiliare sub potenti manu dei—" I was cut off by her lunging at me and grabbing a large piece of glass from the window. She held it to my throat, but my hands were around her wrists.

I groaned and tried to get her off, but she had demon strength. I was no match for her. She was too strong, even with the ritual half complete. "Hey" Dean said, kicking her off of me.

She fell sideways, but was already back coming at me within seconds. I grabbed a piece of glass, and as she lunged, I stabbed it into her. She screamed in pain, and my eyes widened, realizing what I had done. There was a girl in there. A normal girl. I had probably just killed her. "Contremisce et effuge, invocato an obis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt" I went on, pushing her off.

"No" she panted, falling. She laughed again. "I know what you are!" she yelled out.

"What?" I asked, "What the hell am I?" She smiled, knowing she had my full attention. "Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire Te rogamus, audi nos" I went on, as she screamed.

"You're His!" she choked out.

I paused. "Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris, te rogamus, audi nos" I finished. Black smoke poured out of her mouth and the girl slumped downward, dead.

I killed her.

Logan came over as soon as Dean cut him down, and put a hand under my chin, looking at me. Even though the emotion on the surface was relief, I could see the fear underneath. He didn't know what I was. I had exploded that window somehow. I had done that.

And then I had killed an innocent girl.

"You okay?" Dean asked, one arm under Sammy. Sam gave me a weak smile, which I couldn't return. "Lex?"

"Yeah" I said, getting up and looking down at the poor girl's body. "We gotta get out of here"

Dean nodded and we got out. We went to where Sam had been forced out of the Impala, right on the outskirts of the town. We had to walk, which was hard for all of us, having been beaten and battered. We grabbed our stuff out of the motel room and headed north to where Logan lived. His dad was probably freaking out. I sat in silence in the backseat, wanting to die.

I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide from everything. I had to hide from the pain, from my fear, from everything. But how can you hide from what never goes away?

My body was still aching when we went into Logan's house to explain why it took us so long to get him home. Other than a few cuts, Logan was fine. I couldn't really say that for the rest of us. I had about a billion cuts all over from the window exploding and then rolling around in it. I also had a huge bruise and was sore. Dean was sore, and so was Sam.

Joshua insisted that we stay until we were healed. He refused to let us leave in the state that we were in. I really didn't say much over the next few days. I was silent and mopey, but I didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't like they could make it okay.

Sam knocked on the door to the bedroom we were sharing, and sat down next to me. "What's going on?" he asked after a long moment of silence.

"I killed her, Sam" I stated. "I killed that innocent girl"

"You had no choice" he replied, pulling me towards him. "It wasn't like you meant to"

"I stabbed her"

Sam sighed and shook his head. "My first hunt with dad" he said, looking down. "I was twelve. We were just doing an exorcism"

"I remember" I stated, wondering where he was going with this.

"It got pretty messy" he went on. "The girl had her sister by the throat. Dad was down" he paused. "I didn't know the ritual. I couldn't do anything. I shot her" He looked up at me sadly.

"You didn't have a choice" I said. "I knew the ritual, I could've—"

"No" Sam said. "You couldn't" He ruffled my hair. "It'll be okay"

I rolled my eyes. "I swear to god, if someone says that to me one more time" Sam laughed and looked at me. "That's all that's been bugging you?" he asked.

_What the hell are you?_

I quickly nodded. "Yeah" I said. "That's it" I would've just told him, but I couldn't talk to him about it. He was a freak too, after all. If I told him I was scared, that meant he had to be scared too.

"Hey" Dean said, "You good?" He stopped in the doorway, and smirked at me and Sam.

"Yeah" I nodded. "M'good"

Dean nodded. "Do you mind if Sam and I hit up the bar?" he asked. "We need some money, and I need a drink"

"No" I said, getting up. "Logan and I were going to watch some movie"

"Cool" Dean smiled, and was already half out the door before I could blink. He needed some time to breathe again before we hit the road. I laughed and waved as they left.

"I have to go meet someone for a deal" Joshua said, coming into the living room. "Will you two be alright for a couple hours?"

"We're good dad" Logan said, pulling me closer on the couch. "Relax"

"Uh-huh" he said, rolling his eyes. "I'll be back"

The credits rolled on the movies, and Logan smiled at me. I was sleepy and was slowly falling asleep. "You're falling asleep" he laughed.

"I know that" I yawned, rolling my eyes.

"You're cute when you're sleepy"

I blushed and pushed him away slightly as he tried to tickle me. "Shut up" I laughed.

"I have a question" he said. I looked at him expectantly. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

I snorted. "No"

He looked slightly crestfallen. "Why not?"

"Well... the first time I saw the person that I love he was playing in the mud and trying to piss me off"

" Oh..." he said, confused.

"Dork..." I laughed. I looked up at him and smiled. "It's you"

"Oh" he said happily, he looked at me curiously. "So you love me?"

I thought about that for a minute. "Yeah" I said. "I think I do"

"I think I love you too" he grinned.

I sat up and kissed him. His soft lips caressed mine, making my heart flutter. We moved slowly, the fire in me slowly building. His hands felt so good on my stomach, they were soft and tender. I let myself just let go for once. He started to unbutton my shirt, fumbling with the buttons. I let him, but then stopped him. "Lo—"

He stopped what he was doing, and looked at me. "Sorry" he said. "Too fast?"

"A little" I admitted, squirming away. "I just…I want to. I really want to. But I can't, not now"

He nodded, although I could see the disappointment, and he smiled. "It's fine" he said, rubbing my side. "I can wait. I told you that"

"You're the best guy ever" I smiled, kissing him again.

"Mmmhmm" he moaned.

I heard the roar of the Impala pulling back up, and I tried to pull away. I laughed. "My brothers are back. Do you have a death wish?" He let go reluctantly.

"Hey" Dean said, walking in. "Where's Joshua?"

"He went out" Logan replied.

"He left you two alone?" he asked, angrily.

"We just watched the movie, Dean" I said, rolling my eyes. I caught Logan's glance. "Relax" I added.

"Yeah and that's why your shirt's unbuttoned" he said, glaring at me.

"Dean, please?" I said, praying that he wouldn't do anything stupid. I looked at Sam, and he put a hand on Dean's shoulder, pushing him away. Dean grudgingly went up the steps, after a bigger push from Sam that sent him falling towards the ground. He turned and smacked Sam over the head before stalking up the steps.

"You have thirty seconds" he called.

I looked to Logan apologetically, and smiled. It was going to be one long night.

The car ride away from Logan's was silent, but in a different way than before. It was simple and easy for everyone but me. I was still shaken by what that stupid demon said. I was freaking out inside, and I wasn't sure anyone knew but me. Dean casted me casual glances in the rearview mirror, as though wondering what was wrong.

Sam had to pee, so we stopped at a gas station. He got out and ran in, and Dean and I were left alone. "I'm sorry about last night" he said suddenly, frowning at me. "If that was this is—"

"It's not" I said simply. It came out meaner than I meant it to be.

"Then what?" he demanded, putting the pump back.

"She asked me what I _was _De" I said worriedly.

He smirked. "I wonder that a lot"

I frowned at him, trying not to smile. "I'm serious"

He sighed and leaned on the car. "You're just my pain in the ass little sister who drives me up a freaking wall. That's it" He paused and stared at me.

"Thanks" I said softly.

"For what?" he smiled.

I thought about that. "I don't know" I smiled at him, and then decided I was going to let this drop. I was going to move on for once and pretend like it didn't matter. It was going to bite me in the ass, but right now? I didn't really care.

He shook his head, and looked to the gas station. "What the hell is taking him so long?"

I shrugged. "Go find out" He looked for a moment then turned to go. "And bring me gummy worms!" I called after him.

I waited, and was slightly wondering if they had died or something. I got out of the car and looked inside. I could see them coming out now and breathed a sigh of relief. That was short-lived when I saw Sam holding his head. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Vision" Dean replied.

I quick got in the car without another word. I knew this wasn't going to last.

**Another Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter is a little confusing! I got this idea from a friend, and I tried my best! I hope it wasn't too bad!Lemme know what you all think!**


	31. Season 2, Chapter Six

**Author's Note: Thank you all for all the reviews! They really brighten my day! Here is the new chapter, and i just wanted to say that these next two chapters will really focus on her powers and where they came from and why and yadda yadda... anyway, the next chapter will be an original. **

**Also i do not own supernatural, but give it time. I totally will one day. **

**Okay, shutting up...**

**Chapter Thirty One**

"We have to get to the Roadhouse, Dean" Sam complained, still holding his head. I handed him the pills from the back and he downed them. "Ash can help"

"I don't know, man" Dean said, uneasily. "Why don't we just chill out and think about this?"

Sam turned off the radio. "What's there to think about?" he asked. Dean turned the radio back on. That's how I knew how worried he actually was. He needed music when he was nervous.

"I just don't know if going to the Roadhouse is the smartest idea" Dean went on.

"Dean, it's another premonition. I know it" Sam cried. "This is gonna happen, and Ash can tell us where"

"Yeah, man, but—"

Sam went on, ignoring him. "Plus, it could have some connection with the demon. My visions always do"

"That's my point" Dean said. "There's gonna be hunters there. I don't know if going in and announcing that you're some supernatural freak with a demonic connection is the best thing, okay?"

Sam rolled his eyes, and I sighed. "So, we're freaks now?" I asked. "You just told me I was your sister"

Dean paused and smirked. "You are my sister" he said. "You've always been freaks" He patted Sam on the knee and kept driving.

"Yeah" I agreed. "We're vision and window exploding freaks" I lay down and stared at the ceiling. Sam turned around and gave me a sympathetic look, and then smiled.

"I still can't believe you blew up a window and I was passed out" he smirked.

I smacked him, but he dodged it. "Shut up, Sam" I replied. "You're just jealous that my powers are better than yours"

"Geez you guys" Dean chuckled. "First you hate the powers, now you're bragging? You're mood swings are giving me whiplash"

"Shut it" Sam and I said together.

We got to the Roadhouse about ten hours later. We went in to Dean's dismay, but we really didn't have much choice. The guy that killed himself in Sam's vision was in danger, and we had to at least try to save him.

"Just can't stay away, huh?" Jo asked, smiling at Dean.

"Yeah, looks like it. How you doin', Jo?" he asked, clearly flirting.

Sam stepped in front of him. "Where's Ash?" he demanded.

Jo pointed behind her. "In his back room"

"Great" he replied, and ran off.

"Okay…" I said, and followed. Sam pounded impatiently on the door. I read the sign on the door. Dr. Badass is in. Tasteful.

"Ash!" Sam yelled, knocking harder. He was going to break the door.

"Hey, Ash!" I yelled. I gave in and knocked myself. There was still no answer.

"Hey, Dr. Badass!" Dean yelled, thinking maybe that would work. The door opened and Ash opened the door. "Sam? Dean? Lex? " He asked. "Winchesters?" I looked down and found myself face to face with a completely naked Ash.

"Oh, god" I remarked, looking away. Dean put his hands over my eyes.

"Hey, Ash" Sam said. "Um, we need your help"

"Hell, then…I guess I need my pants" Ash remarked and closed the door. I headed back to the front of the bar.

"What?" Ellen asked, wiping the bar down.

"My eyes burn" I said, with a grimace. She laughed slightly and handed me a glass of water. "He could've at least warned me" I stated. I took a sip.

Ash came out holding his laptop and sat down at a table. Sam was next to him, describing the logo from what he saw in his vision. "So, I got a match" Ash said nearly ten minutes later. "Let's see…it's the logo for the Blue Ridge bus lines –- Guthrie, Oklahoma"

"Okay, do me a favor. Check Guthrie for any demonic signs or omens or anything like that" Sam replied.

"You think the demon's there?" Ash asked, confused.

Sam shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "Yeah, maybe"

"Why would you think that?" he asked, curiously.

"Just check it, all right?" Dean demanded, shooting Sam and I a look.

Ash sighed and clicked around. "No, sir. Nothing, no demon"

"All right, try something else for me" Sam went on. "Search Guthrie for a house fire. It would be 1983 or 1989, the fire's origin would be a baby's nursery, the night of the kid's six-month birthday"

Ashe looked at him like he was crazy. "Okay, now that is just weird, man. Why the hell would I be lookin' for that?"

"'Cause there's a PBR in it for ya" Sam said, slamming down a beer on the table.

Ash grinned. "Give me fifteen minutes"

I went back to sit by the bar to leave Ash alone. Dean sat next to me a beer in his hand. He was pretending that this wasn't freaking him out. He was pretending that Sam seeing the future and me exploding windows was just another thing to add to our pile of weirdness. On the inside, I knew he was freaking out. That was why he kept cracking jokes and staying silent.

I looked at him, but he was staring at Jo. He liked her, I realized that, but I was confused as to why he didn't just make his move. She was playing with the jukebox machine and put on REO Speedwagon. I took another gulp of water, and Dean nudged me. "Go away" he mouthed, and Jo came over.

I scoffed and scooted down the bar closer to Ellen. They talked and Ellen looked at me. "You okay sweetheart?" she asked. "You seem upset"

I shook my head. "I'm just tired" I put my head in my hands and sighed. "The job gets to you sometimes"

"Yeah" she stated, looking over to where Jo and Dean were talking. "Try telling that to her. She thinks hunting is all fun and games"

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled slightly. "Not that I'm on her side or anything" I started. "But the rush is worth it" I paused. "Most of the time, anyway"

"I'm sure it is" she said. She pointed to where I was still all cut up from the window and other demon. "But I'm not sure she's thinking about this part right here" She looked at the side of my head. "What happened?"

"Demon" I stated. "Threw me into a counter…and a window exploded"

She turned around shaking her head and grabbing a cloth. "I could help!" I heard Jo say to Dean.

I looked to see Dean nodding at her. "I'm sure you could. But we've gotta handle this one ourselves" he argued. "Besides, if I ran off with you, I think your mother might kill me"

Ellen glared at him, turning to stare at the side of his head. Dean shot her a smile. Jo snickered. "You're afraid of my mother?"

"I think so" Dean said, not breaking his smile.

"He better as hell be scared of me" Ellen mumbled. "I'll kick his tough little ass"

I snorted and nodded. "That would be entertaining to watch" I felt something hit me on the back, and looked behind me. Sam had thrown a piece of paper at me. "What?" I asked.

"We got something" he said, and stood up.

"Oh, so you can walk over to Dean, but you throw something at me?" I asked. He nodded at me, barely even registering what I was saying. He didn't even have a snide comment back. I rolled my eyes at Ellen and she chuckled slightly.

"Lex!" Sam snapped again.

"Brothers" I grumbled, and got up and followed them back to the car. I got into the front seat. I was starting to really know want to do this hunt. What if my new powers decided to rear their ugly head? What if I hurt someone? And if I was connected to the demon, like Sam, what if I didn't like what we found out? Maybe I was better off not knowing.

"And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night" Dean sang, bringing me out of my daze. I looked at him confused. He was singing REO Speedwagon. I gave Sam a what the hell look. "And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might—"

"You're kidding, right?" Sam asked, interrupting him.

Dean shifted embarrassed. "I heard the song somewhere, I can't get it out of my head. I don't know, man" he said. "What do you got?"

Sam shifted through the paperwork that Ash got for him. He handed some of it to me. "Andrew Gallagher –- born in '83, like me" Sam read. "Lost his mother in a nursery fire exactly six months later, also like—well us"

"You think the demon killed his mom?" I asked, uncomfortably.

"Sure looks like it" Sam replied, handing me a few more papers. I scanned them, seeing the familiar signs that dad had always talked about.

"How'd you even know to look for this guy?" Dean asked, speeding up slightly.

"Every premonition I've had - if they're not about the demon, they're about the other kids the demon visited" Sam said. "Like Max Miller, remember him?"

"Yeah, but Max Miller was a pasty little psycho" I replied, shaking my head.

"The point is, he was killing people, and I was having the same type of visions about him" Sam said, shooting me a look. "Now it could be happening all over again with this Gallagher guy"

"How do we find him?" Dean asked, glancing over at the papers.

"I don't know. No current address, no current employment" he listed. "He still owes money on all his bills –- phone, credit, utilities"

"Collection agency flags?" Dean asked.

"Not in the system" I said, looking at the paper in front of me that said just that.

"They just let him take a walk?" Dean asked.

I shrugged. "Seems like it"

"There's a work address from his last W-2, about a year ago" Sam said, pointing to it. "Let's start there"

"Fine" Dean replied, looking at the address. "We'll stop in a few hours to refuel, and then speed it over there. Should be there by tomorrow morning"

I sighed, leaning back in the seat. I had nothing else to say. We stopped like Dean said we would, and Sam went with me inside the gas station. "Hey" he said, nudging me on the shoulder. "You alright?"

"Fine" I said coldly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh, how about because we're about to possibly figure this out?" he asked, looking at me like I was nuts.

I shrugged, and looked up at him. "We're going to figure this out, or you are?"

He paused, looking confused until he figured out what I meant. "This is about you too" he stated. "You have some connection to all this"

"I know" I said. "I'm just not sure I want to know"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know if I want to know" I said again. I looked at my feet. "What if we don't like what we find out?

He sighed, putting his arm around me. "Isn't it better to know?"

"I don't know" I admitted. "I just don't know, Sam. And that scares me"

He pulled me to him, as I felt the tears coming to my eyes. "You don't have to be scared when you have me and Dean" he said.

"But Dean's freaked out too, Sam" I said. "He doesn't know what to do either. He's scared too, he's just not going to say anything"

"I didn't say we had all the answers" he replied. "I just said that we would take care of you"

I whimpered to myself and pulled away. "What if that's not enough?" I asked.

"It will be" he replied, nodding.

A waitress named Tracy poured us coffee. I wasn't going to drink mine, but I didn't really care to tell her that I didn't want it. I was too busy squirming around in the skirt that Dean insisted that I wear for realism sake. I didn't see how it mattered, but whatever. "You won't get anything out of Andy, guys" she said. "I'm sorry, but they never do"

"They?" Sam asked, confused.

"You're debt collectors, right?" she asked. "Once in a while, they come by. I don't know what Andy says to them, but they never come back"

"Actually, we're lawyers, representing his great-aunt Lita" Dean replied. "She passed, God rest her soul, but left Andy a sizable estate"

"Yeah" I agreed. "So, are you a friend of his?" I pulled the skirt down again.

"I used to be, yeah. I don't see much of Andy anymore" she replied.

"Andy?" said a guy stopping and grinning. "Andy kicks ass, man!"

"Is that right?" Dean asked, looking curious.

"Yeah!" the guy scoffed. "Andy can get you into anything, man. He even got me backstage at Aerosmith once. It was beautiful, bro"

"Uh-huh" Tracy said, rolling her eyes. "How about bussing a table or two, Webber?"

Webber's face dropped from his crazy grin, but he was still excited. "Yeah, you bet, boss" he said and left to go to just that.

"Look, if you wanna find him, try Orchard Street" she said. "Just look for a van with a Barbarian queen painted on the side"

"A Barbarian queen?" I asked, deadpan.

Tracy smirked. "She's riding a polar bear. It's kind of hard to miss."

We headed out to Orchard Street in the Impala. Tracy had been right. The van was certainly hard to miss. I saw the thing and almost started to laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm starting to like this dude" Dean laughed. "That van is _sweet_" Sam was silent. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Sam said, not even looking at him. He eyed me uneasily. I had a feeling that this was going to contradict what he had talked to me about earlier.

"Sam, you look like you're sucking on a lemon" Dean remarked. "What's going on?"

"This Andrew Gallagher –- he's the second guy like this we've found, Dean" Sam said. "The demon came to them when they were kids, now they're killing people"

"We don't know what Andrew Gallagher is, okay?" Dean said. "Could be innocent"

"My visions haven't been wrong yet" Sam replied.

"What's your point?" I asked, wondering exactly where he was going with this.

"My point is, I'm one of them" Sam said. "You could be too"

"No, you're not" Dean replied.

"Dean, the demon said he had plans for me and children like me" Sam argued. "Maybe this is his plan, maybe we're all a bunch of psychic freaks! Maybe we're all supposed to be—"

"What, killers?" Dean scoffed. Sam nodded uneasily. "So, the demon wants you out there, killing with your minds, is that it?" Sam said nothing now. "Oh, give me a break. You're not a murderer, Sam! You don't have it in your bones! Neither of you do"

"No?" Sam asked. "Last I checked, I kill all kinds of things"

"I killed that girl" I said quietly.

"That was self defense" he replied. "And those things were askin' for it. There's a difference"

Sam didn't say anything else, looking back out the window. A guy came out of an apartment building. "Got him" Sam said, staring at him.

I stared at him. "What the hell is he wearing?" I asked, noting the robe that looked like he ordered it out of a comic book. "Is that a robe?"

He waved back up at an attractive blonde. There was no way robe boy got that girl all on his own. Just no way. He took some guy's coffee with no contest and then smiled at some other guy. "That's him. That older guy, that's him" Sam said excitedly. "That's the shooter"

"Well, you keep on him, we'll stick with Andy" Dean said. "Go" Sam hopped out of the car, and Dean inched forward, going after Andy.

We followed him silently for about two blocks before he stopped and got out again. He turned and came towards up. Dean put the gun in his pocket. "I thought you said they weren't killers" I scoffed.

"Relax, just a precaution" he said, slowly.

"Hey!" Andy said, grinning.

Dean nodded. "Hey"

"This is a cheery ride" he said, looking over the car.

"Yeah, thanks" Dean said.

"Man, you know, '67 –- Impala's best year, if you ask me" he said. I was nervous. He was too friendly. "This is a serious classic"

Dean seemed oblivious to this, taking the compliments as they came. "Yeah, I just rebuilt her, too. Can't let a car like this one go"

"Damn straight" Andy said. He paused. "Hey…can I have it?"

Dean jumped up. "Sure, man!" he said, getting out of the car.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded, getting out with him. "He can't take the car!" He completely ignored me as Andy got inside.

"Hop right in there…there you go" he said, patting him on the back.

"Dean!" I shouted, trying to get his attention. I stepped in front of him.

"Can you tell her to move?" Andy asked. "She's cute, but she's in the way" I refused to move until Dean physically pulled me out of the way. "Nice! Take it easy" Andy said, driving off.

"DEAN!" I screamed, pulling him towards me and gripping his face. "What the hell?" The moment Andy was gone he looked stunned.

"How did he do that?" he asked, watching him drive away.

"I don't know" I said.

He glared at me. "Why didn't you stop it?"

"I tried!" I yelled.

Dean seemed at a loss for words. He walked towards the way Andy went. There was something not right about this. "Dean, Andy's got the Impala!" Sam said, calling only minutes later.

"I know!" Dean said. "He just sort of asked me for it, and then I let him take it"

"You _what?" _Sam asked, confused.

"He full-on Obi-Wan'd me! It's mind control, man!" Dean yelled. "Sam?" Dean asked.

I pulled the phone away from him, sensing that something was wrong. "Sam?" I demanded.

"Get here as fast as you can" Sam said, and the phone clicked shut.

I frowned and looked to Dean. "We gotta go" I pulled him with me to where we last saw Sam and immediately knew where he was due to the sirens going off. "What happened?" I asked.

"I kept him out of the gun store" Sam said sadly. "I thought he was okay. I thought he was past it, at least…I should have stayed with him"

"It's not your fault, Sam" I said, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, it is" he said, looking back down at me. I knew that no matter what I said he would never believe me, so I gave up and just hugged him.

We got up as soon as the body was gone and walked to find where the hell Andy went with our car. We turned a corner and there it was, sitting in the street. "Thank God" Dean said, running over. "I'm sorry, baby. I'll never leave you again" I rolled my eyes. He looked to us. "At least he left the keys in it"

"Yeah. Real Samaritan, this guy" I stated.

"Well, it looks like he can't work his mojo just by twitchin' his nose" Dean said, patting the hood. "He's gotta use verbal commands"

"The doctor had just gotten off his cell phone when he stepped in front of that bus" Sam said. "Andy must have called him or something"

"I don't know, maybe" Dean shrugged.

"Beg your pardon?" Sam asked.

"I just don't know if he's our guy, Sam" Dean stated.

"Dean, you had O.J. convicted before he got out of his white Bronco, and you have doubts about _this_?" Sam asked.

"He just doesn't seem like the stone-cold killer type, that's all" Dean shrugged again. "And O.J. was guilty!"

"I think I'm with Dean on this one" I said. "He asked for the car, he wasn't forceful or anything"

"Either way, how are we gonna track this guy down?" Sam asked.

Dean paused in thought, and then nodded. "Not a problem" He dragged us down a couple blocks before we found his truck.

"Not exactly an inconspicuous ride. Let's have a look" He pulled out a mini crow bar from the Impala, and wrenched open the door. It was tricked out inside with blankets, a disco ball and a huge poster of a tiger. "Oh, come on. This is…this is magnificent, that's what this is" Dean scoffed, grinning wildly. "Not exactly a serial killer's lair, though. There's no little clown paintings on the walls or scissors stuck in victims' photos" He smiled, pointing to the poster. "I like the tiger"

I laughed, "This thing is nuts" I looked at the roof of the car to see that the disco ball was fully working. "It's a shaggin wagon"

"Hegel? Kant? Wittgenstein?" Sam asked, picking up books that were scattered on the floor. "That's some pretty heavy reading, Lex"

"Yeah, and, uh…Moby Dick's bong" Dean chuckled, holding it up. I snorted and we went back to the Impala to sit and wait for Andy to show up at his van. He had to come eventually.

Dean went inside a gas station to get food, even though we had just eaten like an hour previously at the diner a street over. He came out with a cheeseburger. "So I wonder what other kinds of powers these kids have" Dean said, "Like mind control, visions…what else?"

"What if you could, like, fly?" I asked. "That would be cool"

"Not very useful though" Dean shrugged, eating a bite of his burger.

"Yeah it is" I scoffed, sitting up and leaning towards the backseat. "Like let's say that a ghost tried to kill you. You could just fly away"

"That would be playing chicken," Dean smirked. "Never back down from a fight unless it's for the greater good"

"I think not dying because a ghost tries to chop your head off with an axe is for the greater good" I stated.

"Of who?"

"Uh…my neck?" I asked, shaking my head. "I think it likes staying connected to my head" I paused. "Then what about like shooting lasers out of your eyes?"

Dean took a bite of his sandwich. "What about like making food appear out of thin air?"

"How is that useful?" I asked.

"You're in the desert and you have no way of getting food" he stated, mouth full of burger. "How is that _not _useful?" I shrugged. "What would you do if you had the power of necromancy?"Dean asked.

I smiled. "I would immediately raise an army of zombies in order to recreate the dancer number from the Thriller music video."

Dean chuckled, patting me on the shoulder. "I knew I taught you right" He crinkled up the burger wrapper. "Ugh" He threw the wrapper at me in the backseat, where I was lounging and trying to work on school, now. "You know, one day, I'd love to just sit down and eat something that I didn't have to microwave in a mini-mart"

"I offered to cook for you" I stated, throwing the wrapped back to the front seat.

"I want to eat" he said, smirking. "Not be poisoned"

I scoffed. "I'm not going to poison—"I paused. "You know what. You never know. I might slip some arsenic or something in there"

"Yeah, but now I'll be expecting it" he grinned. "Now I just won't eat it"

"Would you too shut up for like two minutes?" Sam said, shaking his head. He held up some more papers. "I don't get is the motive. I mean, the doctor was squeaky clean. Why would Andy waste him?"

"If it _is_ Andy" Dean interjected.

"Dude, enough" Sam said, glaring at him. "The doctor was mind-controlled in front of a bus. Andy just happens to have the power of mind control. You do the math"

"I just don't think the guy's got it in him, that's all" Dean said, shaking his head.

"Well, how the hell would you know?" Sam asked. "I mean, why are you bending over backwards, defending him?"

"'Cause you're not right about this" Dean stated.

"About Andy?" I asked, and just then, Andy appeared next to the car, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"Hey!" he said loudly. "You think I haven't seen you two? Why are you following me?"

"Well, we're lawyers" Sam said. "See, a relative of yours has passed away—"

"Tell the truth!" he insisted.

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "That's what I'm—"

"We hunt demons" Dean said, through a clenched jaw.

"Dean?" Sam asked.

"Demons, spirits –- things your worst nightmare wouldn't even touch. Sam here, he's my brother" Dean went on, ignoring my attempts to stop him.

"Dean, shut up!" I said, trying to cover his mouth.

"I'm trying to" he said, uneasily. "He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer" I covered his mouth with my hand, and he bit me.

"Ow!" I whined, smacking him. "He friggen bit me!"

"Sorry" Dean said. "He's afraid that he's gonna become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible, and I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right"

"Okay, you know what?" Andy growled. "Just leave me alone"

"Okay" Dean said, putting his head in his hands and shaking his head in shame.

Andy walked off, and Sam got out of the car to follow. I went after him too. "What are you doing?" Andy asked. "Look, I said leave me alone!" I expected to have to follow his orders, and for Sam to have to too, but neither of us seemed to have to do anything. We were immune. "Get out of here! Just start driving and never stop!" Andy went on.

"Doesn't seem to work on me, Andy" Sam said, shaking his head.

"What?" he asked. "You!" he said, pointing at me. "Go back to the car" I stood still, raising my eyes in shock.

"You can make people do things, can't you?" Sam asked. "You can tell them what to think"

Andy laughed. "That's crazy"

"It all started about a year ago, didn't it?" Sam asked. "After you turned twenty-one. Little stuff at first, then you got better at controlling it"

Andy tensed. "How did you know all this?"

"Cause the same thing happened to me, Andy" Sam went on. "My mom died in a fire, too. I have abilities, too. You see, we're connected, you and me, and my little sister"

"She's not twenty two" he said, looking at me. "How does she fit?"

"I'm my own special brand of freak" I stated rolling my eyes.

"You know what; just get out of here, all right?" Andy said.

"Why'd you tell the doctor to walk in front of a bus?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

Andy looked stunned at the accusation. "What?"

Sam twitched, and I recognized the signs of what was happening. He was having a vision. "Why did you kill him?" I pressed, walking over by Sam.

"I didn't!" Andy persisted, looking confused at Sam. I put my hands on his chest to steady him, and my head immediately started throbbing. I clutched my head, wondering what this meant. I closed my eyes and started to see images flash across my eyes. They were like pictures of things. A gas station. A blonde woman. She was…pumping gas?

Then it was like all the pictures made a story. The girl answered her phone. "Hello?" she asked. Her attitude changed to a somber one. She got a dead look in her eyes. "Sure. I can do that" She hung up and reached inside her car. She turned on the lighter, and took the pump out of her car.

She poured the gasoline all over herself, dousing herself from head to toe. My stomach dropped. I didn't want to see this! I squeezed my eyes tighter. "Hey! Lady, what are you doing?" An attendant asked, frantically.

The blonde woman nodded. "It's gonna be okay" She took the lighter out and touched it to her jacket, immediately going up in flames. She started to burn, not even screaming or anything. She felt to her knees as the flesh peeled away from her bones.

Dean came running over, as I came out of it. I looked up at Sam, wanting to know what the hell just happened. I could still feel the pain in my head, like someone had tried to open it with a jackhammer. I also wanted to run into the bushes and retch. I tried to hold it together. There were more important things to worry about.

"Sam! What is it?" Dean asked, "What the hell happened?" He looked at me, trying to steady us both. I swayed.

Andy put his hands up in surrender. "I didn't do anything to him"

"Did you see it too?" Dean asked me, letting me go for a moment.

I nodded, and then found that it hurt. "A woman…a woman burning alive" I said. I couldn't help it I ran to the bushes and puked everything in my stomach up.

"What else you get?" Dean asked after making sure I was okay. He patted me on the back, rubbing slow circles. I stood up straight, feeling slightly better. I could sense that he was scared and freaking out. I had just shared a freaking vision with Sam.

"A gas station –- a woman's gonna kill herself" Sam replied, gaining control back.

"What does he mean, "Going to"?" Andy asked, looking freaked. "What is he—"

"Shut up" Dean growled. He looked at Sam and me to go on.

"She gets triggered by a call on her cell" I answered, wiping my mouth on my sleeve.

"When?" he asked.

"I don't know" Sam said. "But as long as we keep our eyes on this son of a bitch, he can't hurt her" He glared at Andy.

Andy looked annoyed now. "I didn't hurt anybody!"

"Yeah, not yet" Sam scoffed. A fire truck went by. "Go" Sam said to Dean. Andy went to leave as well. "No, not you. You're staying here with me"

I turned to go with Dean, but he stopped me. "Stay with Sam" he instructed. I opened my mouth to put up a fight, but I saw the scared look in his eyes, and stopped. I stayed with Sam.

We sat down on the curb, and were silent. Andy looked scared, Sam looked scared, and I was pretty sure I looked scared too. I just didn't know how to feel. That demon that I had exploded the demon on said I was his, but what did that mean? I was the Demon's? I wasn't the same age as the other special kids. The demon didn't say I was his though, but was I? I was a part of his plan or whatever? I stopped my mind from thinking.

"Hey" Andy said, scooting closer to me. "I know this is like, stupid, but how old _are_ you?"

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Cuz I really do think you're cute" he smiled.

"She's sixteen" Sam said, glaring at him. Andy looked embarrassed. Sam's phone rang, and I made him put it on speaker. "Hey, it's me" Dean said. "She's dead. Burned up, just like you said"

"When?" Sam asked.

"Minutes before I got here. I mean, the smell hasn't even cleared" Dean remarked. "What's up with your visions, man? This wasn't even a head start"

"I don't know, all right? I can't control 'em. I don't know what the hell is going on" Sam said.

"Yeah, and now Lex can apparently tune in" He scoffed. "Listen, you were with Andy when this whole thing went down, so it can't be him. It's gotta be somebody else doing this"

"That doesn't make any sense" Sam sighed, and Andy rolled his eyes as though to say, thanks a lot.

"What else is new?" Dean sighed. "I'll dig around here; see what else I can find" Sam clicked his phone shut without another word.

He looked at me and gave me a sad smile. "You okay?" he asked. "I know it hurts"

"Me?" I asked, pointing to myself. "Oh I'm awesome. Not only can I explode windows, or see when you're in trouble, I can also tap into your mind. I mean, why wouldn't I be freaking out?" I stopped. "Sorry"

Sam pulled me towards him. "We're going to be okay"

"Yeah" I said, pulling away. "Okay" I sat still, not looking at him. I just wasn't in the mood to be all touchy feely. I wanted to scream and cry, and find the freaking demon and ask him what was happening to me. I wanted to ask my dad what he knew. I decided to just keep pushing it down some more and stop worrying. I was going to make myself sick.

"So" Andy said, looking at us. "You get these premonitions about people about to die?" Sam nodded. "And you…see it too?" he asked.

"And I explode things" I said stoically.

"That's impossible," he scoffed.

"A lot of people would say the same thing about what you do" Sam said.

"Death visions?" Andy asked again. "Dude, that sucks. When I got my mind thing, it was like a gift, you know? It was like I won the lotto"

"But you still live in a van" I said, looking over at him. "I don't get it. I mean, you could have anything you ever wanted"

Andy shrugged. "I've got everything I need"

Sam shook his head. "So, you're really not a killer, huh?"

Andy laughed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you"

"That's good" Sam said. "It means there's hope for us"

"I never said you were a killer, Sam" I scoffed. "I still don't think you are"

"I'm not sure of anything" he said, looking at the concrete.

Dean drove up and hopped out of the car. "Victim's name was Holly Beckett –- forty-one, single"

"Who is she?" Sam asked. Andy just shrugged.

"I called Ash on the way over here, he came up with a little somethin'. Apparently, Holly Beckett gave birth when she was eighteen years old, back in 1983. Same day you were born, Andy" Dean replied.

I stood up. "Andy, were you adopted?" Andy nodded matter-of-factly.

"You were? And you neglected to mention that?" Dean asked.

"It never really came up" He responded. "I mean, I never knew my birth parents. And, like you said, my adopted mom died when I was a baby. Do you think this Holly woman could actually be—"

"I don't know. I tried to get a copy of the birth records, but they're hard copy only. Sealed in the county office" Dean said.

Andy smiled like he knew something we didn't. "Well, screw that"

"I probably shouldn't have let you kids in here" the officer said, in realization.

Andy grinned. "No, it'll all be fine, all right? Just go get a cup of coffee, all right?" He paused, and put two fingers up like Obi-Wan or something. "These aren't the droids you're looking for" he added, quirking an eyebrow.

Dean snorted. "Awesome" He came over by me and smiled. He smacked me on the back with a folder of papers. That was at least the twelfth time he did that. I groaned.

"Hey Andy" I said, grinning. "Wanna do me a favor?" I whispered my plan in his ear and he laughed.

"Dean" he said, through laughter. "Dance like a chicken"

Dean glared at me as he started to flap his arms like a chicken and such. I didn't see half of it since I was laughing too hard to even keep my eyes open. "Okay" I said, hiccupping. "You're right. You won the superpower lotto"

Andy stopped him, and Dean glowered at me. "I'll get you back" he said. "When you least expect it" I smirked.

"Would you three stop fooling around and help me out?" Sam asked. He sighed. "Never mind. I Got it"

"Yeah?" I asked, walking next to him.

"Andy, it's true. Holly Beckett was your birth mother" Sam said.

Andy looked stunned. "Does anyone have a Vicodin?"

"Dr. Jennings was her doctor, too. I mean, he oversaw the adoption" Sam went on. "You have a solid connection to both of them"

"Yeah, but I didn't kill 'em" Andy said.

"We believe you" I said.

"Yeah" Dean agreed. "But, uh…who did?"

"I think I've got a pretty good guess" Sam said, raising the piece of paper he was holding. "Holly Beckett gave birth to twins"

"I have…an evil twin" Andy said, looking amazed.

"Holly put you and your brother up for adoption" Sam said. "You went to the Gallagher family, obviously. And your brother went to the Weems family from upstate"

"Andy, how you doing?" Dean asked, as Andy looked like he was blanking out. "Still with us?"

"Um…what was my brother's name?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Here, um, Ansem Weems" Sam said, reading it off the paper. Andy shook his head again. "He's got a local address"

"Wait, he lives here?" I asked. "That makes him here for the murders"

"Let's get a look at him" Dean said, "There's a picture coming over from the DMV right now" he pulled the paper from the fax machine and his eyes widened. "I hate to kick you while you're freaked" Dean sighed. He handed the paper to Andy. "Take a look at that"

The photo was a picture of Webber, from the diner.

We got into the Impala and started to drive towards it. "All right, Andy. Tell us everything you know about this guy" Sam said.

Andy sighed. "Webber shows up one day…eight months ago, acting like he's my best friend in the world. Kind of weird, like…trying too hard, you know?" he asked.

I saw Sam cringe. "He must have known you guys were twins" I said.

"Why did he change his name?" Dean asked. "Why not just tell you the truth?"

"No clue" Andy shrugged.

Sam groaned, holding his head. I hesitated to help him. What if I connected again? "Sam?" I asked, carefully. Dean stopped me from touching him. "Sam!" I said, as he fell forward. I inadvertently caught him, so that he didn't go into the dashboard. I saw flashes again, before the unbearable pain came back.

"Hey!" Dean shouted, catching me. "Let go!"

I saw Tracy, also from the diner, about to jump. She was standing on the edge of the bridge. She was going to do it. She was going to— Dean pulled my hand off Sam and the connection broke. I took a huge breath, trying to stop my head from pounding.

"You okay?" he asked. I slowly nodded. I got my bearings back.

Sam came out of it and looked at me. "Did you-?"

"Only for a second" I said. "Did she—?"

"Yeah" he said, looking sadly at Andy. "We gotta go"

Dean pulled out a pistol from the trunk, and then thoughtfully put it back. He handed Sam his revolver instead. "Dean, you should stay back" Sam said.

"No argument here" Dean grimaced. "I've had my head screwed with enough for one day" He looked to me. "You should stay with me" he said. "That way I have someone who's immune to stop me if something happens" I nodded.

"I'm coming with you" Andy said to Sam. Sam was about to argue, but Andy stopped him. "Look, if it's Tracy out there…then I'm coming" he argued. "Please?" Sam sighed, but nodded.

Sam and Andy headed towards the car that was parked on the bridge. I waited with Dean, who was getting the sniper rifle we never used out. He set up in the bushes on his stomach and I was right next to him.

Sam smashed through the window, a gun to Ansem's head. I could see them yelling, but barely heard him. Andy helped Andy out of the car. Sam punched Ansem down. He pushed him out of the car and to the ground. Andy taped his mouth, and Andy kicked him a few good times for good measure.

I saw Tracy get that dead look in her eyes, and she swung a tree branch at Sam, knocking him out. I went to get up. "No" Dean said. "Lay low"

I stopped hesitantly. I watched Ansem get up, and smile evilly. Tracy headed towards the edge of the bridge, ready to jump. I looked uneasily to Dean. "Why can't you shoot him?" I demanded.

"I don't have the shot" he said, looking through the lens again. I could see Andy and Ansem arguing.

"I want to know what their saying" I scoffed, watching closely. Sam stirred. "Sammy" I whispered to myself.

I watched Ansem stop what he was doing, and look in our direction. He smiled. "I see you!" he said loudly. Dean tensed, and slowly took the gun and put it under his chin.

I panicked and reached out to stop him. He stopped, and looked at me, that dead look scaring the shit out of me. I moved sideways, trying to evade his grip. He grabbed my wrist and sent me flailing to the ground. He then went for my face, but I stopped him.

He punched me in the stomach, but I could tell it wasn't full force. He was fighting somehow. I gasped for breath, clenching my stomach. "De" I gasped. I hit him back, kicking him in the abdomen. He fell off me, and I rolled away, but he was back on me before I could get away.

Dean hit me in the face, and I could feel it like he had hit me with iron. Dean had a hard punch. He pointed the gun at me. He was so close, it was against my chest. "Dean" I whimpered. "Stop, please"

"I can't" he said, tears forming in his eyes as he went to pull the trigger. "Run!"

"Dean" I cried, backing up.

"Run!" he yelled again. The gunshot rang in my ears.

I looked towards Andy, and saw Ansem fall to the ground, dead. Andy had shot him. Dean dropped the rifle, and hugged me close. "I'm so sorry" he said.

"Its okay" I said, the tears stinging the cheek he had punched. I could tell it wasn't going to look very pretty at all once it bruised. "Let go" I said, wanting to get my breath back. I touched my face, and winced. "You're a good puncher" I stated.

"You're a good kicker" he wheezed, holding his side.

"Sorry" I said, grimacing.

"Don't even" he said, helping me up.

"He shot himself" Andy said to the police officers. "And you all saw it happen" They immediately nodded and agreed with him.

"Look at him. He's getting better at it" Sam scoffed, watching him.

"Yeah" I agreed, holding the ice pack to my face. "He's getting a lot better"

"She won't even look at me" Andy complained, looking at Tracy.

"Yeah, she's pretty shaken up" I said, looking at the terrified look on her face.

"No, it's –- this is different. I never used my mind thing on her before…before last night" Andy went on. "She's scared of me now"

"Andy, I hate to do this, but…we have to get out of here" Sam sighed. He handed him a piece of paper. "Here, I wrote down my cell. You don't have to be alone in this, all right? If anything comes up, you call me up"

"Wait" Andy called. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"You be good, Andy. And we'll be back." Dean said, pushing me to the car.

"Looks like I was right" Sam said, opening the door.

"About what?" I asked, ditching the ice pack and looking at him.

"Andy" Sam said. "He's a killer, after all"

"No, he's a hero" Dean said. "He saved his girlfriend's life, he saved _my_ life, he saved Lex"

"Bottom line, last night, he wasted somebody" Sam argued.

"Yeah, but he's not a foaming-at-the-mouth psycho" I countered. "He was pushed into that, but Webber"

"Webber was pushed, too, in his own way" Sam stated. "Max Miller was pushed. Hell, _I_ was pushed by Jessica's death" He looked at me. "We're all pushed"

"What's your point, Sam?" Dean asked.

"Right circumstances, everyone's capable of murder" Sam said. "Everyone. Maybe that's what the demon's doing –- pushing us, finding ways to break us"

"Sam, we don't know what the demon wants, okay?" Dean said. "Quit worrying about it"

"You know, I heard you before, Dean. When Andy made you tell the truth. You're just as scared of this as I am" Sam complained. It was true, I had heard Dean say that. It seemed like all my brothers said these days was contradicted in something they said later.

"That was mind control! It's like being Roofie'd, man, that doesn't count" Dean argued. "No, I'm calling a do-over"

Sam stared at him. "What are you, seven?"

"Doesn't matter. We've just gotta keep doing what we're doing, find that evil son of a bitch, and kill it" Dean nodded. He picked up his ringing cell phone.

"Hello? Ellen?" he asked. "What's going on? Yeah, we'll be right there" he snapped his phone shut. "Buckle up, we gotta go"

"Jo?" Ellen asked as we sat down at the bar. "Go pull up another case of beer" Jo started to argue, but Ellen was quicker. "Now. Please?" She turned and stomped off. She looked to us. "So, you wanna tell me about this last hunt of yours?" she asked. "And what happened to your sister's face?" She touched it, and I cringed.

"No. Not really" Dean stated. Ellen glared at him. "No offense, just…it's kind of a family thing" he explained.

"Not anymore" she said. She put down a bunch of papers on the table. They were the same papers that Ash had given us. "I got this stuff from Ash. Andrew Gallagher's house burnt down on his six-month birthday, just like your house. You think it was the demon both times, don't you? You think it went after Gallagher's family?"

"Yeah, we think so" Sam nodded. Dean glowered at him to shut him up.

"Why?" Ellen asked.

Dean pursed his lips. "None of your business"

"You mind your tone with me, boy. This isn't just your war, this is war. Now, something big and bad is coming, and it's coming fast, and their side holds all the cards" Ellen said, sternly. "Now, at best, all we've got is us, together. No secrets or half-truths here"

"There are people out there, like Andrew Gallagher…like me, and uh, Lex here" Sam said. "And, um…we all have some kind of ability"

"Ability?" Ellen asked, confused.

"Yeah…a psychic ability" I said, nodding. "I can sense when my family or people I'm connected with are in trouble, and I shattered a window with my mind, sorta" Dean shook his head at me.

"I have visions…premonitions. I don't know, it's different for everybody" Sam went on. "The demon said he had plans for people like us, well, really just for me so far. And Andy"

"What kind of plans?" Ellen asked.

"We don't really know for sure" I sighed.

"These people out there, these psychics –- are they dangerous?" she asked.

"No. Not all of them" Dean piped up.

"But some are" Sam interjected. "Some are _very_ dangerous"

"Okay, how many of 'em are we lookin' at?" Ellen asked.

"We've been able to track a clear pattern so far" Dean said. "They've all had house fires on the night of the kid's six-month birthday. Like we did with Sam and Lex"

"That's not true" Sam said. "Webber, or Ansem Weems, or whatever his name is –- I looked at his files, and there was no house fire. He's nothing out of the ordinary"

"Which breaks the pattern" I added.

"So, if there's any others like him, there'll be nothing in the system" Ellen said. "No way to track 'em all down"

"And so, who knows how many of 'em are really out there?" I said, realizing that for the first time.

"Jo, honey?" Ellen asked, as she came up from the cellar. "You better break out the whiskey instead"

We talked for the next several hours about all that we knew, which, when you laid it all out on the table like that, wasn't much. In fact, it felt like we knew nothing. I was tired, and as we came to a consensus to work on it, I walked out to get some air. I sighed and watched as the sun went down. Dean came out and stood next to me for a moment. "Hey" he said, looking at me. "Wanna punch me one?"

I looked at him for a moment, and then smirked. "No" I said. "Think of it as payback for making you dance like a chicken"

"I don't think that's really even"

"I kicked you too" I added. "So it is"

There was more silence. "We're going to kill that son of a bitch, you know" he said. "You don't have to worry"

"Yeah" I said, unconvinced.

"What?" he asked "Don't believe me?"

"No" I said. "Everything you and Sam say you contradict ten seconds later" he looked at me, wanting me to explain. I sighed. "Sam says that we're going to be okay, and the next minute he's ranting on about how evil we are. You say we're fine, and then you admit you're scared"

"I called a do over"

I rolled my eyes. "You know, maybe I will punch you"

He paused, smirking. "Is that why you've been in such a fake mood lately?" he asked. "You've been acting like everything's okay, but it's not, is it?"

"No, it's not" I agreed. "I just need time, Dean"

He nodded. "I'm going back in" he said, after awhile. "You coming?"

"In a minute" I said, and stayed there, thinking. I opened my bag in the trunk, digging for what I was looking for. I pulled out the bracelet my dad got me, and smiled. I hadn't had it on since the demon ripped it off. I put it on, and played with the charms.

I pulled out his journal, and flipped it open to the page with the picture of me and him from when I was born. He was smiling at me. I found it was peeling away, and saw writing underneath. I pulled it out, and noticed what it said.

"Missouri might know why it came back" he wrote. "She might know the truth" I paused, realizing what that meant.

Missouri knew something. And I was going to find out what.


	32. Season 2, Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! They make me all happy and such when I read them! This is an all original chapter, and just a warning, there will be a lot of mentions of sex in this chapter, so if you don't like that I apologize. Just a warning!**

**Oh, and I do not own Supernatural, no matter how much I really, really wish I did. **

**Chapter Thirty Two**

I went through pages and pages. I scanned for any other mention of what Missouri told my father, or if she even knew anything at all. I searched the journal three times, leafing through the confusing writing and cut outs and every other piece of scrap paper that was in there. There was stuff about wendigos, ghosts, demons, chupacabras, werewolves, vampires, and any other bad thing we had ever come across ever. There was nothing on me or Sam.

I sighed, and threw it back into the trunk. I played with the charms that dangled on mywrist. I couldn't decide whether or not to tell Dean or Sam about it. I mean, this was about me, so I didn't really need to. I wasn't sure that I wanted to anyway. I went back inside the Roadhouse, and sat down at the bar, watching Ellen wipe glasses. She looked over at me, and smiled slightly. "You wanna help?" she asked. "I'd appreciate it"

"Sure" I said, helping her out. A crowd of people had started to pile in, since it was Friday and getting late. Sam, Dean and Ash were sitting in the corner talking and drinking, and other people, hunters and normal people were scattered around, drinking and laughing. I wiped my tenth glass, and Ellen shooed me away to go talk to Jo.

"Hey" she smiled, walking me over to where she was at a table. "You got fifty bucks?" I slowly nodded. "You wanna help me out with something?"

I looked to where Dean and Sam were sitting. They seemed immersed in their conversation. "Yeah" I said, "Why not?"

"We're playing poker" she said, smiling. "You help me beat these two, we'll split the pot" She pulled out the chair for me, and I looked around at the other two players, both middle aged men. "It's a fifty dollar buy in" Jo went on. "Texas Hold' em"

"Fine" I said, nodding my head. "I'll play" I threw my money on the table, all I had to tell the truth, and received some worn out chips. "Deal" I instructed the man to my left.

"What's your name?" he asked his eyes on my boobs.

"My name's Alexis" I stated, glaring at him. "And my eyes are on my face, not my chest" I smirked at his haughty expression. I looked to Jo. "Hunters?" I mouthed. She nodded.

"I'm Jack" he said, and dealt me two cards. "That there's Frank"

"And your hunters?" I asked, peeking at my cards. A jack and a three. Sucky cards. I showed no emotion.

"Right you are" he nodded.

"Me too" I said, throwing in a chip.

Frank grinned, not believing me. "Really now?" he asked, matching my bet. "How do you kill a vampire?"

"Beheading" I remarked. "In less you want to torture it and use dead people's blood" I watched Jack flip over three cards. A two, a seven, and a three. I had a little pair. Not much. I threw in two chips. "I wasn't lying"

"You all alone then?" Jack asked. "Or you hunt with your daddy or somethin?"

"My daddy's dead" I replied, watching the pot build. Jo was quiet, but I could tell from the curve of her lips she had a straight going. "I hunt with my brothers"

"Huh" he said, flipping another card. A Jack. "What are you, fourteen?"

"Sixteen" I corrected. I checked as a bet. I didn't want them to get tipped off. I knew I had something, but I had to go off of Jo.

"And what is a pretty girl like you doing in a bar?" Frank asked, showing me his teeth.

"I like poker" I replied, watching the last card get thrown onto the table. A three. I smiled. I looked to Jo, who was also smiling. Frank had folded. "Whatcha got, Jack?" I asked. He threw his cards down, and smiled.

"Flush" he stated, showing me the cards.

"Straight" Jo nodded, throwing hers in.

I grinned wider. "Full house" Groans occurred from everyone around the table. I caught Jo's eye, and grinned. "Thanks" I said, taking the pot.

An hour later, we had stopped talking and got serious. Frank had run out of money, and was drunk as hell. Jack was getting pretty wasted too, mumbling to himself. This did not help his poker game. He was getting sloppier and sloppier, until finally, he was out. I smiled to Jo, and I stood up. "I can't stay" I said sadly. "I have to go with my brothers" I turned to walk away, but Jack caught my arm.

"You went and hustled us" he growled.

"Or you suck at poker" Jo said, pulling me away. She happily handed me my share, and took hers. "Thanks a lot" she smiled, taking me to the back room. "I've wanted to scam those two for months, but they refused to play with just me"

I laughed, shoving the money in my pocket. "No problem"

Dean came in the back room, and looked at me. "What have you been up to?" he asked. He stared at me suspiciously.

"Nothing" I said, narrowing my eyes. "Why?"

"Logan's here" he said. "He's dropping off stuff for your mom?" He looked at Jo curiously. "What do you even need?"

"We sell guns and supplies to hunters who pass through" Jo said, walking towards the back door. "Usually Joshua comes. I wonder why he sent his son"

"He's my boyfriend" I stated, going with her to meet him. "I wonder how he knew we were even here"

"My mom probably told him" Jo said, opening the door. Logan was waiting there, holding a box of random things. He smiled at me and brought them in.

"Hey" he said, giving me a quick kiss. "How are you?" He frowned. "What happened to your face?"

"Long story" I smiled, reaching up and touching the healing black eye from Dean. "How did you convince your dad to let you come here after sneaking out?"

"I didn't have to" he shrugged. "He really couldn't come" He placed the box down. "He has some other thing going on"

"And does he know that I'm here?" I asked, rolling my eyes. He only smiled, and pulled me towards him. "I'll take that as a no" I laughed, and pulled him back to where Dean and Sam were talking.

"We're going to stick around for awhile" Dean said, nodding a hello at Logan. "You going to stay?"

"Nah" I said, with a yawn. "I think I'm going to go to the room"

"Fine" Sam said. "But not with him" He looked apologetically at Logan. Logan nodded in understanding.

"Fine" I said. I kissed Logan goodbye, and headed out the door. The motel room was right down the road, barely even a ten minute walk.

I knew Logan was coming before I even got out the door. He pulled up next to me, and smiled. "You coming?" he asked.

I jumped into the passenger seat, grinning from ear to ear. He drove me back to the motel, and we went in, and started kissing. We went from standing, towards the couch, and then fell backwards, tumbling on each other. I was on top at first, and then slowly we switched, never breaking contact. This felt so good to just be happy for a moment, while the back of my mind was in turmoil. This was not planned out, but it wasn't supposed to be, was it? That was all I could think as Logan and I fumbled in the darkness. I was glad that I wore my shirt that snapped and not buttons, since I wasn't sure that we could actually manage that much. Hands were all over, and our lips never broke apart. He stopped, for only two seconds, asking me if I was sure.

I smiled and pulled him back towards me. I was so sure. My heart was racing, and on the inside I was panicking. What if I did something wrong? What if I was bad? What if something happened? But I was sure. I wanted to do this. I needed to do this.

I could only feel me and him, and the feel of him on me. I barely even thought about where we were going until I heard the car door slam. I jumped and looked at him. He didn't seem to have heard it, and I listened carefully for anything else. The door opened, and I could sense the shock that had appeared in the room.

"What the –?" Sam said, staring.

Logan fell off of the couch, struggling to re-button his pants. We hadn't even gotten that far. "Sam" I breathed, feeling my face go redder than it ever had. A feeling of dread came over me as Dean walked in and dropped the six pack of beer that he had been holding.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, watching Logan and me fumble almost more than before to get our clothes back on and get the hell out. "Were you—? With him?" Logan was standing now, not knowing what to do. "I'll kill you" Dean said. I jumped to my feet and stopped Dean from going closer. He growled at me, but stopped. "GET OUT!" Dean shouted, coming towards Logan.

I didn't think I had ever seen him run so fast out the door. Dean followed him to the door. "I know where you live!" he screamed after him. He slammed the door hard behind him, and then looked at me. Sam was pacing around, pinching the bridge of his nose. Dean looked ready to go get the sawed off and shoot Logan right to Heaven. I said nothing. I mean, I couldn't really defend myself here. I had nothing to say.

"I can't believe you!" Dean started to shout. "You were going to have sex with him!"

"I—"

"You're still a kid!" he continued. "You're only sixteen!"

"I know—"

"I'll kill him" he said again. "I'll punch him so hard that he doesn't remember even how to have sex!"

"Were you at least going to use protection?" Sam asked me, ignoring Dean's rant.

"Yes" I stated, and Dean stopped.

"Oh good" he said, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm so fucking glad" He went right back to pacing and swearing under his breath.

"Are you—"

"No!" he yelled at me. "I'm not okay" He glared at me, and then looked at Sam. "She's a kid!" he said, as though he had to keep saying that.

"I'm sixteen" I stated, annoyed. "I can understand you not wanting me to have sex, but I'm not a kid anymore Dean"

"You're a kid until you're eighteen" he growled.

"So when I'm eighteen I can have sex?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"No" he replied. "You can have sex when you're ready to have sex"

"Dean" I shouted, annoyed. "Isn't it my call when I'm ready?"

"Yeah" he said. "But you aren't ready right now"

I stared at him, and then decided that I really didn't care if I pissed him off more. "You were only fifteen when you lost yours" I scoffed. "And Sam was sixteen!"

"How do you know that?" he demanded. "You were like five"

"Well for Sam I was ten and not an idiot" I scoffed, "And Sam told me about you"

Dean glared at Sam, and then back at me. "That's not the point" he said.

Sam spoke up. "Would dad want you to be doing this?"

I stood up, and planted my feet firmly on the ground. "Don't even bring dad up, Sam" I said. "That's not fair"

"What's not fair is that I find you with a boy on top of you about to do it" He screamed. "I swear to god—"

"Fine, guys" I said, shaking my head. "I will never have sex. I won't even make out if that's what you want. Okay?" I stomped to the bathroom, and ignored Dean pounding on the door.

"I will break the door down!" he yelled, but I ignored that too. If he really wanted to get me out, he would break down the door, and I would let him. After her gave up, and I heard him swearing and cursing up a storm, I started to cry.

I wished I could just throw my virginity away, and then this wouldn't be such a huge deal. It was a huge deal, and it wasn't going to end. I pondered going to some bar and hooking up with someone, but figured no one would want me anyway. Besides that, I probably wouldn't go through with it anyway. Call me a romantic, but I didn't want my first time so be with some random dude. I wanted it to be with someone I cared about, and right now that was Logan.

I wondered if Dean would ever even let him near me again. I may never see him again after tonight. He might be out of my life forever. My heart panged. Would if even if Dean let me near him again, he didn't want to see me anymore? Would if my brothers had freaked him out?

Once it was late, and I couldn't hear either of them talking anymore, I opened the door. Dean and Sam were both sitting at the table, beers in their hands. Neither of them looked at me as I made my way over cautiously. I was waiting for one of them to attack me or something. They barely even acknowledged me as I sat down. I knew what I had to do. "Just say what you need to" I stated, wanting to get this over with, looking from one to the other. "I'll listen"

"Fine" Sam replied coolly. Dean nodded in agreement. I nodded and sighed. "Alright then" Sam said.

"We know that you're not a little girl anymore, and we may have over reacted" Sam said, and Dean scoffed. "But we only want to protect you, and even though you think you may be ready to…go there with a guy…" he paused, and I could sense his uncomfortable state. "We don't think you are"

"I don't see how that's your call" I said, irritated.

"We weren't done yet" Dean said, sitting up. "We know we can't exactly stop you…" he went on. "Although I can try—"

"Dean" Sam said, stopping him.

"But we want to know when you're going to…do it" Dean finished.

"You want me to send you a text or something?" I asked, kind of amused. "Hey guys, going to have sex with my boyfriend now. Omg lol?"

Dean smirked. "I'd actually appreciate it if you never did that ever"

"We just want a heads up" Sam stated, shaking his head. "Like a, hey I'm thinking about having sex, and I just want you to know that I'll be safe and thought this through"

"Oh" I said. "I might be able to do that"

"Good" Sam said.

There was a moment of awkward silence. "Just so you know" I said. "I don't think Logan and I will be seeing each other anytime soon" I looked to Dean. "I think it's going to take awhile for him to not be afraid to touch me after today"

Dean smiled, even though he was also trying to look apologetic. "That's too bad"

"Yeah" I scoffed, smacking him upside the head. "I can really sense the sympathy in the room" I went and sat on the couch, away from them. "Just so you know though" I stated. "I'm still kind of mad at you"

They said nothing, just shaking their heads. I lay back and stared at the ceiling. Logan was never going to want to talk to me again. Dean had probably scared the shit out of him. Dean had scared the shit out of me. I found myself falling asleep.

_The sky was dark grey and rain poured down onto my face. It burned like it was acid. I stared into the sky, wondering where the hell Sam and Dean were. They weren't by me. I looked behind me, but they weren't there either. I was alone. _

_I looked back to ahead of me, and saw those yellow eyes staring right back. "Alexis" Sam breathed, walking towards me. _

I shot awake. Sam was _not _yellow eyes. I told myself. I glanced over to his sleeping form. He breathed quietly, every few minutes letting out a snore. Then he would shift and do it all over again. I took a calming breath, grabbed my bag, and darted to the bathroom. I went through the journal again until I came across the picture again, with the words inscribed under it.

Missouri.

I put everything away and lay awake for the rest of the night, until I heard Sam stir in his sleep. I got up and took a quick shower. The water was cold by the time that I got up the courage to come out. I had a plan, but wasn't exactly sure that it was going to work. I could hear Dean still snoring quietly and Sam tapping the keys on his laptop. I came out, and sat down next to him. "I need to ask you something" I stated, watching him read the text.

He didn't look at me. "I thought you were still mad at us?" he asked, clicking away.

"I am" I replied, "But I need your help to convince Dean of something"

He finally looked up at me. "So you're only talking to me to use me?" He smirked slightly, going back to his computer.

"In a nutshell"

He stopped what he was doing and closed his laptop, giving me his full attention. "Okay" he said. "What is it?"

I sighed. "I need to go to Logan's" I said. His eyes narrowed. "Alone" I added, and he looked even more skeptical. "Not to do anything, I just want to make sure that we're okay? Dean really freaked him out" He didn't seem convinced. "Joshua would be there, and I would only stay the night and then come right back"

He folded his arms over his chest. "After last night, you really think Dean would let you go alone?"

"No" I said, honestly. "That's why I need you to help me"

He scoffed, and rolled his eyes. "I don't get why you want to go" he admitted. "Can't you just call him?"

"No" I said, desperately. "If you want, I won't leave Joshua's side. I'll call you every few hours. I have to make sure we're okay"

He sighed again, looking me right in the eye. "Promise me that if I help you, you promise you're not going there just to have sex with him"

I stared right back. "I promise Sam" He leaned back, satisfied. "I'm a little offended that you think I have such raging hormones that I can't wait to have sex"

He smirked. "Well Dean is your blood relative"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Very true" I picked up a coke out of the fridge and started up the TV really loud. Dean shot upward, glaring at me.

He scoffed, and started to pull his pants on. "Why are you already drinking coke at eight in the morning?" he demanded.

"I'm thirsty and this is all we have" I shrugged. "What else do you want me to drink?"

"Coffee" he replied, taking a sip out of his. "Like a normal person"

"That's disgusting" I remarked, and downed the rest of my coke in one gulp.

"You're disgusting" he snapped back, glaring at me.

"Guys!" Sam said, shutting us up. I smiled innocently at him. "Are you going to ask him or what?" he asked me.

"Ask me what?" Dean asked, sitting at the table.

"I want to go to Logan's" I stated, trying to sound responsible. "Alone"

He choked on is coffee, spilling some down the front of his shirt. "Didn't we just talk about this last night?"

"No" I said. "We talked about sex last night, not about me just going to make sure that you didn't scar him for life" I paused, as Dean wiped the liquid off his shirt. "I promise that we won't do anything, I swear, De" He scoffed. "I really mean it!"

"No" he said, shaking his head. "Absolutely not"

"Dean" I went on, desperately. "I will call you hour by hour if I have to" I worked up the tears. "Please, De. I need to know that we're okay!" I could feel the tears starting to form to fall. "I don't want to lose my first boyfriend because of something so stupid"

He looked to Sam, who nodded and gave him the okay. I loved Sam at this moment. "I guess" he stated. "But you're not driving the Impala, so we got to find you a different ride"

"Thanks, De" I said, already pulling out my cell. I called Jo. "Hey" I said, breathlessly. "I need a favor"

"What?" she asked, sounding groggy. I had woke her up. I forgot how early it still was.

"Do you have a car I can borrow for a day?" I asked. "It's important"

"Uh…" she said, "Yeah, I guess. Why, what's going-?"

"Thanks" I said, and hurriedly hung up. "Taken care of" I smiled, and got up to pack my stuff that I was going to take. I grabbed it and put it by the door. "You're awesome, de" I smiled again, as he pouted. "And I'll be fine"

"And you'll call me the moment you get there, and then every few hours after that. I want to hear Joshua's voice. I want to hear Logan's voice" he said sternly. "I want you to call me before you go to sleep"

"I promise I will" I said, happily.

"Good" Dean replied, folding his arms. "Let's go get your car"

I went to take the keys out of Dean's hands, but he pulled them away. "You'll call me when you get there" he repeated. "Right away"

"Right when I get there" I said, again. He slowly handed me the keys, and I took them. I got into the driver's seat, and started up the car. Dean patted the door and gave me a small smile.

"Don't do anything stupid" he said. "I will find out"

"I'll be fine" I insisted, and smiled. I pulled out of the driveway, and waved as I left. At the first rest stop only like three miles out, I stopped and pulled out my phone. "Lo" I said, as he answered. "Hey"

"Hey" he said. "What happened last night?"

"Dean and Sam freaked" I said, rolling my eyes. "And I have something important to tell you"

"What?" he asked, worriedly.

"The kind of possibly think I'm on my way to visit you" I said. He was silent. "I have to go visit Missouri, and I needed a cover"

"Do you want your brothers to hate me?" he asked finally, sounding annoyed. "They already think that all I want is sex from you"

"I needed you" I said, "Just promise me that if they call you, I'm there with you"

"Right" he said. "But you're really at Missouri's and if anything happens, they're going to shoot me with a freaking gun"

"More than likely" I replied, a hint of a smile on my lips. "I love you" I added.

"Love you too" he said, and I could feel him smiling. "Let me know if you need anything else" He hung up and I got back on the road. This had been one of my more stupid plans, I had to admit, but it was going to get the job done.

I thought about what Missouri could possibly know. I knew it had something to do with the night of my mother's death. I had tried so many times to pry what happened that night out of Sam. He had been in the room after all, but he insisted that he remembered the fire, and screams, and that was it. I think he mostly just didn't want to talk about it.

I was about an hour out when my phone rang. "Yeah?" I asked, noting that it was Sammy.

"Just making sure you're okay" he said, but I could hear the worry in his voice. "You are, right?"

"I'm fine" I smiled, rolling my eyes. "I'm driving"

"Okay" he said, sounding satisfied with my answer. "Don't forget to call us when you get there"

"I won't" I repeated, and hung up. I sighed in frustration, and then remembered that I had a GPS in my cell. Dean wouldn't track it, would he? I wouldn't put it past him. I couldn't turn it off though, that would just make him even more suspicious. I bit my lip, and abruptly called Sam back. "Hey" I said. "Just a heads up, I'm turning my phone off until I get there. It's dying"

"Why didn't you charge it before you left?" he demanded, annoyed.

"Cuz' I didn't actually think you'd let me go" I said, "I'll charge it as soon as I get there, I swear" He sighed dramatically, and agreed. I hung up again, and turned it off. Nice save.

I stopped to fill up after another two hours, and then realized that I was supposed to be really close to Logan's by now. I turned my phone back on and dialed Logan. He picked up quickly, sounding relieved to hear my voice. "What?" I asked.

"Your brothers called and asked if you were here yet" he said. "I had to tell them no"

"Did they sound suspicious?" I asked. "Did it seem like Dean knew?"

"No" he replied, "I don't think so"

"Good" I said, and smiled. "But guess what? I just got there" He scoffed. "They want to hear your voice, so I'm putting you on three-way. Don't say anything until I call you" I said.

"Right"

I dialed Sam, and put it on three-way before he would hear the beep. "Hey" I said. "I made it fine. Just walked in the door"

"Good" he said, "Hang on, Dean wants to talk"

"Put Joshua on" he said, without even saying hello.

"Hang on" I scoffed, and made sounds with the phone. "He wants to know what you want. He has his hands full with weapons"

"Just tell him that you aren't allowed to leave his side" he said sternly.

I repeated the message, so that Dean could hear me, to no one in the car. "He says point taken" I said.

"Is Logan with you?" he asked, sounding gruff.

"Yeah" I said, "Say hi, Lo"

"Hey" Logan said, and I could hear the apprehension in his voice. It wavered slightly. It was a good thing that he was still kind of supposed to be scared of Dean, or he may have noticed.

"Keep your hormonal little hands off my sister" Dean stated.

"Dean!" I shouted, annoyed. "He will! Relax"

"Don't worry" Logan said, "I won't even touch her"

"Good" Dean said, and I heard Sam take the phone from him.

"We'll call you later" he sighed, and hung up.

I sighed in relief, and heard Logan do the same. "Get to Missouri's safe, okay?" he said. "I don't want to have to explain to your brothers why you're not here, and bleeding somewhere in Kansas"

I laughed. "Make sure your dad doesn't answer the phone" I said.

"What am I supposed to say if they want to talk to him?"

"Tell them that me and your dad went to the store or something" I shrugged. "He won't care as long as I'm not alone with you"

"Whatever" he sighed. "Just hurry up, okay?"

I agreed and then got back on the road. If Dean found out, he was going to be so pissed; I wouldn't be surprised if he threw me in the trunk of the Impala and didn't let me out until I was twenty. This really wasn't like me to be all rebellious. I usually did whatever Dean said, and didn't keep very many secrets from them. Things had changed.

As soon as I got close to Lawrence, I could feel my heart drop. This was the second time I had been back here this year, after being gone for almost sixteen. It still had a hold on me, whether I wanted it to or not. I couldn't help myself. I drove past our old house. I glanced into the upstairs window, and then sped out of there. I could feel the tears in my eyes.

I pulled into Missouri's driveway, were she was already waiting, hands on her hips. "What were you thinking?" she asked as I hopped out of the car. "Tricking your brothers like that! I expected better of you, Alexis"

"Hello to you too, Missouri" I said, not helping myself from smiling.

"Don't you smile at me like that" she said, turning away from me and mumbling something about how I was turning into Dean and she should just slap me silly right then and there. "Well don't just stand there" she snapped. "Come inside"

I sat down on the couch, as Missouri handed me a cup of tea. "I need to talk to you about—"

"Yeah, baby" she said, sitting across from me. "I know why you're here" She took a sip of her own cup. "Your powers, your daddy—"

"Could you stop reading my mind?" I asked, annoyed. I really didn't mean to snap at her, but I was under enough stress already.

"Sorry" she apologized. "I can't help it when you're mind is practically screaming it"

"Right" I said, and put my tea down on the table. "So what did you tell him?" She took another sip, ignoring my question. "Missouri" I sighed, irritated. "No offense, but I didn't risk my life to come here to drink tea with you"

She gave me a small smiled and chuckled. "You are becoming more like those two brothers of yours everyday" I smiled, but I wasn't exactly sure if that was a compliment or not. "Your daddy came to me when you were about eight months old, wanting to know more" she went on. "I didn't have much to tell him, but he insisted that he was missing something"

"And?" I asked.

"We went back to your house" she said. "I read the room again, and he was right. Something was different, but I've—"

My phone rang, and I looked at it. It was Dean, I had to answer. I reluctantly picked up the phone, "Hey, what's—"

"Where are you?"

"Uh, Logan's" I said, confused. "Why, what—"

"I talked to Joshua" Dean said, venom spewing from every word. "He says that he hasn't talked to you since the last time you were there, and didn't even know that you were coming"

"Oh" I said, and Missouri frowned. She knew what was going on.

"So where are you?" he asked.

"Kansas" I replied, figuring it was better to just tell the truth. "At Missouri's"

"Why?" he asked, but cut me off before I answered. He was silent for a moment, but I could hear the string of curses that were about to come out. He held them back. "Get your ass back here now" he demanded. I hadn't heard him this mad since the time that…actually, I wasn't sure he was even that mad then. "Do you understand me?" he said, louder. I put the phone away from my ear a little. "Your ass had better be back here ASAP, or I will bring it back here myself!"

"Okay" I said, a little scared of going back.

"Alexis Marie—"

"I said, okay!" I shouted, Missouri put a hand on my shoulder and reached out for the phone. "Missouri wants to talk to you" I said, and handed it to her. I pushed back the tears that were coming up.

"She's going to be on her way back as soon we eat" she said, catching my glance. I could hear Dean shouting, but not what he was saying. "You listen to me, boy" she said, attitude rising. "I am not going to send her back tired and hungry" Dean relented, knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with her. "Good" she said, and hung up.

She looked at me. "You should've just told them you were coming" she stated, hurrying off to the kitchen.

"They would've wanted to know why" I said, following. "I had to come alone. I had to do this alone"

She shook her head. "You Winchesters are so stubborn, I swear" she mumbled, and pulled out a sandwich. "Maybe you should stay the night" she said, with a sigh. "I don't want you driving in the dark"

"I think Dean might have a conniption" I stated, taking a bite. "I think he's already going to shoot me"

"Still" she said, and shook her head. "I don't like it"

"Anyway" I said, hoping to drop that topic, "What did you tell my dad"

She sat down at the table with me. "That night your brother was six months, I wasn't sure what had been in that room. It was something evil. Something that I couldn't touch" she said, and handed me a glass of water. "But, when it happened again, I was surprised. It did something to Sam that night, I don't know what, but its work was done"

"And me?" I asked. "Did it do something to me?"

"I don't think it did it to you" she said. "Your powers feel different from Sam's. Something isn't the same. I think either you just feel different or there was something else in that room as well"

"Another demon?" I asked, worriedly.

"I'm not sure, baby" she admitted. "It's something just as powerful, if not more" she went on after a moment. "It hides its tracks well"

I finished the rest of my sandwich in silence, no longer hungry. I wanted to crawl into a corner and hide from everything. I still had to deal with Dean when I got back. I had a feeling Sam wasn't going to be too happy either. I went to the bathroom, and I called Dean, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. I had to get something done though, before I headed back.

"Dean" I breathed. "Missouri is making me stay the night"

"Tell her you can't" he replied, angrily. "Your brothers want your butt back here"

"I know I'm not happy about it either" I said, trying to sound annoyed at her, which wasn't too hard, since I was, in fact, annoyed at everything else. "She doesn't want me to drive in the dark"

"Well at least she's got some sense" Dean scoffed. I was pretty sure that vein in his head was throbbing right about now. "Lemme talk to her"

I paused. I don't know why, but I hadn't been expecting that. "Hang on" I said, as Missouri knocked on the door.

"Give me the phone" she said. I hesitated, not wanting to hand it to her for fear of what she was going to say. "Do you want me to cover for you or not?" she demanded. "Give it" I handed her the phone, feeling a lot better than I had a minute ago. "Yes, Dean" she said, expectantly. "I'll send her home in the morning"

She handed the phone back to me. "You're lucky I can hear your thoughts and what you're thinking, or I would think you were crazy"

I smiled. "You're the best" I grinned.

"Just promise me that you'll go right home" she said, uneasily. "I don't want your brother knocking on my door at three in the morning"

"I will, I promise" I said, and grabbed my keys. I stopped, giving her a brief hug. "Thank you for telling me the truth"

"You're welcome" she said. "But don't use it to get into trouble. Your daddy didn't tell you to keep you safe"

"I know" I said, earnestly. "I know"

Almost 8 hours later, I was at Logan's house. I quietly pulled up, and got out of the car. It was pitch dark out, and about twelve at night. I crept up to the side of the house that his window was on, and threw a rock at it. "Hey" I called in a loud whisper. "Lo, it's me" I threw another rock before he peered out, eyes narrowed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Can you let me in?" I asked, ignoring his question. To tell the truth, I wasn't quite sure myself why I was here. "It's freezing" I said, hoping that it would convince him.

He sighed, closing his window. I waited by the back door. "Seriously?" he asked, opening it. "Aren't you in enough trouble already? My dad already gave me an earful for helping you" He let me in. "He left for a few days" he went on, when I said nothing. "I'm not allowed to leave the house"

I stared at him as we stood across from each other in the kitchen. "Are you going to say _anything_?" he asked finally.

I bit my lip, took a step forward, and then before I knew it, we were kissing.

We moved steadily towards the stairs, not breaking contact. I pulled on his shirt, before I even made it to the door that lead to his room. He smirked, and pulled it off. He had well-defined abs, and I touched them, feeling the muscle underneath. It was just all surreal from there on out.

I was aware of him leading me to his bed, and then him on me. He struggled with my shirt, so I got it off myself, and then fumbled with the buttons on his pants. There was so asking if I was sure. There was no hesitation. I was just there, and he was there too. It was me and him, skin on skin.

And then it was over.

I lay next to him, his arms around me, and my head on his shoulder. I felt a little awkward, still partially naked. I wasn't sure if that went how I always thought it would. It kind of hurt somewhat, but not too bad. It was also a little awkward. I wasn't sure how to feel. I just lay next to him, content that apparently it was good for him, and that he was okay.

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble" I said after awhile.

"You're totally forgiven" he said back, nuzzling closer to me.

I giggled and turned into him. "I have to be back so that Dean can kill me" I said, looking up at him. "I hope your dad wasn't too hard on you?"

"Nah" he yawned. "He just threatened to kill me if I kept it up" He sighed. "I'm more worried about you"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Always on hunts" he sighed. "And that last time we were together…you could've gotten hurt"

"I was more worried about losing you" I admitted.

"I just wish you could be safe"

"You mean quit?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Because in case you forgot, I already tried that"

"I mean, like, one day maybe" he said. "You can't hunt forever"

I wrinkled my eyebrows in confusion. "I can't?"

"No" he said, looking as confused as I did. "What about when you get older? You don't want to have a family? Or just settle down?"

I thought for a moment. "I never thought about it" I admitted.

"Why?"

"Because" I shrugged. "Most hunters don't live past their thirties let alone long enough to have a family"

"So you're just going to die then?" he asked, sounding hurt. "There's no grey area?"

"I didn't say that" I scoffed. "I'm just saying that I don't think that I'll ever stop hunting" I looked up into his eyes. "Did you expect me too?"

He shrugged, and then we went back to silence. We were falling asleep by the time that I realized I really had to go. The sun would be coming up soon, and I had to go be killed by Dean. I smiled at him, and slipped away back to the car.

I drove the three hours back to the Roadhouse, and took a deep breath before walking inside. I was immediately bombarded by Sam and Dean, who were right up in my face. Instead of hitting me like I thought he would, Dean pulled me into a tight hug. He sighed, and then abruptly let go.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Dean shouted in my face. "You could've been hurt! You could've been taken and then I wouldn't know where you were!"

He started pacing back and forth, and tossing out swear words. I mentally thanked the world for no one being in the bar. He just kept tossing out words like "Stupid" and "Idiot" and "I can't believe this—" before he started to make sense again. "You're so selfish and stupid, you know that?"

"Selfish?" I asked, confused. I hadn't been expecting that one.

"Selfish!" he yelled back. "All you care about is yourself! Why couldn't you just tell us!"

"I wanted to go alone" I stated, a little offended about that selfish comment. "I was trying to protect you!" I shouted back. "I only wanted to do this myself!"

"Why?" Sam asked. "Why did you want to go in the first place?"

"I had some things to talk about" I shrugged.

"That you couldn't just talk to us about?" Dean asked, still pacing. "You had to sneak halfway around the country?"

"It wasn't halfway around the country, Dean" I scoffed, throwing my hands up.

"You know what" he said, shaking his head, and walked out the door. He was still fuming right now. I wasn't sure he was ever going to really talk to me for awhile. Sam stood up to go after him, and then stopped.

"I want to know why" he said, looking at me.

"I found something" I said, deciding to come clean. "In dad's journal, it said Missouri told dad something about me, and I wanted to know what"

"What did she tell you?" he asked, coming closer.

"She said that I have different powers than you" I said. "That mine are….different"

"Oh" he said, and glanced towards the door. "Well you still shouldn't have done it" He glanced towards the door again.

"Just go, Sam" I scoffed, sitting at the bar. He left, going after Dean.

Ellen stepped forward and handing me a coke. "You really are an idiot" she scoffed.

"So I've heard" I said, taking a long sip.

"You're brother's care about you, and you just go off and do whatever you want" she went on, ignoring me. "You should be thankful that Dean cares"

"I am" I said, earnestly, "But there are just some things that they don't get"

"Maybe you should ask them" she said, taking the coke away. "Maybe you're wrong"

I left the bar, sitting at a table alone. I was all alone now, my brothers hated me, and Ellen was mad at me, and I was alone. I sighed, putting my head in my hands. What the hell had I been thinking?

"Hey" Jo said, taking a seat next to me. "I heard all the shouting"

"Well it was kind of hard to miss" I replied, shaking my head. "I was stupid"

"No you weren't" she said, giving me a small smile. "I would've done the same thing. There are some things you just have to get done yourself"

I looked up at her. "Thanks" I said, with a sigh. "Now tell that to Dean"

She smirked. "I'd rather not"

"Yeah" I laughed. "Tell me about it" I sighed, and thought for a minute. "I take it that you're speaking from experience?"

"My mom" she said, rolling her eyes. "I want to hunt, but she does everything she can to stop me"

"Maybe she has a good reason" I said "Hunting isn't for everybody. It's not just a hobby. It's your life. I mean, look at how messed up I am" I said, pointing to myself.

"But I have to, you know?" she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I want it, so why can't I have it?"

"I don't know" I shrugged. "I guess if you want it bad enough" I thought for a moment. "Just know what you're getting yourself into"

She nodded, and I realized that I should probably head back to the motel, where Sam and Dean were inevitably waiting. I said goodbye, thanked Ellen, and walked my way back to the motel. I entered, and was met with silence. They spent the rest of the day ignoring me.

I didn't even get a goodnight, which I got even when they were super pissed at me. It worried me a little, but I pushed it off. I slept on the couch, not being able to sleep. I finally fell asleep after tossing and turning for hours.

_It was dark, and cold. I could feel the goose bumps on my arms. There was nothing around me but darkness. "Alexis" I heard, and then I saw him. Yellow eyes. I knew it even before he flashed his eyes at me. "How are you?" _

"_Oh, I'm awesome" I said, not in the mood for this. "Now get out of my head" _

"_Hmm" he hummed, coming closer. "I can still hurt you, you know" He put out his hand, and I felt the pain. I felt the electricity running through my body. I panted as he let go, trying to get my strength back. _

"_I'm dreaming" I said to myself, trying to wake myself up. "This is a dream" _

"_Oh yeah" he said, nodding. "But dreams are easy to make real" He flashed me a smile. "I heard you found out some info, and I came to talk" _

"_About what?" I asked, still doubled over. "Why did you come back that night?" _

"_Why?" he asked, with a shrug. "Because I had to make sure you weren't going to be a problem. I had to get you out of the way" _

"_Kill me?" I choked out, my heart dropping. "You wanted to kill me?"_

_He shrugged again. "Something like that" _

_I was still willing myself to wake up. This was getting a little too Freddy Krueger for me. Please I pleaded in my head, get me out! "Then why didn't you? You can't take out a six month old?"_

_He stopped smiling. "I can kill you now" he said. I tensed, as he held out his hand again. He made a fist, and I doubled over in pain again. It felt like he was tearing out my insides. _

"_Stop" I said, now on my knees. _

_He stopped, and grinned. "I was going to kill you that night, if you really want to know" he paced nonchalantly, as I lay on the ground. "I was so very rudely interrupted" _

"_By my mom" I said, choking on my words. _

_He frowned again. "Something like that" I started to get to my feet. "You weren't supposed to happen" he said, coming closer. _

"_I will kill you" he finished, and stopped walking. He disappeared, and I was alone, and in pain. "I will kill you" echoed over and over and over. _

I woke up, tears streaming silently down my face. I could hear Dean awake, and Sam close behind him. I dashed into the bathroom, not wanting them to come near me. We were still mad at each other. I slid down the wall and hugged my knees to my chest.

"Should we try to talk to her?" Sam asked, from the other side of the wall.

There was a moment of silence. "No" Dean said, and I could hear him flip back over in bed.

I kept crying until I seriously didn't think I had any tears left.

You weren't supposed to happen. I will kill you.

**Another Author's Note: Who else is SUPER PISSED that they postponed supernatural for a week last minute! I for one was appalled and mad! I just needed to get that off my chest! haha **


	33. Season 2, Chapter Eight

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I got done with this chapter faster than i thought. Just a warning, the next chapter might take me longer, since i have a ot going on this week, but i'll try my best to have it up ASAP! I love you guys!**

**I do not own supernatural, only Lexie and Logan are mine. **

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

I got up the next morning, still in the bathroom, and could feel the tears still on my face. I got up and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were red-rimmed, and puffy. It was clearly evident that I had been crying all night. I took a long shower before slinking embarrassed out of the bathroom. I needed my clothes.

I grabbed my bag before Dean could complain about me coming out in a towel, and changed into jeans and a red v-neck top. I rung my hair out and did pretty much anything else I could think of to take up more time, until I knew that they could figure out that I was stalling coming out.

I opened the door, and found that Dean was staring at me from the table, Sam was gone. I stared back, until I figured he wanted me to sit with him. I walked slowly over to the table, and then sat down across from him. I noticed his jaw clench, but the vein wasn't popping out of his head. "I hope you know what you did was stupid" he said, calmly.

I squirmed uncomfortably. "I know"

"You gave me a heart attack" he admitted, running a hand over his face. "I thought you were hurt or something" He folded his arms over his chest, in indignation.

"I wasn't hurt" I said, as thought that might make it better. "I knew what I was—"

"If you knew what you were doing, you wouldn't have done it" he said, cutting me off. "How can I trust you?" he asked. "How do I know that you're not going to do something stupid?" I had no answer. "Sam and I thought about it, and you're grounded"

I raised my eyebrows in shock. "Grounded?" I asked. "Dean, I don't do anything except eat, sleep, and hunt"

"Exactly" he stated. "No TV, no laptop, and no cell phone unless it's an emergency, no leaving the motel room unless Sam or I say it's okay" He leaned forward.

"What does that leave me with?" I asked, slightly annoyed. "Breathing?"

"You're grounded" he smirked. "You figure it out"

"That's not exactly fair" I scoffed, glaring at him.

"Life's not fair" he countered, and held out his hand. I took out my cell phone. I went to hand it to him, then stopped, and finally put it in his hand. He quirked his eyebrows, but said nothing. "So what was that last night?" he asked, glancing towards the bathroom.

"Nightmare" I admitted, even though that was more of an understatement than anything. It was more like a surreal experience of the ages. "I don't want to talk about it" Dean looked skeptical, but said nothing more.

Sam entered, and gave me a slight glance. "I'll take Lex not strangling you that it went well?" Sam asked, setting down two coffees and a hot chocolate on the table. "Or am I too early?"

"Nah" Dean said. "We came to an agreement"

"More like Dean told me that I'm grounded and I'm only allowed to breath" I replied, rolling my eyes. Sam shook his head, and handed me the hot chocolate. I took a sip, and stood up. Then I realized I had nothing to do, and sat back down again. I caught Dean's eye, and scowled at him. This wasn't going to be an easy next week or so.

Over the next two hours, I finished all my homework that I was behind on, and counted all the ceiling tiles twice. I had to say, being grounded sucked ass. Dean was watching TV, so I guess I could watch it with him, since he couldn't really stop me. It was something stupid though, that wouldn't keep my interest for more than two seconds. I sighed dramatically.

"Shut up" Dean said, smacking my leg. Well, at least he was talking to me. "You're grounded not dying"

I stuck my tongue out at him, and occupied myself with reading some book Sam had on him. It was something about ancient texts. I wasn't following it, but it was better than counting ceiling tiles. "Dean" Sam said, sitting up straight. "Wanna hit the roadhouse, and then head out? We shouldn't stay here much longer"

"Sure" Dean said, standing up. I looked up, wondering if I was supposed to come too. "Pack up, we'll be back in an hour" Dean said, grabbing the Impala's keys. He put my cell on the table, and left with Sam, who gave me an apologetic smile.

I scoffed, and immediately threw all my stuff in my bag. I went on to shove all Dean's stuff in his, (messily, just to piss him off) and the same with Sam's. I cleaned off the table, packing the laptop away, and did everything else I could think of to possibly do. Then I sat at the table, staring at my cell phone. I took my chance, popped the battery in, and saw three missed calls from Logan.

I smiled, and called him back. "Hey" I said.

"Hey" he said, sounding relieved. "I thought Dean actually killed you for awhile there"

"Yeah, sorry" I said, "I'm not supposed to be on the phone. Apparently, I'm grounded" He chuckled slightly. "Yeah, so don't bother trying to call me for awhile" I heard the Impala. "Gotta go"

"Bye" he laughed, and hung up.

I took the battery back out and put it back on the table as soon as the door opened. "We good?" Dean asked. I nodded, and grabbed my bag.

"Where are we going?" I asked, throwing my stuff in the trunk.

"Philadelphia" Dean said, putting a folder on the trunk. "We got a case from Jo"

"Jo?" I asked, reaching for it. Dean pulled it away. I glared at him. "I can't even read about it?"

"No" he said, and Sam shot him a glance. He sighed, and slid it over to me.

"Serial killer?" I asked. "That's weird"

"Yeah" Sam agreed. "We walked on a fight between Jo and Ellen. She wanted the case, and we kind of snaked it" He looked to Dean, who just nodded.

"That was nice of you" I remarked, getting in the back seat. "Ready?" I asked, and closed my eyes. I was still exhausted, since I hadn't slept. I kept seeing yellow eyes.

_I will kill you. _

I sat up, trembling slightly, and panting heavily. "Lex!" Sam shouted, grabbing my shoulders. I glanced over at him, still shaking, "Are you alright?" he asked, still gripping me tightly.

"Yeah" I said, pushing him off. "I'm fine" I got my breath back, and pushed the hair out of my face. "Just leave me alone"

"Why are you being so bitchy?" Dean asked, gruffly.

I was a little offended, but just glared back at him. "Why are you so annoying?" He said nothing, just mumbling under his breath. I lay back down and sighed. There was still tension. He was still mad at me, but this was something else too. He never stayed mad at me like this.

We got to Philadelphia hours later, and I was stuck to follow Dean and Sam around, and say nothing the entire time. Dean still didn't trust me to even do anything right, which was starting to drive me crazy. I was going to ignore it, and stay out of the way, but I really didn't want to stay in the car, so I followed after them like a shadow.

We got to the apartment, and Sam picked the lock, taking a lot longer than I would have. I looked around impatiently, and Dean scoffed at me. "If you want to do it, you can"

"I know that" I snapped right back. I followed them inside, and they took out EMFs. Dean hadn't given me one. They swept the room, and I watched. I had a feeling this was going to become a habit. Me watching them. I fidgeted impatiently.

"I feel kind of bad, snaking Jo's case" Sam said, going to the corner of the room.

"Yeah, maybe she put together a good file. But could you see her out here, working one of these things? I don't think so" Dean said.

"Why, cuz she's a girl?" I asked, annoyed.

"No, because she has no experience" Dean snapped, and looked at me like I was crazy. He looked at Sam. "Getting anything?"

"No, not yet" Sam replied, turning and going the other way. He paused at a light switch. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to dried black stuff. Dean and I walked over, staying on opposite sides of Sam. I rolled my eyes. Sam touched it. "Holy crap" he said, grimacing.

Dean touched some too. "That's ectoplasm" he said. I leaned on the door frame. "Well, Sam, I think I know what we're dealing with here" Dean sighed. "It's the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man" I rolled my eyes.

"Dean, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice" Sam said. "I mean, to make this stuff, you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit"

"All right, let's find this badass before he snags anymore girls" Dean sighed, walking towards me. He smirked at me and quirked his eyebrow before walking out. I mocked him and followed.

A person came through the hallway right towards us. We weren't actually supposed to be there, so we pulled to the side. "All the apartments have been furnished, too" the man said.

"It's so spacious. You know, my friend told me that I absolutely had to come and check it out, and I have to admit that she was right. You did a really good job with this place" said a familiar voice.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean asked, walking away from where we were hiding, towards Jo.

Jo smiled. "There you are, honey" She sauntered over and put her arms around his waist. "This is my boyfriend, Dean, and his buddy, Sam and his girlfriend, Lexie"

I looked up at Sam in shock. I was his _what_? "Good to meet you" the man said, shaking their hands. "Quite a gal you've got here"

"Oh, yeah, she's a pistol" Dean said, looking at Jo with a chuckle. I knew he was not amused by this.

"And you two make a great couple as well" the man said, looking at me and Sam. "Have you been together long?"

"We've known each other forever" Sam said, and I stifled a laugh as Sam put his arm around my shoulder.

"As long as I can remember" I choked out, and Sam squeezed my shoulder tighter. I winced.

"So, did you already check out the apartment?" Jo asked Dean. Dean said nothing. "The one for rent?" she pressed.

"Y-yeah, yes" he said, with hesitation. "Loved it. Great flow"

The man narrowed his eyes. "How'd you get in?"

"It was open"

"Now, Ed, when did the last tenant move out?" Jo inquired, looking back at him.

"Oh, about a month ago" he said. "Cut and run, too. Stiffed me for the rent"

Jo giggled, in a very un-Jo like fashion. "Well, her loss, our gain. 'Cause if Dean-o loves it, that's good enough for me"

Dean grimaced slightly, but smiled. "Oh, sweetie" he said, and smacked her on the back. I could tell that it probably hurt.

Jo showed no sign of pain. "We'll take it" she said, pulling out a huge wad of cash.

The man looked stunned, but took the money. We headed up to our new apartment, which I wasn't too happy about. Now I was close to the case, which was going to make trying to stay away from Dean so much harder. Dean got me to work cleaning and loading guns.

Jo was going through research. "I'll flip you for the sofa" she grinned, at Dean.

Dean glared at her. "Does your mother even know you're here?"

"I told her I was going to Vegas" Jo shrugged.

"You think she's gonna buy that?"

"I'm not an idiot" Jo scoffed. "I got Ash to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos"

Dean shook his head. "You know, you shouldn't lie to your mom" he said. He looked directly at me, and I rolled my eyes at him. He looked back to Jo. "You shouldn't be here, either"

"Well, I am. So untwist your boxers and deal with it"

Sam looked at her. "Where'd you get all that money from, anyways?"

Jo shrugged. "Working at the Roadhouse"

Dean scoffed. "Hunters don't tip that well"

"Well, they aren't that good at poker, either" she said, looking at me.

"I agree" I laughed. Dean shot me a look, and I smiled at him.

His cell rang. "Yeah?" he asked. "Oh, hi, Ellen" He looked to Jo, who stood up. They argued back and forth, barely even saying any words. "I haven't seen her" Dean said, finally. "Yeah, I'm sure. Absolutely" He hung up, and Jo gave him a triumphant smile.

"Hypocrite" I coughed, and smiled when Dean turned to glare at me.

Jo plopped herself back at the table and Dean sighed. "So what do you got?" he asked, starting to pace.

Sam, Dean and Jo all gathered around the table, and I held back. I sat on the couch and started to sharpen a knife. I pictured how it would feel to stab something. Right now I would say definitely pretty good. Jo sighed. "This place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago"

"Yeah? What was here before 1924?" Dean asked.

"Nothing. Empty field"

Sam picked up a paper. "So, most likely scenario –- someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell"

"I already checked" Jo countered. "In the past eighty-two years, zero violent deaths, unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor" She looked at Dean. "Would you sit down, please?"

Dean stopped, and sighed irritated, before sitting down. "So, have you checked the police reports? County death records?"

"Obituaries, mortuary reports, and seven other sources" Jo said, "I know what I'm doing"

"I think the jury's still out on that one" Dean smirked. She started to twirl her knife more, in annoyance. "Could you put the knife down?" Dean asked. She glowered at him, but put it down.

"Okay. So, it's something else, then" I said, ignoring them. "Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought the spirit with it"

"We've gotta scan the whole building. Whatever we can get to, right?" Jo asked.

"Right" Dean nodded. "So, you and me –- we'll take the top two floors"

"We'd move faster if we split up" Jo said.

"Oh, this isn't negotiable" Dean stated.

Jo looked at me. "What about Lexie?" she asked.

"She's going with Sam" Dean replied, motioning for me to go with him. I sat still, arms folded over my chest, and glared at him. "She has to be watched too"

I walked over by Sam, and we headed out. I had no EMF, so I walked along side him, doing nothing. I had too much time to think. All I could think about was what Missouri told me, how Logan and I did it and now weren't even talking, how Dean was still mad at me and didn't exactly trust me anymore, and how I was going to be killed.

My head hurt.

"You two are going to kill each other before this is over, aren't you?" Sam asked.

"Probably" I smiled. "I'm a pain in the ass like that" He snorted and I took a look at the EMF. "So did you get anything?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not much of anything"

"Huh" I remarked. "You think Dean has?"

"Don't know" he said, sitting down. "Haven't talked to him yet"

"How much you wanna bet him and Jo has been bickering this entire time?" I said. "I swear, they fight like me and him do" Sam nodded, sweeping the EMF near the wall. "Why is Dean so scared to let her hunt and not me?"

"He worries about you" Sam shrugged. "But he knows that you're safe with him. Jo is a wild card" he opened the door back to our apartment, and I sighed, taking a seat on the couch.

"He told me he doesn't trust me" I stated. "I really didn't think this was going to be this big of a deal"

Sam looked at me like I was nuts. "You didn't think we cared that you snuck off to a whole other state?"

"No" I said. "I mean, I didn't think he would be this mad at me"

Jo and Dean walked in at that moment. "Found some hair" Dean said, shaking his head. He held it up and I grimaced. He looked to Sam. "Now what?" he asked.

"Research" Sam said, pulling out the laptop.

"Always with the research" Dean sighed, plopping down on the couch. He looked at me and frowned. "You stayed with Sam?"

"Yeah" I said, narrowing my eyes. "Why wouldn't I stay with Sam?"

"I don't know, you seem to like doing whatever I tell you not too lately" he shrugged.

Anger bubbled in my veins. "Well maybe that's because you never listen to what I have to say, so I have to do it anyway"

"Guys!" Sam yelled. "Stop! You're driving me nuts!" I got up, smirking at Dean, and walking away to go sit in the corner. He glared back at me.

Sam was right; we were going to kill each other before this was over.

I woke up the next morning, panicked and limbs flailing. _You weren't supposed to happen _I fell off the couch, panting. "You okay?" Jo asked me, helping me up.

"Yeah" I said, running towards the bathroom. I took deep breaths, looking in the mirror. I looked pale and clammy. I splashed some water on my face. My shaky breaths went back to normal, but my heart was still pounding.

I walked out, and looked to Sam, who had woken up as well. He gave me a worried glance, but shut it off as soon as we locked gazes. He smiled. "Wanna go get coffee?" he asked.

I looked to where Dean was sleeping, and nodded. I changed quickly, and we headed out. "What are they about?" he asked, as we walked down the steps. "The nightmares?"

"Stuff" I shrugged. He said nothing more. He knew I wasn't ready to talk about it. We got to the doors that led outside, and stopped in shock. "What the hell?" I asked, looking up at Sam. He made me wait there while he went to question them.

"Another girl was taken" he said, and we ran back up the steps to tell Dean.

"I thought I told you not to leave?" Dean asked, as I opened the door.

"You told me not to leave without permission" I said, "I was with Sam"

"Yeah, well" he scoffed. "Where's the coffee?"

"There are cops outside. Another girl disappeared" Sam said.

"Why didn't you tell me right away?" Dean asked, growling at me.

"Um, because I walked in the door and you started hounding me with questions?" I asked, irritated. "Maybe if you'd back off a little—"

"Fine" he said, throwing his hands up. "I'll back off. Do whatever the hell you want, Alexis; I don't care about you anymore"

I stopped moving, feeling the tears coming up. I swallowed hard, and tried to ignore the fact that my brother had just basically said that he didn't really care anymore. I sat myself down on the couch in silence, and said nothing. Dean expression softened, but he just got up, mumbling under his breath, and walked out the door.

Jo looked uncomfortable, and I felt bad that Dean and I kept dragging her into our own issues. Sam sat down next to me. "He didn't mean it"

"Yeah" I said, shaking my head. "Right, yeah"

"Teresa Ellis –- apartment 2-F" Dean announced, coming back from talking to the cops more. "Her boyfriend reported her missing around dawn"

"And her apartment?" Jo asked.

"Cracks all over the plaster –- walls, ceiling" Dean sighed. "There's ectoplasm, too"

"Between that and that tuft of hair, I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls" Sam said, clicking away.

"Yeah, but who is it? The building's history is totally clean" Dean scoffed.

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place" Jo said, looking at a photo. "Check this out" she handed it to Sam.

"An empty field?" Sam asked.

"It's where this building was built" Jo said. "Take a look at the one next door. The windows"

"Bars" I stated, looking at it.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "We're next door to a prison?"

"Thanks, Ash. And if you breathe a word of this to my mom –-"Jo paused, as Ash finished her sentence for her. "That's right. I will. With pliers" she hung up. "Okay. Moyamensing Prison –- built in 1835, torn down in 1963. And get this –- they used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door"

"Well, then we need a list of all the people executed there" Sam said.

Jo nodded. "Ash is already on it"

Sam's laptop made a noise, and he pulled up a long long long list of names. "157 names?" I asked.

"We've got to narrow that down" Dean said. "Or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs"

Sam paused. "Herman Webster Mudgett?" he asked. "Wasn't that H.H. Holmes' real name?"

"You've gotta be kidding me" Dean said, going to the internet. He pulled up an article with some creepy looking dude on it. "Yup. Holmes was executed at Moyamensing May 7, 1896"

"H.H. Holmes himself. Come on, I mean, what are the odds?" Sam asked.

"Who's HH Holmes?" I asked.

"The term "multi-murderer" –- they coined it to describe Holmes" Dean replied. "He was America's first serial killer before anybody knew what a serial killer was" He paused, and smirked. "Geez Lex even I knew that"

"Yeah, anyway" Sam said, shooting Dean a glance. "He confessed to twenty-seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred"

"And his victim flavor of choice? Pretty, petite blondes" Dean smirked at me and Jo. We were both blondes.

"Well at least he's got good taste" I remarked.

"He used chloroform to kill 'em…which is what I smelled in the hallway last night" Dean went on. "At his place, cops found human remains –- bone fragments and long locks of bloody, blonde hair. Boy, he sure knew how to pick 'em"

"So, we'll just find the bones, salt them, and burn them, right?" Jo asked.

"Well, it's not that easy" Sam said. "His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete"

"What? Why?" Jo asked.

Sam grimaced. "Story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse, 'cause, you know, that's what he used to do"

"That's a nice story" I smiled.

"You know something?" Sam scoffed. "We might have an even bigger problem than that"

Jo looked surprised. "How does this get bigger?"

"Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago" Sam said. "They called it The Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory. They had trapdoors, acid vats, quicklime pits. He built these secret chambers…inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death"

"So, Teresa could still be alive" Jo said. "She could be inside _these_ walls"

Dean shook his head. "We need sledgehammers, crowbars –- we've gotta smash these walls anywhere thick enough to hide a girl"

"I'll go to the car" Sam said, and headed out.

"I'll stay here and mope" I stated, lying down on the couch. Dean sighed, and both he and Jo waited for Sam by the door.

"Here" Dean said, handing me an iron crowbar, once Sam got back. "He likes your type, so don't do anything stupid"

"I'll try" I said, taking it and smiling at him.

"You better try really hard" he snapped back, and Jo and he left. I had to say, I was getting very tired of being at arms with Dean. It just wasn't going to last until one or both of us hated each other.

I paced around the halls with Sam trying to stop my mind from wandering back to all my problems. "Stay out here" he said, after we made a hole in the wall. "I'll go in"

I nodded, and waited for him to come back. I heard a loud splat, and looked at the floor in front of me where a drop of brown greenish goo was. I touched it, wiping it on my pants in disgust. I gripped the iron crowbar, and moved to the center of the hall away from the walls. I would call Dean, but he had my freaking cell phone.

Great, now being grounded was going to get me killed.

I waited. It was coming, and I didn't really know what to do. I had the iron, but it wouldn't fend it off for long. I heard a low, guttural laugh, and I panicked. "Sam!" I shouted.

"You're very pretty" a low voice said. I wheeled around to see nothing. There was nothing there. How the hell was I going to get out of this one" I peeked towards the wall where Sam had gone in. "Sam!" I shouted again, inching towards it. I felt cold. Really cold. I walked closer to the wall. "Sam, I swear to god-"The laugh echoed louder.

I heard a scream. It sounded like Jo. I grimaced and heard Sam coming back from inside the walls. I ran over, to tell him, but was not met by Sam. I felt a tug on my hair. I spun around again, but by the time that I saw the man about to attack me, I was out and all I saw was black.

I could feel myself being dragged. I opened my eyes slightly, and noticed that I was in the walls still. I looked up and saw Jo, with blood on her head. We had both been taken then. I couldn't seem to find the strength to move. I could sense bile coming up. I gulped and we stopped moving.

"He's got Jo" Dean said. My eyes shot open at the sound of Dean's voice.

"He got Alexis too" Sam said, breathlessly. "She wasn't even in the walls, man"

"We shouldn't have left them alone" Dean said, sounding anxious. "Damn it!"

"Okay, look, we'll find them, all right?" Sam said, trying to calm him down. "Inside the walls" I heard Dean swear again.

"We've been inside the walls all night" he sighed. "If none of the other girls are there, they won't be, either" I wanted to protest. I wanted to scream and struggle, but everything was spinning. I went black again.

I woke up the next time inside a tight space. I could barely see anything. I was lying flat, and the walls around me were a rough brick. We weren't in the walls anymore, I could tell you that much. I felt around me for some kind of escape. A latch or something. I looked the other way. There was a tiny slit where light was pouring in. I gathered up the courage, and peered out. I saw nothing. It looked like a round room, with a sewer running into it. So we were underground. Fantastic.

I pushed on the metal, hoping it would give a little, but it was stuck tight. I whimpered, and peered out again. "Hello?" I called out, hoping that someone would answer me.

"Hello?" another voice called. "Lexie?"

"Jo?" I sighed in relief. "Oh god"

"Is anybody there?" a third voice asked.

"Your name's Teresa?" Jo asked. She called back a yes. "This won't make you feel better, but…I'm here to rescue you"

"Oh, God. He's out there, he's gonna kill us!" Teresa shouted, terrified.

"No, he won't!" I yelled. "We're getting out. My brothers are looking for us, they'll find us" I prayed that I wasn't lying.

"Oh, God, it's him!" Teresa cried, panicked.

"Shh! Just be quiet!" Jo said. I moved closer to the wall, hoping I would be able to keep this freak way from me. My heart was pounding. I saw him pass by, and he didn't stop. I think he was headed towards Jo.

She screamed, and Holmes sighed. Then it seemed he was gone. "Jo?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

She sobbed, but answered me. "Yeah" she choked. "I'm bleeding. He pulled out hair"

I swallowed my fear, and stared back at the ceiling of my little coffin. That was what this was. A coffin. It was dark and quiet for a long time once Jo's sobs subsided. I didn't want to speak. I heard footsteps again, and tensed. I tried to reach for the iron knife I knew I had in my shoe. I couldn't bend to get it though. It was too cramped.

"Such a pretty girl" he whispered, right outside my cage.

"Leave me alone, you bastard" I cried pushing myself closer to the wall. His hand inched inward, and he played with my hair. He didn't pull, just caressed it for a moment. His hand slinked back.

"So beautiful" he said, and I heard him opening the cage. It opened, and I cried when I saw his face. He was scraggly and ugly. He was dirty, mud caked on him. His eyes were wide. "Come here" he demanded. I did not move. He reached out and pulled me. I fell out to the ground, where I scrambled away.

"Alexis?" Jo asked.

I was going to run, but I couldn't leave her down here. He walked towards me, and smiled. "Pretty" he sighed again. He was holding a pad, which I was sure had chloroform on it.

"Please" I pleaded, trying to stand up.

He was right above me, and I kicked at him. He didn't seem very fazed. He used the chloroform, pressing it to my mouth. I tried to keep it out, but I had to breathe. I immediately felt dizzy and fell still. I wasn't dead, or passed out. He smiled. "No, not to kill" he said, picking me up easily.

I was too out of it to know what he was doing, and part of me didn't want to know. He took me away, into some other room where there was a table. He placed me on it, and all I could think was how the hell a ghost got a table down in a sewer system. I felt the straps before I knew what he was doing. He lifted my shirt up to my chest. "Pretty" he said, cutting off some of my hair.

He smelled it, and then dragged the knife over my side, from my last rib to my belly button. I screamed in pain. It wasn't deep, but it still hurt like hell. "Dean!" I screamed. "Help me!" I fought against him, and he drew the knife again, this time the other way. I panicked, pulling on the restraints. "Please, help!" I yelled, crying. He ran a hand down the cut, touching the blood. I kicked and pulled and realized that it was only making me bleed more. I tried to calm down.

He smiled and then undid the restraints. He carried me back to the cage, and locked me back in. I was sobbing hysterically now, still feeling the bite of the knife on my skin. I think he must've been gone, because Jo called out to me. "Lex?"

"He cut me" I said, pulling my shirt over it. I was still bleeding openly, not that I could do anything about it.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I think so" I said, and tried to stay still. "Are you?"

"No, not really" she said honestly.

I gave a weak smile to myself. I tried to reach for the knife in my boot again, and felt the tug on the cuts. I grimaced. "Sam and Dean are coming" I said. I wasn't sure if I was convincing her, or myself.

"Yeah" she said, weakly. "I have a knife"

"Use it" I said, "Keep him off of you" I tried one last time to reach mine, to no avail. "I can't get to mine"

"You think we could break out of these things?" she asked. I could hear her pushing on it.

"Doubt it" I said, shaking my head. "Unless you have a crowbar with you"

"Nope, sorry" she said, giving up. "Left mine at home"

The chloroform was wearing off. I could start to really feel the pain now, and winced at every movement. Breathing hurt. Hours went by in silence. There was no record of time down here. I could hear Jo or Teresa move every now and again. Then I heard the footsteps and paused. He passed me again. "You're so pretty…so beautiful" he said.

"Go to hell" Jo choked out.

There was silence except for Jo's strangled sigh. I heard Holmes cry and vanish. "How do you like _that_?" she asked, sounding triumphant. "Pure iron, you creepy-ass son of a bitch!"

He disappeared; I took it and sighed a breath of relief. "How long do you think it's been?" I asked.

"At least a day" Jo answered after awhile. "I don't know how long we were out for"

"Me neither" I replied. "Teresa, you okay?"

"Yeah" she said, but I could hear the panicked tone.

I wanted to tell her that it was going to be okay, but I honestly didn't know anymore. "Jo?" I called out. "I'm sorry you're first case kind of sucked ass"

"Oh trust me" she said, with a sigh. "This is way worse than kind of sucking ass"

We fell into silence once again. Holmes passed me by a few more times, not touching any of us, before stopping in front of me. "Go away!" I cried out, knowing that he wasn't going to listen.

I pushed him away from me, and was able to get my knife out. I swung it at him, and he disappeared. I ran to Jo, trying to figure out how to open it. "Hurry!" she cried, and I pulled at the latch. It was like bolted closed.

"I'm trying" I said, and felt the tug in my waist. "Jo!" I screamed through tears. I swung again, but this time he came right back. He knocked me sideways, and I fell, dropping the knife. He ignored it, coming right for me. He had me pinned, since I was bleeding and exhausted. He slammed my head into the wall. I braced myself for another blow, but he threw me back in.

"Punished" he mumbled to himself and reached a hand in. He petted my arm, and all the way down my body. I cringed, tears pouring down my cheeks.

"Leave her alone, you asshole!" Jo shouted. He scratched at my arms, leaving superficial cuts. I gripped it in pain, but said no more.

He seemed to be gone again.

"Is he gone?" Teresa asked.

"I don't know" Jo sighed. "I—"She was cut off. I could hear the struggle, but couldn't see what he was doing. Her screams were stifled.

"Hey!" I heard.

Two gunshots went off. I peeked out, my eyes widening. "Sammy!" I screamed, and he ran over.

"Jo?" Dean questioned.

"I'm here!" Jo yelled. I heard her case open, and mine by Sam soon after.

I got out, still woozy. "You all right?" Sam asked, noting the scratches and blood on my shirt. "What happened?"

"He cut me up" I said, "its okay, they aren't deep" Sam went to get Teresa out. I looked to Dean, who had Jo in his arms. He looked at me, and let her go. He pulled me into a tight hug, and sighed. I smiled to myself, and he slowly let me go.

"Let's just get the hell out of here before he comes back" Jo cried, once Sam had Teresa in his arms.

"Actually, I don't think you're leaving here just yet" Dean said, looking at both of us.

"What?" Jo asked, uneasily.

"Remember when I said you being bait was a bad plan?" Dean asked. "Now it's kind of the only one we've got"

"I'll do it" I said, immediately. "He likes me apparently" Dean looked at me funny. "I was the only one he pulled out to torture"

"We'll do it together" Jo said, grabbing my hand.

"Alright" Dean sighed, "Sam, you get Teresa out of here. Make sure she's safe, and then get back" He looked at us. "We've got stuff to do"

Jo and I sat back to back. She had a death grip on my hand. I squeezed back. I was waiting for him to appear. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of me. I was supposed to pretend I didn't notice. "He's here" I whispered quietly, and Jo tensed.

He inched towards us, approaching me with a sinister grin. He was only a few feet away when Dean shouted. "Now!"

Jo and I scrambled away. Sam and Dean shot at the bags of salt. They poured out, making a circle of salt around him. I fell into the sewer with Jo in front of me. Holmes looked all around him, and started screaming bloody murder. "Scream all you want, you dick, but there's no way you're stepping over that salt!" Jo shouted triumphantly.

"Let's go" I said, and we climbed back out of the sewers.

The sunlight hit me, and I felt instantly better. It was cold out, but at least there was fresh air. I breathed in, and pulled my shirt up. The two lacerations weren't too deep at all, and the blood was crusted over them. I put it back down, and looked to Dean, who gave me a smile.

"C'mon" he said, and pulled me with him.

"Where are we going?" I asked, but he didn't answer. We walked together, leaving Sam and Jo behind. "Dean?" I asked again.

"We need a cement truck" he said, finally. "We're going to fill in the sewer"

"Oh" I said, sounding more disappointed than I thought I would. We came up to the construction site, and he nonchalantly got in, and pulled it out. I got in the passenger seat. "Nice" I said, as we drove down the road. I paused. "I'm sorry" I stated.

"For what?" he asked. "It's not your fault psycho took you"

"No not for that" I said. "For running off"

He paused, pulling up to a red light. "I thought you ran off like dad" he said, shaking his head. "All I could think was that you weren't coming back and I was never going to see you again" I could sense the tension in his voice. "I couldn't protect you if I didn't know where you were" He paused again, tears in his eyes. "And then you were taken again, and I regretted being such a dick. What if I never saw you again? What if I didn't get you back?"

I sighed. "I'll always come back, Dean" I said, shaking my head. "We're like glue" He looked at me funny, and I shrugged. "How many times has one of us ran off? Sam ran away on a monthly basis for awhile. You run off to the bar when you don't want to deal. Sam ran to college. I run away. We always end up back together. Like glue"

"That because that's how it's supposed to be" he said, with a nod. I smiled. "But you're still grounded"

I laughed slightly. "As long as we're okay"

We pulled back up to the sewer hole. Sam signaled for Dean to stop, and I hopped out. They pulled the cement down, and angled it for the sewer. "You ripped off a cement truck?" Jo asked, amused.

Dean shrugged and smirked. "I'll give it back" he put the lever, and I watched it fill it up. "Well, that'll keep him down there till hell freezes over"

"Thank god" I said, and Jo pointed to my abdomen.

"Aren't you going to clean that up?" she asked.

"Oh" I said, and looked to Sam. "We'll meet you back upstairs?" He nodded, and Jo and I headed back. I pulled my shirt off, and she handed me bandages. I poured peroxide on the cuts, and winced as they sizzled. I cleaned it out, and Jo watched me in somewhat awe. "What?" I asked.

"How do you do it?" she asked. I wrinkled my eyes in confusion. "You hunt for a living. Get hurt all the time. How do you handle that?"

I shrugged slightly. "I have my brothers" I said, patting the bandage down. "I'm not alone" I paused. "My dad trained me since I was six to do this. I was like his little soldier"

"I lost my dad when I was that age" she said, sitting next to me. "I always thought he was so strong, you know? Like nothing could touch him, and I wanted to be like that"

"I felt the same way" I said. "Until…"

"He was gone" she replied, finishing for me. "Yeah, I get it"

"Although, Dean raised me more than he did" I said, sitting up straight. "My dad trained me, but Dean taught me, you know? He made me"

"Yeah" she nodded. "I can tell, you're just like him. You're just as stubborn"

I grinned, with a short laugh. "He likes you" I said, and she looked surprised. "But you scare him"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you're a hunter" I shrugged. "Hunters are wild cards. We change like that" I snapped my fingers. "He can't handle that"

"Oh" she said, and shook her head. "I still want to hunt. Helping Teresa, it just—"

"You don't have to explain it to me" I shrugged, "If anyone understands it's me. That feeling, it's worth it"

The door burst open, and Ellen was standing there, hands on her hips, glaring. Jo jumped and looked to me uneasily. "Get in the car" she said, and stalked out. I grabbed all our stuff, which was already packed, and followed.

We walked together, and I sat in the middle of the backseat in-between Sam and Jo. They were in the car before we were. Dean was driving. It was silent and awkward. Ellen stared hard, straight ahead. "Boy, you –- you really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?" Dean asked, with a short chuckle. Ellen said nothing, not even a flinch. "How about we listen to some music?"

He turned on the radio, and Ellen abruptly shut it off. I exchanged a look with Jo. "This is gonna be a long drive" Dean remarked.

We entered the roadhouse, and Ellen was still as silent as ever. "Ellen?" Dean said finally. "This is my fault. Okay? I lied to you, and I'm sorry. But Jo did good out there. I think her dad would be proud"

"Don't you _dare_ say that. Not you" She said angrily. I frowned, wondering what she meant by that. "I need a moment with my daughter –- alone"

We slinked out, waiting by the Impala. "I hope she's not too mad" I stated, shifting uncomfortably. "She only misses her dad"

"Yeah" Sam said, shaking his head. "But what happened down there with you two?"

"He had us in those things" I said, with shudder. "He pulled me out, cut me up, chloroformed me. Tons of fun"

"Ouch" Dean said, noting the scratches on my arms. "Looks like it was tons of fun"

"Oh, it totally was" I laughed.

Jo stormed out of the roadhouse, ignoring us. I looked to Sam, and we let Dean go after her. "That bad, huh?" he asked.

"Not right now" She said.

"What happened?" he asked, grabbing her shoulder to slow her down. "Hey, talk to me"

She shoved him away. "Get off me!"

Dean stopped, and then frowned. "Sorry, see you around" He went to walk away. "Dean…it turns out my dad had a partner on his last hunt. Funny, he usually worked alone. This guy did, too. But I guess my father figured he could trust him –- a mistake. Guy screwed up, got my dad killed"

Dean looked confused, but I got it right away. "What does this have to do—"

"It was your father, Dean" Jo spat. "Why do you think John never came back, never told you about us? 'Cause he couldn't look my mom in the eye after that. That's why"

"Jo—"

"Just…just get out of here" she said. "Please, just leave" Dean thought for a moment, and then got in the car. Jo walked away without a second glance. I got into the backseat. Dean didn't want to talk, so I curled up and tried to concentrate on nothing. We pulled over to a motel and I crawled into bed.

I fell asleep quickly, and was happy that my dreams didn't seem to have anything to do with Yellow eyes. That quickly changed when Missouri showed up.

"_I'm sorry" she kept saying over and over. "I'm sorry" She disappeared and turned into Sammy. _

"_You weren't supposed to happen" he said, and came at me, brandishing a knife. "You were an accident. You aren't supposed to be here" _

"_Sam" I said, backing up. "Stop, please" _

"_You weren't supposed to happen" he said louder, his tone getting lower. _

_I backed into something solid. It was Dean. "Dean" I said breathlessly. "Help me"_

"_Sam" he said, ignoring me. "Finish it" _

"Lex!" shouted Dean, shaking me awake. I shot upward, pushing him off of me. I needed air. I took three long deep breaths. My heart was pounding. "What happened?" I asked, noting that we both of them were awake.

"You, uh-" Sam said, pointing to the picture that was lying on the ground. It had originated by the other wall. "With your—"He pointed to my head.

I couldn't help it, I burst into tears. Dean pulled me tightly to him, rubbing my back. "It's okay" he said. "It's no big deal"

"Dean!" I shouted. "I freaking made a picture fly. How is that okay?" I sobbed.

"We're going to figure this all out" he said, calmly. He had no idea what he was talking about, but I appreciated it anyway. "We always do"

"What we're you dreaming about?" Sam asked. "You kept screaming"

"Nothing—"

"Just tell us" Dean said, letting me go slightly, and loosening the death grip he had.

I wiped my eyes. "Yellow eyes" I said. "I had a dream a few days ago that he told me that I wasn't supposed to happen. But it was real, you know? Like he had tapped into my head?" I paused, at the tensed faces. "He said he wanted to kill me"

"Kill you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah" I repeated. "Said I was interfering"

"Well he's going to have to try really hard" Dean stated, tightening his grip on me again. "He'll have to get through me first. And I am a major pain in the ass to get rid of"

I giggled slightly, thankful that I had these two. "You are a pain in the ass" I remarked. Sam sat down next to me, and I buried my head in Dean's chest. "Thanks though"

"Don't mention it" he said, giving me one last squeeze before letting me go. "Get some rest" I lay down, and he lay next to me, watching me. I fell asleep, knowing that he was there.

That was all I needed sometimes.


	34. Season 2, Chapter Nine

**Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! You should all be happy to know, I have the rest of season 2 planned, and it is epic! Woo! Oh, and check out Younger Years, my one-shots featuring Alexis, and if anyone is good with Photoshop, and would be willing to help me out to make something, I would greatly appreciate it and will be forever in your debt!**

**I do not own supernatural, only Alexis!**

**Chapter Thirty Four**

There were a lot of things wrong with the current situation. For one, I was sitting in an interrogation room, waiting to be talked to by the cops. That was a problem. My other problems ranged from that I was dying of thirst, to that I was fighting with my boyfriend. I would explain, but the door opened.

The woman who brought me and Sam in to the station, I think her name was Ballard or something like that, walked in and gave me and small smile. I spun around in the spinny chair that they gave me to sit on. "Thought you might be thirsty" she said, and I stopped to look at what she brought. She put the coffee cup down.

"Thanks, but I don't drink coffee" I stated, and spun again. "Where are my brothers?"

"A couple rooms over" she said, watching me spin.

"Oh" I said, and stopped spinning. I glared at her. "And you're holding us why?" I put my hands on the table.

"Well, Dean's being held on suspicion of murder, your brother, as an accomplice" she stated. "And you? We'll see"

"Murder?" I asked, looking surprised. I mean, there was that time in St. Louis with the shape-shifter. We kind of "killed" Dean though, so I really wasn't sure how they found us.

"You sound shocked" she said, watching me. "Or are you that good of an actor?"

"Oh, I'm a horrible actor, lady" I said, shaking my head. "I can't even convince my brothers I'm telling the truth half the time" She went out the door, leaving it open and coming back seconds later holding a coke. I took a sip. "So, who is he supposed to have murdered?"

"We'll get around to that" she said.

"Well, you can't just hold us here forever" I scoffed. "Not without filing some sort of charges against us. And all you need is my brother. Not me"

"Actually, we can hold you three for forty-eight hours" she said, and opened a file. "I have some questions" She opened a file, and put it in front of me. "Do you know her?"

She showed me a picture of Rebecca, Sam's friend from St. Louis. "Yeah" I replied. "I met her once when I was visiting Sam, and she was there" I paused, making it look like I was thinking hard. "Isn't her name like Rachel or something?"

"Rebecca" she said, and showed me another picture. "What about her?"

I looked down again, and saw a picture of the cop that we cooperated with when Sam was taken by those psycho people who hunted humans. "Nope" I said, shaking my head. "She kind of reminds me of that lady from Armageddon though. You know, that movie" I took another sip of coke. "Why?"

"We ran Dean's fingerprints through IAFIS" she said, and I nodded, giving her a confused look. Normal sixteen year olds were not familiar with programs like that. "Got over a dozen possible hits"

"_Possible_ hits?" I asked. "What does that mean?"

"They're essentially useless unless we find something more. Which we can't be, since you seem to not be at any of the other crimes" she said.

"What other crimes?" I asked.

"Credit card fraud, breaking and entering" she said, reading the list. "Trespassing. This one is odd, grave desecration" She looked up. "But it makes you wonder. What are we gonna find when we run _your_ prints?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "You got my prints?" I asked. They hadn't run my prints when I got in. Hell, they hadn't even taken my picture like they did to Dean. "Cause of you need them, can you use pink ink? That would be cool"

"Sorry" she said, slapping a pad of ink on the table. "Standard black is all we have" She took my right hand, and started to mark the piece of paper. "I got to tell you, you put up a good front, but I know more about you than you think"

"Oh?" I asked, watching her. "Like what?"

"Your sixteen year's old, homeschooling" she said, moving on to the next hand. "You used to do traditional school, but quit a few years back. Your mom died when you were six months old from a fire in your home. You never were in trouble with the law except for a one time graffiti charge when you were thirteen" I smirked as she handed me a wipe for my hands. "And your father's whereabouts are unknown"

"Yep" I said, with a nod. I leaned back in the chair. "That's me in a nutshell"

"Alexis, you seem like a good kid" she said. "It's not your fault Dean's your brother. We can't pick our family" She sighed. "Right now, detectives in St. Louis are exhuming a corpse. They're trying to figure out how your brother faked his own death after torturing all those young women. Dean's a bad guy. His life is over. Yours doesn't have to be"

"You want me to turn against my own brother?" I asked.

"No. We already caught him cold, red-handed at the Karen Giles murder scene" She said. "Your brothers already told us the whole song and dance. We just need to see if your story matches theirs"

"Why would I talk though?" I asked. "You already said it, Dean's screwed apparently. You have your minds made up no matter what I tell you"

"So you're saying Dean is guilty"

"I'm saying that why should I bother to tell you the story if you already know it?" I asked, leaning forward. "Why waste time?'

"Because I can talk to the people in charge" she shrugged. "I make a deal for you and Sam"

I thought for a moment. "My dad and Tony Giles were in the service together" I stated, leaning back. "Our families were always in contact. So, when we heard he kicked it, we came"

Let the story begin.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

Sam sat down at the table, handing me an ice tea from the café that he insist that we stop at. "Here you go" he said. I sipped some and leaned over to look at what Dean was staring at so intently in the paper.

"Anthony Giles" He said, handing it to me.

"Who's Anthony Giles?" Sam asked, looking over my shoulder.

"The Baltimore lawyer" Dean replied. "Working late at his office, check it out" Dean motioned for me to read.

"His throat was slit but the room was clean" I said. "No DNA, no prints" I grimaced, but shrugged.

Dean smirked. "Keep reading, it gets better"

"Security cameras failed to capture footage of the assailant." I went on.

Dean nodded. "So I'm thinking either somebody tampered with the tapes…"

"Or it's an invisible killer" Sam said, mixing his coffee.

Dean smiled. "My favorite kind" He looked to Sam. "What do you think, Scully? We'll check it out?"

Sam glared. "I'm not Scully, you're Scully"

Dean shook his head. "No, I'm Mulder" he remarked. "You're a red-headed woman"

Sam looked to me. "Then who is Alexis?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Dean looked in thought for a moment, and smiled. "Skinner"

I grinned. "Cool, I'm in charge of you" I handed him my empty ice tea cup. "Throw this out, lackey" He rolled his eyes, throwing it out behind him. I thought for a moment and frowned. "Wait, I don't want to be bald!"

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

"So, it would've been kind of hard for Dean to kill Tony, considering we weren't in town at the time" I stated, folding my arms over my chest.

"So, tell me what happened next" She said, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"I think that's when we went to see Karen" I said, thinking back. "She was barely holding it together. We just wanted to be there for her, you know?"

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

I snapped my gum again, and swept backwards, walking in circles. I had no idea why there was nothing going off. I was getting annoyed with this stupid thing. I peeked inside the house, and saw Sam and Dean sitting next to Karen in their suits. They had been in there for like twenty minutes already. I saw them still talking, and sat on the trunk of the car to wait it out. My cell rang. "Hey" I smiled into my phone. "What's up?"

"Nothing" he sighed, sounding happy. "I had a good time the other night"

"Me too" I said, remembering how Sam and Dean had let us stop for a couple days. He took me to the movies, where we saw some cheesy action flick that I didn't actually watch most of. We went back to his house, and we slept together in the basement on the flip out bed before I went back to the motel room where Sam and Dean were waiting for me. "I already miss you"

"Yeah" he sighed again. "When do you think that will be?"

"Right now we're in the middle of a case, and I think Dean's anxious about letting us be together too much" I stated, remembering his annoyed gaze when I asked if we could stop. "Probably a few weeks or so"

"Why does he have to be so uptight?" Logan scoffed.

"He cares" I said, a little hurt by his tone. He had talked bad about my brothers before, but not this seriously. "Don't be so harsh"

"Yeah, sorry" he said, "I'm just worried about you"

"You don't need to be" I replied. I had told him about my dreams. I told him about how the demon wanted me dead. "I'm fine" I added.

"Just be careful" he said. "For me"

"I always am" I smirked, and we hung up. I noticed Sam and Dean coming back, and hopped off the car. "What did she say?"

"He had a nightmare the day before he died with a pale woman with red eyes" Dean said, opening the car door. "Could be nothing"

"Dean" I smirked, opening my own door. "Is it ever, nothing?"

"Touché" he smirked back.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

"So I waited while Sam and Dean talked to her" I shrugged.

"Why didn't you talk to her?"

"I never knew her" I replied. "She was friends with my dad before my mom died, but by the time I was old enough to remember who she was, they lost touch"

"Alexis" she said with a sigh. "I am trying to help you here, but you have got to be honest with me" I gave her a confused look. "Now, we have an eyewitness, someone who saw two men and a girl fitting you and your brothers' description, breaking into Giles' office"

"Well Karen called my brother later asking us to pick some stuff up at Tony's office, but we didn't break in, she gave us the key" I said. "She wanted some picture of them in Paris and some random things"

"That was a crime scene" she said. "It's illegal, did you know that?"

"No" I said, even though I knew very well that it was. "I thought since we had permission from Karen it was okay"

"It's illegal" she repeated. "But never mind that, tell me what happened there"

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

We waited until dark to go to his office and break in. My cell phone rang again, and I looked down to see Logan's name. "Hey" I said a little distracted trying to watch the guard do the key pad. "Is this important, I'm a little busy?"

"I guess not" he said, and I heard him sigh. "Sorry if I'm in your way" He hung up, and I looked down at my phone, annoyed. I shook my head, and watched him do the key pad. As soon as he left. I walked up, undid the key pad, and motioned for Sam and Dean to come.

There was a pool of blood on the floor, where Tony Giles throat had been slit. I grimaced and stepped around it. "Hey. Anthony Giles' body was found right about here" Sam said, pointing.

"You think?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

Sam ignored me. "His throat slit so deep, part of his spinal cord was visible"

"What do you think? Vengeful spirit? Underline "vengeful"?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, maybe" Sam said. "He did see that woman at the foot of his bed"

Dean handed me a piece of paper. "Take a look at this" he said, handing another to Sam.

It had Dana Shulps written over and over and over. Every inch of the paper was written Dana Shulps. "Dana Shulps. What's that? A name?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but it's everywhere" Dean said, pointing to a stack of papers that had Dana Shulps written on every piece. "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy." He quoted and chuckled to himself.

Sam went to the desk, and I looked at the filing cabinets. "Wow. I'd say we've officially crossed over into weird"

"Why?" I asked, turning around. Sam breathed onto the desk, and Dana Shulps showed up in condensation. "Oh" I said, nodding. "Okay, yeah that's weird"

"Maybe Giles knew her" Dean shrugged.

"Maybe it's the name of our pale, red-eyed mystery girl" Sam replied.

"Well, let's see what we can find" I said, and opened the filing cabinet to my left. I found no Dana Shulps in any folder or file.

"There's not a single mention of a Dana Shulps anywhere" Dean scoffed, sitting down in the chair with a huff. "There's not a D. Shulps. Or any other kind of friggen' Shulps"

"Great" I scoffed, sitting next to him. "I don't have anything either. Now what?" I looked at Sam, who was on the computer. "What do you got?"

"Nothing" Sam sighed. "No Dana Shulps has ever lived or died in Baltimore in the last fifty years, at least"

"So, what now?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "Well, I think I'm pretty close to cracking Giles' password. Maybe there's something in his personal files, you know?"

"By "close", you mean…?"

Sam looked at Dean uneasily. "Thirty minutes, maybe?"

Dean scoffed and threw his head back in annoyance. "So, I guess I just get to hang out. That's awesome" I relaxed, patiently. Dean looked around bored, and started to make noises. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and mouth farted, and anything else he could think of. I shot him a look.

"Dude, seriously" Sam said, glaring at him.

"All right, I'm gonna go talk to Karen again, see if she knows anything about this Dana Shulps, huh?" Dean said, standing up. "You coming?"

I looked to Sam, and then at Dean. "Do I have to?"

Dean smiled, and yanked me out the door with him.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

"So you went with him?" she asked.

"No" I said, "You didn't let me finish. I convinced him to take me back to the motel room, where you found me with Sam" I paused. "How did you find us there, by the way?"

"We found the motel matchbook on your brother when we arrested him" she replied. "Are you sure you were never at Karen's?"

"Positive" I said, staring her down. I was lying my ass off, but never broke eye contact with Ballard. I was a good liar to everyone but my brothers. "I'm hungry" She sighed, and got up to leave the room. I smiled and sat back in the chair.

I had gone to Karen's with Dean.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

I stared at my phone, contemplating calling Logan back. I didn't know what was up with him, but he was especially touchy lately. Ever since we had sex, and he got mixed in all our drama he called me all the time, and was clingy. "What's wrong?" Dean asked, noting my sour expression.

"Nothing" I said, and dialed. I waited more rings than normal until he finally picked up. "Hi" I said.

"Oh" he said, sounding harsh. "You can talk now?"

I frowned. "Okay, I don't know what's wrong, but you need to calm down" He scoffed. "I was trying to watch a guard tap a key pad" I explained. "I needed to concentrate. I wasn't trying to piss you off" Dean shot me a look.

"Oh" he said, lightening up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so…"

"Bitchy?" I smirked, and he chuckled. "It's okay" I sighed. "So what's up with you though?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, immediately on guard again. I grimaced, now regretting asking. "I'm fine"

"Uh, okay"

"What?" he demanded.

"It's just—"I looked to Dean, who was politely pretending not to listen. "You've been clingy lately" I said softly. "I know you're worried, but you never did this before"

"Well I didn't know that you had hell wanting you dead before" he replied. "I'm just worried about you is all"

"I get that" I said, "But I don't know, you're my boyfriend, not my brother" He was silent. "I just mean, I want to be happy when you call, not worried you're going to freak on me"

"I'll try to lighten up" he replied tersely. I had pissed him off. I sighed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Sure" I said, and hung up. We hadn't even said love you, like we had gotten into the habit of doing. I looked over at Dean, and he seemed tense. We pulled up to Karen's in silence. "Thanks" I said, as we got out of the car.

"For what?" he asked, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"For not saying anything" I replied.

"No problem" he said, giving me a small smile. He paused. "But I can totally kick his ass for you if you want"

"That's okay" I said, as we reached the door. "I'll kick his ass myself" I smirked, and knocked. There was no reply.

"Karen, you in there?" Dean asked, knocking on the door. He looked worried. "Karen?" he asked again.

"There's nothing on" I said, looking in the window. I shrugged. "Maybe she's asleep?"

"Yeah" he scoffed.

"Yeah, you're right" I said, and kneeled down. I picked the lock in barely a minute and he opened the door. I tried the light switch, but nothing happened. "Power's out" I said.

"Check down here" he said, walking up the stairs. I walked around the house, and saw the sirens pulling up outside.

"Shit" I said, and moved to the back of the house. I got out, and was going to try to call Dean's cell, but it was way too late. I heard the cops yelling and talking. Something was going on up there. I waited across the street, watching to see how Dean got himself out of this one.

That was when they brought him out of the house cuffed. I gasped, and wanted so much to walk over. He spotted me, but showed no sign of recognition. He turned around, and showed me three fingers. I gave a slight nod, and took off down the street. "Sam" I said, into my cell. "Pack up we gotta go"

He didn't even respond, just hanging up again. I ran back to the motel, and found Sam, waiting for me. "What happened?" he asked.

"I think Karen's dead" I said, pacing. "And Dean was taken by the cops; they probably found him with the body"

"How the hell did that happen?" he asked. I shrugged. He sighed. "Alright, c'mon" He grabbed the bags, and then I heard it. I heard the car wheel screeching. "Shit" he said.

"Bathroom window?" I asked, but the door burst open.

Ballard walked in, holding a gun. "Going somewhere Sam?" she asked. "Alexis?" I looked to Sam, and put my hands in the air.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

We were in holding together, and that was where we corroborated our story. We could do it without even talking. Dean had motioned for plan number 2. Tony was an old friend of dads from the marines. It was easy enough.

I spun in the chair, waiting for Ballard to come back and question me some more. She opened the door, and handed me a sandwich. "PB&J" I stated, and took a bite. "Thanks" She watched me eat for a minute, and then sat down again.

"Let's quit fooling around" she said. "Now, you were with your brother's the whole time you were in Baltimore" I nodded in agreement. "Why separate now?" she asked. "Because your brother left you to go murder Karen"

"He didn't kill anyone" I stated. "Especially not Karen"

"I heard the 911 call! Karen was terrified! She said someone was in the house!" Ballard said fed up. "She was killed"

"Yeah" I nodded. "But not by Dean" She threw her hands up, and I licked the peanut butter off my fingers. "So" I said. "Want to know anything else? Or are we done for now?"

She looked at me, and shook her head. "They really are your brothers, aren't they?" she stood up. "All I got out of them was the same exact story, and the same wise ass remarks" I smirked, and she took the garbage from my sandwich.

"Thanks for the sandwich" I called after her, and smiled. I went back to thinking about what the hell this case was about. I may be in jail, but we were still on a hunt, and we still had to figure it out. I racked my brain for how this Dana Shulps fit into this. "Dana Shulps" I breathed, and then stopped. Maybe it was an anagram of some sort?

I stood up and went to the door. "Hey!" I called. The person at the desk looked up. "I'm bored, can I have some paper?" They scoffed, and went back to what they were doing. I rolled my eyes. I looked around, and grabbed the pencil on the shelf and then wrote on the folder that Ballard had left.

I put those letters in every order I could think of. Nothing seemed to make any sense. I gave up, and soon after, some random guy cam came in the door carrying a briefcase. "Hi" he said, taking the seat that Ballard had awhile ago. "I'm a lawyer, and I've been assigned to represent you"

"Awesome" I smiled, folding my hands. "So Matlock, you got a name?"

He stared at me for a second. "Oh my god, you three are related" he said, shaking his head. "I need to talk to you about your case. I already talked to Dean, and to Sam for a moment, and-"

The door burst open, and I looked up. It was Ballard and some other guy that I had seen with Dean at some point I think. He looked pissed to hell. I smirked. What had they done? "Where is he?" the man demanded, glaring at me, his fists clenched.

"Who?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Sam" he said, walking towards me. "I know you have to know something. So tell me where he is"

"He's in your custody" I scoffed. "Shouldn't it be your job to know where he is?"

"He escaped after your brother gave him this" he said, slamming the note down on the table. "And you're going to tell me what it means"

"Sheridan" Ballard said warningly. "Take it easy"

"Tell me what this means" he said, not backing down at all. "Now" he added, in a gruff tone.

I took the note. "Hilts—it's a street. Ashland. –McQueen" I smiled. "Steve McQueen?" I asked, and his face told me that apparently he still didn't get it. "Hilts was his character in The Great Escape?" He looked at me in realization. "Wow, you're not the smartest pea in the pod, are you?"

He slammed his hand down on the desk. "Damn it" he said, and stood up straight. "C'mon" he said, and shook his head.

"Where are you all going?" I asked, confused.

"We're going to make sure your other brother is locked up good and tight" Sheridan smiled. He paused, shooting me a grin. "We'll be back"

I nodded, and all three left. I guess Dean had really pissed them off or something, because he really seemed peeved at him, as well as Sam. I looked out the window, and saw that the fire escape was far away. Sam might be able to get out through the window, but I would use that as my last resort. I sat back down as the door opened. It was Sheridan, and he was alone.

"I hope you realize what your brother is up against" he said, pacing. "He could face life to the death penalty"

"I realize that" I stated, watching him walk back and forth.

"Your brother had a message for you too" he said, shooting me a glance. I looked at him expectantly. "I'm not going to tell you"

"Okay" I shrugged. "Then don't tell me"

He stopped pacing, staring me down. "Why?" he asked. "Won't it tell you how to get out and where Sam is?"

"No" I said shaking my head. "More than likely, it will tell me to stay put" He looked at me curiously. "You really think that I can get out of here all by myself?" I asked. "I'm not even sure how Sam did it. I can't jump out a window by myself"

"So what then?" he asked. "They're going to leave you in here?"

I smirked at him, hoping the plan that was formulating in my plan was going to work. "No" I said. "Sam will come back for me"

Sheridan smirked, and pulled me out of the chair I was sitting in. "Not if he doesn't know where you are"

I scoffed and let him drag me out of the room and down the elevator where he pulled me into his office. He sat me down, and stared at me from his desk. "You're not getting out of here"

"Okay" I said, and stared at the ceiling. "So have you been working here long?"

"Ten years now" he said, looking at me like I was crazy.

"Are you married?" I went on, playing with the charms on my bracelet.

"No"

"Why?" I asked.

He gave me an incredulous glance. "Because I haven't found anyone I want to marry yet?" I nodded, and he went back to reading.

"Why?"

He cringed and looked up. "You're trying to annoy me aren't you?"

"I'm not trying" I smiled. He looked back down. "It comes naturally"

He looked up again, clearly irritated. "Just shut your mouth for five minutes, okay?" I nodded, zipping my lips and miming throwing away a key. I watched him read, and then sighed loudly. He ignored me. I sighed louder. He glared, and then looked back down. I sighed one last time. He stood up. "Okay listen you little brat—"

"I have to go to the bathroom" I said quickly, squirming around.

"Oh no" he said, shaking his head. "I know that trick. I'm not taking you to the bathroom"

"Please" I said, shifting back and forth. "I really gotta go" He shook his head. I whimpered, and he sighed and nodded. I smiled and walked with him to the bathroom.

"Go fast" he said. "And don't lock the stall"

"Then hold it closed" I said, going in. He put his hand on the top. "And don't be a pervert and peek" I added. He scoffed. I shuffled around to make it seem like I was going to the bathroom. I actually kneeled on the ground.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"Hang on" I said, and silently squirmed on the gross floor two stalls over. I stayed silent, until I heard him scoff.

"What are you doing in there?" he demanded. I didn't answer. I pull my feet up to on top the toilet. He opened the door. "What the hell?" he said and opened the next stall over on both sides. "Damn it" he swore, and ran out the door.

I sighed, and smiled to myself. "Idiot" I scoffed, and carefully walked out. No one seemed to take notice of me, as they all ran around to look for me. I rolled my eyes, and walked nonchalantly to the elevator. I took it all the way down, and then walked out the door.

From there I ran as fast as I could away from here, and went to the nearest diner. I walked in, and went to the pay phone. I pulled out the yellow pages, and noted the first motel listed. Sunray's Motel. I walked all the way there, and went into the tiny office. "I'm looking for a friend who's staying here" I said, and the man nodded. "His name is Jim Rockford?"

"Room twelve" he said.

"Thanks" I said, with a smile. That was easy enough. Sam followed our plan to use that name and the first motel in the yellow pages if we ever got separated. I knocked on the door. "Sam, it's me" I called.

He opened the door and sighed. "What took you so damn long?"

"The guy decided to take me to his office and watch me like a hawk" I scoffed, plopping down on the bed. "I couldn't leave"

"They how did you get out?" he asked.

I smiled. "I have ways" I remarked.

"You annoyed the hell out of him until he left?" Sam asked, with a giant smirk.

"In a nutshell" I laughed. I sat up and looked at him seriously. "What are we going to do about Dean?" I asked.

Sam sighed. "Well right now we have to finish this case"

"Alright" I said, "you get anything?'

"Just Ashland Street" he said. "From Dana Shulps"

"Yeah" I said, taking a seat at the table next to him. "I got the memo. Nice note by the way"

"Dean's" he said, shaking his head. He pulled up photos from a folder. "There are like twelve people who died or went missing there"

"So we're got to narrow it down" I nodded. "Gotcha" There was a knock on the door. I ignored it until I heard Sam give a little gasp.

"Hi, Sam" Ballard said, walking inside. "Can we talk?" Sam looked to me, and I stood up. "I'm not going to arrest you" she promised. "Although I should. Your brother sent me here"

"Why?" I asked.

She held up her wrists, which were bruised. "I saw it"

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

Much to my chagrin, Sam convinced me to help her. "These showed up after you saw it?" Sam asked.

Ballard shrugged. "Yeah, I guess"

"You guess or you know?" I asked, shaking my head.

"I know"

"All right. Then you're gonna have to tell us exactly what you saw" Sam said, and sat down.

"You know, I must be losing my mind" she said, with a sigh. "You're a fugitive. I should be arresting you"

"All right, well, you know what?" Sam asked. "You can arrest me later, after you live through this" I shot him a look. I really didn't want to be arrested again. "But right now, you've gotta talk to me. Okay?" Ballard nodded.

"Now, this spirit –- "I asked, looking at her. "What did it look like?"

"She was, um…really pale, and her throat was cut. And her eyes, they were this deep, dark red" she said, grimacing. "It appeared like she was trying to talk to me, but she couldn't. There was just…a lot of blood"

"You know what, here" Sam said, going through the photos that he got. "I've been researching every girl who's ever died or gone missing from Ashland Street"

"How'd you get those?" she asked. "Those are from crime scenes and booking photos"

Sam smirked. "You have your job, I have mine" He handed her the pile. "Here, I need you to look through these. Tell me if you recognize anyone"

Ballard started to leaf through the photos, and she stopped a mug shot of a woman with blonde hair. "This is her" she said, handing the photo to Sam. "I'm sure of it"

"Claire Becker?" Sam asked me.

I opened her files. "Uh, here...twenty-eight years old, disappeared about eight or nine months ago" I stated, shrugging.

Ballard looked confused. "But I don't even know her. Why would she come after me?"

"Well, before her death, she was arrested twice for dealing heroin" I said. "You ever work narcotics?"

"Yeah" I nodded. "Pete and I did, before homicide"

"You ever bust her?" Sam asked, holding the photo up for her again.

She shook her head. "Not that I remember"

"It says she was last seen entering 2911 Ashland Street" I said. "It says the police searched the place, didn't find anything"

"Guess we've gotta check it out ourselves" Sam said, standing up. "See if we can find a body."

"What?" Ballard asked, looking at us like we were nuts.

"Well, we've gotta salt and burn her bones. It's the only way to put her spirit to rest" Sam explained.

Ballard shook her head "Of course it is"

"I don't make fun of your job" I smirked, pulling my jacket on.

"As long as this makes it over, I won't ever make fun of yours either" she said, getting up.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

I swept across the empty warehouse with my flashlight. "So, what exactly are we looking for?" Ballard said, watching Sam and I.

"We'll let you know when we find it" he said. He nodded for me to stay there, and he went up stairs.

"I'll go this way" I said, pointing, and walked off. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary at all. There were shelves with piles of dusty boxes on them, but not much more. I heard Ballard gasp.

"Alexis" she said loudly. I ran back. "Sam!" she yelled.

"What?" I asked, running up next to her. "What?" She didn't answer me, only shaking her head.

"Hey! Hey, I'm here" Sam said, running down the stairs. "What is it? What happened?" Ballard pointed in front of her.

"Claire" she said.

"Where?" I asked.

Ballard looked around, confused. "She was here" she said, terrified. I gave her a weak smile.

"Did she attack you?" Sam asked.

"No. She was just reaching out to me" Ballard said, with a small shudder. "She was over there, by the window"

I looked at the window with Sam, and he sighed. "Hey, help me move this" he said, pointing to the shelves. I helped him push it out of the way. On the window said Ashland Supplies at one point, and now it was faded to just Ashland Sup. That made Dana Shulps. "Our little mystery word" he said.

"Now the extra letters make sense" I stated, taking out the EMF. I swept it by the window.

"What is that?" Ballard asked.

"Spirits and certain remains give off electromagnetic frequencies" Sam replied, watching the meter with me.

"So, if Claire's body was here, that would indicate that?" Ballard said, as I moved past her.

"Yeah" I said, moving to the opposite wall. "Well, that's a theory, anyway" It started beeping as I neared the wall. I held it up and it went crazy. "Found it" I smiled at them.

Sam grabbed a pole that was on the ground and motioned for me to move. He stabbed at the brick wall. He broke some away, and I saw a piece of cloth. "Yeah. Yeah, there's definitely something in there" Sam said, and I came over and started to break off the rest with my hands. Sam shook his head. "You know, this is bothering me"

"Well, you _are_ digging up a corpse" Ballard said with a grimace.

"No, not that. That's pretty par for the course, actually" Sam chuckled.

"Sam, what is it?" I asked, motioning at my head. He shook his.

"It's just…no vengeful spirit I've ever tussled with _wanted_ to be wasted, so why the hell would Claire lead us to her remains? It doesn't make any sense"

"Yeah, there's that" I stated. I had been kind of thinking that too. "I was just sort of hoping it was an easy break"

"Yeah" Sam scoffed. "Give me a hand" I helped him pull the bag out of the wall, watching the disgusted look on Ballard's face. Sam cut the rope and opened it to see Claire inside. "Her wrists" Sam said, after a moment. "Yeah, they'd be bruised just like your"

Ballard kneeled down and touched the necklace that Claire was wearing. "That necklace mean something to you?" I asked.

"I've seen it before. It's rare. It was custom-made over on Carson Street" Ballard said. She stood up, and pulled out the same necklace from under her jacket. "I have one just like it. Pete gave it to me"

"Now this all makes perfect sense" Sam sighed. I nodded in agreement, and sighed as well.

"I'm sorry?" Ballard asked, looking at us like we were nuts.

"Claire's not a vengeful spirit" I said. "She's a death omen" Ballard still looked confused. "Claire's not killing anyone. She's trying to warn them"

She shook her head. "You see, sometimes spirits –- they don't want vengeance, they want justice, which is why she led us here in the first place" Sam went on. "She wants us to know who her killer is"

I thought for a moment. If that necklace was from Pete Sheridan then…. "Detective, how much do you know about your partner?" I asked.

"Oh, my God" she gasped.

"What?" Sam asked.

"About a year ago, some heroin went missing from lock-up. Obviously, it was a cop. We never found out who did it. But whoever did it would need someone to fence their product" she said.

"Somebody like a heroin dealer" Sam said.

I looked down at the dead body before me. "Somebody like Claire"

"We gotta get a hold of him" Sam said. "Make sure he didn't go anywhere"

We rushed out of the place, leaving the body behind and into Ballard's cop car. She got on the phone and Sam and I waited for the info. "All right, thanks" she sighed, and hung up. She looked worriedly at us.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Pete just left the precinct" she said, "With Dean"

My eyes widened. "What?"

"He said the prisoner had to be transferred, and he just took him" she said. "Dispatch has been calling, but he won't answer the radio"

"Radio? He took a county vehicle?" Sam asked. Ballard nodded. "Then it should have a LoJack. You've just gotta get it turned on"

She picked up her phone again, but stopped. "How do you three know these things?" she asked, shaking her head.

"We're good at our jobs" I remarked.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

We sped off to where Dean was supposed to be with Sheridan. We pulled up and saw Dean on the ground, Pete holding a gun to his head. "You're gonna die trying to escape" he said.

"Wait! Wait! Let's talk about this. You wouldn't wanna do something you're gonna regret" Dean said, uneasily. Sheridan cocked the gun. "Or maybe you do" he added, and winced.

Sam and I exchanged a look and ran over, Ballard with us as well. "Pete! Put the gun down!" she screamed.

"Diana?" he asked, looking over in surprise. "How'd you find me?"

"I know about Claire" she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

She growled. "Put the gun down!"

"No, I don't think so" he said, looking back at Dean. "You're fast. Pretty sure I'm faster"

Ballard was getting desperate. "Why are you doing this?"

"I didn't do anything, Diana" he pleased. "It wasn't my fault. Claire was gonna turn me in, I had no choice"

"And Tony? Karen?" Ballard demanded.

"Same thing!" Sheridan shouted. "Tony scrubbed the money, then he got skittish, and then he wanted to come clean" I looked to Dean for a cue to do something, but he shook his head. "I'm sure he told Karen everything. It was a mess. I had to clean it up. I just panicked" Sheridan finished, desperately.

"How many more people are gonna die over this, Pete?" Ballard asked.

"There's a way out. This Dean kid's a friggen' gift. We can pin the whole thing on him, okay?" he said. "No trial, nothing. Just one more dead scumbag"

Dean frowned. "Hey!"

"No one will question it. Diana, please" he begged. "I still love you"

Ballard slowly lowered her gun, and I felt my heart drop. What do I do? I looked to Sam. Sheridan smiled, and looked back to Dean. He took aim and then Ballard took one shot at him. He fell to the ground. She had hit him, and he was on the ground in pain. "Then why don't you buy me another necklace, you ass!" she shouted.

He grabbed her leg, yanking her down. He grabbed for his gun and pointed it at us as we went to help Dean. "Don't do it! Don't do it!" he yelled. I put my hands up. I felt cold, and then I saw Claire appear behind Sheridan. Sheridan looked at her in shock, and then I saw Ballard grab her gun and shot him down. She stood stunned, as Claire smiled and disappeared.

It was over. I guess.

SPNSPNPSPNSPNSPN

"You doing all right?" Sam asked her, as she finally walked away from Sheridan's body.

She shook her head. "Not really" she admitted. She paused. "The death omen, Claire –- what happens to her now?"

"It should be over. She should be at rest" I stated, with a comforting smiled.

Dean glanced around. "So, uh…what now, Officer?"

"Pete did confess to me. He screwed up both your cases royally. I'd say there's a good chance that we can get your cases dismissed" she said, with a small smile.

"You could take care of that for us?" Sam asked.

"I hope so" she said. "But the St. Louis murder charges –- that's another story. I can't help you. Unless…I just happened to turn my back, and you walked away, I could tell them that the suspects escaped"

"Wait, are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, she's sure, Sam" Dean said, thanking her with a nod.

"No, it's just you could lose your job over something like that" Sam said. Dean and I sighed.

"I just want you guys out there, doing what you do best" Ballard said. "Trust me. I'll sleep better at night" She looked behind her. "Listen, you need to watch your back. They're gonna be looking for both of you right now" She looked to me. "We never processed you since you're a minor, so you just need to be careful not to do anything stupid" I nodded. "Get out of here. I've got to radio this in" she said.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where my car is by chance" Dean asked.

"It's at the impound yard on Robertson" she said. Dean smirked, and nodded. "Don't even think about it"

"It's okay, don't worry. We'll just…improvise" I remarked.

"Yeah" Sam smiled. "We're pretty good at that"

"Yeah. I've noticed" she said. She shook her head with a smile and walked away.

We started towards the impound. "Nice lady" Sam said.

"Yeah, for a cop" Dean scoffed. "Did she look familiar to you?"

"No, why?" Sam asked, with a laugh.

"I don't know" he shrugged. "Anyway, are you hungry?" Sam and I said no at the same time. "For some reason, I could really go for some pea soup"

"Ew" Sam and I said in unison again.

I waited outside the impound yard, and pulled out my cell phone. "Hey" I said as Logan answered. "What are you doing?"

"Are you done with your all important case?" Logan asked. His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah" I said, ignoring his tone. "Why are you doing this, Lo? I know you're worried, but this is just stupid!"

He scoffed. "It was only a question"

"Yeah, well it was your tone" I snapped back.

"Sorry" he apologized. He sighed. "I want to tell you that maybe we shouldn't talk for awhile to cool down, but I'm scared of what will happen if I don't know if you're okay"

"Logan" I sighed. "I was fine before you were my boyfriend, and I'll be fine now. Can we just go back to how it was?"

"Before we had sex?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"No, before you were all up in my family drama" I replied. "I just want you to worry a little, but not like this! I get enough of this crap from my brother's okay? You knew what I did for a living, Lo. I want you to be my boyfriend"

He sighed. "Alright fine" he said. "But I still worry about you"

"And that's fine" I replied. "Just don't give me crap about it, okay?" There was a long pause. "That was harsh" I sighed. "I'm sorry"

"Its fine" he said, but I heard the hurt tone. He immediately pushed it off. "Just when are you coming back? I think we need to talk, you know? Maybe make it up to each other?" He sounded hopeful.

"I'll talk to my brothers" I smirked. "Talk tomorrow?"

"Yeah" he said. "Love you"

"Bye" I said, "Love you too" I snapped the phone shut. If our relationship kept up the way it was, I wasn't sure that we were going to be able to do this. But I had to make it work. I loved him.

I grinned as Dean pulled the Impala around the corner. I hopped in the back, and smiled. "Let's get out of here" Dean said, and sped off.

Because sometimes its best if you forget it ever happened.


	35. Season 2, Chapter Ten

**Author's Note: Thanks to all my awesome reviewers! I just looked and i have over 200 reviews and i nearly had a heart attack! you guys rock! check out the other fic that goes with this one if you like it! It's called younger years!**

**I do not own supernatural, only Lex and Logan! **

**Chapter Thirty Five**

We pulled into Logan's house and I was a little more than apprehensive to get out of the car. Dean shot me a look. "It's not too late to pull away" he said.

"I'm good" I smiled, and hopped out, my smile fading as Logan stood on his front porch. I walked up to him with a fake smile on my face, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I missed you" I said, with also fake enthusiasm.

"Yeah" he agreed, taking my hand. "I told Jason we'd catch a movie with him, is that okay?"

"That's fine" I said, as we went inside. "What time?"

"Seven" he grunted, and we went to the basement. He held my hand the entire way, and led me over to the couch. We sat in silence, and he turned on the TV. "You wanna—"

"Yeah, sure" I said, and moved closer. We began kissing, and then he was suddenly on top of me. We moved slower than usual, as though trying to convince each other that we actually wanted to do this. I pulled him off my lips. "You're on my hair" I winced. He apologized and we tried to get into a comfortable position, but by the time we finally did, we both gave each other this honest look.

"Yeah" he said, with a sigh. He got up and sat straight. "I'm not in the mood anymore either"

We sat next to each other again, and I looked at the clock. "I'm going to go get ready for the movies" I stated, getting up. "I look disgusting"

"You look perfect" he replied, giving me a small smile.

Originally, that would have made me swoon, and wanted to give him a huge grin. But not anymore, things were stressed right now, so the flirting fell flat. I smiled anyway. "Thanks" I walked to the stairs and went to our room. Dean was in there, going through his bag. "Okay" I sighed, sitting on the bed. "I need guy advice, and I would go to Sammy, but he's not here"

"Okay" he said, looking up at me. He stopped what he was doing, wiped his hands on his jeans, and sat on the opposite bed. "What's going on?"

I sighed, and bit my lip. "Okay, so Logan knows everything" I stated. He gave me a surprised look. It wasn't that I wasn't allowed to tell him these things, but family business was usually just that. Family crap.

"Everything everything?" Dean asked.

"Well, he doesn't really know about Sam" I replied, thinking. "At least, I don't think he does. But he knows about me. And how a yellow eyes wants me dead"

"You mean from that dream?" he asked.

"Yeah" I nodded. "But it was real, it wasn't a dream"

"Right" he said, shaking his head. "But so, what's going on with you and Logan then?" I sighed, at a loss for words. "Lex?"

"Well, he got all involved, and…" I trailed off. "Now it's all complicated. He's worried about me, he wants to know if I'm okay like every twenty minutes, and he panics if I don't answer" I sighed. "He's acting more like you or Sam than my boyfriend"

"I like that" he smirked. "Means no sex"

"Dean" I said, my face flushing. "I'm being serious here. What do I do?"

He sighed. "Okay" he said, and I could tell he was thinking of an actual real response to my question. "I'm not exactly Mr. Perfect relationship—"

"I know that" I smirked. "But?"

"But I think Logan and you can make it work" he nodded. "Talk it out. Just forget about hunting for a few hours. Have fun" He paused. "But no sex"

"Right" I said, rolling my eyes. If he only knew…. "Thanks, De" I gave him a quick hug, feeling slightly better even though things were still totally messed up. That was just my life I supposed.

I dressed in some of my newer clothes, and stared at myself hard in the mirror before putting on some eyeliner, which I saved for only special occasions. (For me, that was like never) I straightened my top, and checked my breath, and headed downstairs. "Ready" I smiled, and looked at the clock. We had enough time to get there.

We headed into Logan's Buick and we were sort of silent as we headed to the movies. I was desperate to take Dean's advice. I wanted to just have a good time. We walked in, hand in hand, and I gave Logan a little smile to let him know that I was okay. We were okay. He smiled back.

"There's Jason" he said, nodding at him as we walked up to the ticket lady. He handed her money. I looked over to say hi, and then noticed who was with him.

"What is she doing here?" I asked, in an urgent whisper. Hannah was holding Jason's hand, smacking on her gum and looking around bored.

"Who?" Logan asked, handing me my ticket. "Hannah?" I nodded, grimacing. "She's Jason's date" he replied, shrugging like it was nothing. Which it was not. This was something.

"And you just forgot to mention that to me?" I asked, glaring at her. She didn't seem to notice.

"No" he replied, with a sigh. "I just thought that it wasn't that big of a deal"

"Not a big deal?" I asked. "Lo, remember the last time we met?"

"It was one of the more interesting days of my life" he admitted with a smirk. He leaned in close, and gave me a small smile. "Just behave" he said. "For me" He kissed my forehead, and I sighed. I let him pull me over.

"Hey, Lexie" Jason said, shooting me a wide grin. "Long time no see"

"Yeah" I said, putting my hair behind my ear. "It has been awhile since we all hung out" I looked at Hannah, who was hanging off of Jason like he was a piece of meat. "So, uh" I said, looking to Logan. "You guys want popcorn or—"

"Of course we do" Hannah giggled, looking at Jason. She leaned to the point she was almost on top of him, and grinned. "Lots of butter" she said, almost seductively. Jason smiled.

I looked to Logan, but he didn't seem to notice this at all. Was he blind? I sighed, and we got in line for popcorn. "Medium, no salt?" Logan asked, looking over at where Jason and Hannah were almost riding each other. I nodded.

We headed into the movies, and I sat on the end, Jason and Logan in the middle. He held my hand, and I smiled at him. Not even ten minutes into the movie, Hannah and Jason were already making out to the point where I was avoiding eye contact. Logan kept looking at me, after a few more minutes, I gave in. Our lips touched, and the familiar flame wasn't there. I felt empty, almost void of the usual fire that I felt when our lips touched. I decided to pretend I felt it anyway. I devoured him, kissing him with the most passion I had in awhile. I let the feeling take over.

"Hey" Hannah whispered, as I came up for air. "Bathroom?"

I frowned, wondering why she really needed me to go with her, but just followed. We got into the well lit bathroom, and I squinted as she reapplied lip gloss. "So Jason's a really nice guy" she stressed. She looked at me, and then back at herself in the mirror. "Sometimes I can't believe that we ever fought over _Logan_"

I paused and stared at the back of her head, shooting daggers into it. I wondered what it would feel like to take the sawed-off and just—

"And I mean, Logan's nice and all, but Jason is just different, you know?" she went on. She turned around and I gave her a small smile. Then I went back to shooting her head off. "We were so childish"

"Yeah" I said, with fake enthusiasm. I was getting the feeling that fake was going to be my mood of the night. "We were so childish _seven months ago_"

"Such a long time ago" she sighed, dramatically. I clenched my jaw in annoyance. She was trying to get on my nerves, and I hated to admit it, but it was working. "So how _are _you and Logan?"

"Awesome" I replied, "We're doing great!"

"That's nice" she remarked, not sounding like she really cared at all. "I hope you two stay together, since you're away all the time"

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Nothing" she shrugged. "Just that you're away all the time, and I can always tell after you come and go and come and go" She rubbed her lips together. "He's always sad and stuff after you do that. I sometimes wonder if it's even worth it" She turned around and smiled. "You ready to go back?"

I was at a loss for words, so I just nodded. I always thought about how hard this was for me. I missed him, and it was hard to make this work. Now, however, I just felt guilty. I was hurting him. I always did come and leave and come and leave. I always convinced myself that he understood, but did he? Did he get that this was how it was going to be forever?

I sat back down next to him, and soon the movie was over, and we said goodbye to Jason and Hannah, and left. We drove back, and he shot me a smile. "So that was fun, right?"

"Yeah" I agreed, with a nod. "I'm glad we went" We pulled back into his driveway, and then sat for a minute. "You wanna go out to the pond?" I asked.

He looked at me like I was crazy, but I just grabbed his hand, and pulled him to the pond anyway. We walked back there in the dark. I could barely even see where I was going, but we had worn the path so much that I didn't need to. I could have made it there with my eyes closed. I stopped feet from the water and he stopped too. "Are we worth it?" I asked, suddenly, staring at my reflection. "I mean, you get why I have to come and leave all the time, right?"

"Yeah" he replied, looking at the water with me.

"I'm a hunter" I stated, like I was convincing him or something. "I told that to you when we started this" He said nothing. "I'm never going to be normal. I'm always going to be in danger"

"I know"

I looked up at him. "Do you?"

"Yeah" he said, with a curt nod. "I know" He threw a rock into the water, making it splash up. I didn't even flinch.

We stood in silence, and then slowly went back to the house. I gave him a quick kiss goodnight, went to my room, and then lay down. "Did you have a good time?" Dean asked, as I lay down and flipped to the wall.

"Yeah" I replied, with a heavy sigh. I stared hard at the wall, willing myself not to cry. I wouldn't cry. We were fine, god dammit. Logan and I were just going through a rough patch, and we would come out of it. I loved him.

I woke up the next morning, threw my stuff in the trunk, and sighed. I turned around and ran smack into Logan. "I guess I'll—"I never finished because he was kissing me. He ran his hands lightly down my back, and settled at my hips. "What was that for?" I asked.

"I love you" he said, going in for another kiss.

I couldn't help but smile. "I love you too" Dean cleared his throat, and I got into the back of the Impala. I waved goodbye to Logan as we pulled away. I sighed, and sank in my seat a little. "So where are we headed?" I asked.

"Dunno" Sam said, reading the paper. "I was thinking this case in Mississippi? It's far from anywhere that Dean is wanted"

"Aw" Dean mocked. "Little Sammy's watching out for me"

"Whatever" Sam scoffed. "I just don't feel like having to deal with cops again, man" He sighed. "Let's just keep a low profile"

"Well we have almost a full day's drive ahead of us" Dean sighed, hitting the gas harder.

I settled in the backseat, and listened to my music for a few hours until I was bored. "Where are we?" I asked, looking at the clock on my cell phone. We had been driving for about seven hours nonstop already.

"Missouri" Dean replied, pulling off on an exit. "Let's eat and then we'll get the rest of the way" Sam shot Dean his bitchface, and Dean rolled his eyes. "We gotta eat, Sammy"

"We're only like a few hours from where you've got a warrant for your arrest, Dean" Sam scoffed. "Where in that is smart?"

"I'm hungry" he said, with a shrug. "No one there is going to recognize me Sammy"

"I want chicken tenders" I added, as we pulled into the small diner on the side of the road. I hopped out with Dean as Sam lagged behind annoyed. We ate and I slowly ate my fries, which were soggy and kind of gross. "These are soggy" I stated.

"Then why do you keep eating them?" Dean asked, watching me put another in my mouth.

I shrugged, and chewed. "I'm hungry"

"So much for a low profile" Sam scoffed, back on his laptop already. I swear it was like he was glued to that stupid thing. "You've got a warrant in St. Louis, and now you're officially in the Feds' database"

"Dude, I'm like Dillinger or something" Dean smiled, flashing a smile.

"Dean, it's not funny. It makes the job harder" Sam admonished, looking back at the screen. "We've gotta be more careful now"

"Well, what do they got on you?" Dean asked, "Or Lex?"

"Lex was never booked" Sam replied. "They don't have anything on her"

"And you?" Dean asked, with a smirk.

"I'm sure they just…haven't posted it yet" Sam said uneasily.

"What, no accessory? Nothing?" Dean asked in surprise.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Shut up"

Dean laughed, stealing my fry. "You're jealous" he said, pointing at Sam with the fry.

"No, I'm not" Sam said, shaking his head.

"Uh-huh" Dean smirked. "All right. What do you got on the case there, you innocent, harmless young man, you?"

Sam looked through the papers he had printed earlier. He picked one up. "Architect Sean Boyden plummeted to his death from the roof of his home - a condominium he designed." He read.

"Hm. Build a high rise then jump off the top of it" Dean stated.

"Classy" I smiled. Dean went for another fry, and I just moved the plate in front of him. He smiled. "When did he call Animal Control?"

"Two days earlier" Sam replied.

"Did he actually say "black dog"?" Dean asked, now shoveling in my fries.

"Yeah. "Vicious, wild, black dog."" Sam said. "The authorities couldn't find it, no one else saw it" He paused. "In fact, the authorities are a little confused as to how a wild dog could get past the doorman, take the elevator up, and start roaming the halls of the cushiest joint in town" I snorted. "After that, no more calls, he doesn't show up for work. Two days later, he takes the swan dive" Sam finished.

"Do you think we're dealing with an actual black dog?" I asked.

"Well, maybe" Sam shrugged.

"What's the lore on it?" I asked. He handed me papers. I started skimming.

"It's all pretty vague" Sam admitted. "I mean, there's spectral black dogs all over the world, but some say they're animal spirits, others say death omens. But anyway, whatever they are, they're big, nasty…"

"Yeah, I bet they could hump the crap outta your leg" Dean said, with a laugh, as I handed him a picture of one. "Look at that one, huh?" He held up the photo and chuckled. Sam and I stared at him.

"What?" he asked, looking down at the picture. "They could"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"So, you and Sean Boyden were business partners for almost ten years, right?" Sam asked his friend, who had thankfully agreed to talk to us.

"That's right" the man nodded. "Now, one more time, this is for…?"

"A tribute to Mr. Boyden –- _Architectural Digest_" I replied. The man laughed.

"Funny to you?" Dean asked, confused.

"No, it's just…a tribute?" He said. "Yeah, see, Sean always got the tributes. He kills himself, leaves me and his family behind, and he gets another tribute"

"Right. Any idea why he'd do such a thing?" Sam asked.

"I have no clue. I mean, he lived a charmed life" the man said. "He was a flat-out genius. I mean, I'm capable, but next to him…and he wasn't always that way, either"

"No?" I asked, confused.

"You wanna know the truth? There was a time where he couldn't even design a pup tent" I looked around at the design of the place I was in now. This definitely was a hell of a lot nicer than a pup tent. "Hell, ten years ago, he's working as a bartender at this place called Lloyd's, a complete dive" he said, exasperated.

"Right" Sam said. "So, what changed?"

"You got me" he shrugged. "But overnight, he gets this huge commission and he starts designing…he starts designing the most ingenious buildings anyone has ever seen. It was like the level of Van Gogh and Mozart. It…" he trailed off.

"What?" Dean asked.

"It's funny. The true geniuses –- they seem to die young, don't they?" the friend said, shaking his head. "To have that kind of talent…why? Why just throw it away?"

"You got me" Dean said, with a shrug. "Thank you for your time"

We headed out of the apartment building, and rounded out back where Sean had taken his swan dive. I looked at the blood stain on the concrete. "He had everything" I stated. "There was no way he just jumped"

"Maybe he was pushed?" Dean asked, looking up.

"By a black dog?" I remarked. "Yeah, I bet the thing just nosed him over"

"Maybe we should check out the APA?" Sam asked, looking up at the top. "Maybe there's something more to this black dog thing"

"Yeah, okay" Dean said. "C'mon"

We hit up the APA, and Dean went in to get the info. Sam and I waited in the Impala. "So" he said, turning around. "What's going on with you and Logan?"

"Nothing" I said. "We're okay" I paused. "I think we are anyway" Sam shot me a curious look. "He's just…he knows now and its sort of complicates things"

Sam nodded. "Trust me I get it" He sighed. "It was hard to keep everything completely separate from Jess"

I gave him a slight smile. "At least you were away from all this"

He shrugged. "I was, but not really" He turned back to me. "It was always on my mind"

Dean got back in the car, and held up a piece of paper. "So?" I asked.

"The secretary's name is Carly" Dean said. "She's twenty-three, she kayaks, and they're real" he grinned at us.

"You didn't happen to ask her if she's seen any black dogs lately, did you?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes.

Dean handed him the paper. "Every complaint called in this week about anything big, black, or dog-like. There are nineteen calls in all, and uh…" He pulled the Post it off the paper. "…I don't know what this thing is"

Sam took it and laughed. "You mean Carly's MySpace address?"

"Yeah, MySpace, what the hell is that?" Dean asked. Sam laughed. "Seriously, is that like some sort of porn site?"

Sam looked at me, as though asking. "It totally _can _be a porn site" I added, smirking. "Did you have one, Sam?"

"For awhile" he shrugged. "I haven't used it in months"

"I never made one" I said, "I don't have any friends"

"Why would you have a membership on a porn site?" Dean asked, and looked exasperatedly from Sam to me. Sam and I just laughed again. "No really!" he demanded.

"It's a social networking site, Dean" Sam said, rolling his eyes. "You use it to talk to people, like your friends, and post pictures—"

"Sounds stupid" Dean remarked, and started the car. "What's the first address?"

"We're seriously going to check out every one of these?" I asked, looking at the long list. Dean shot me a look. "6798 Grayson Drive" I replied.

We went to seven houses, none of them even having to do anything with this case. Most of them were complaints about real dogs. By the time that we got to this one, I was so annoyed, and so were Sam and Dean. "I swear, if this is another freaking' Pomeranian barking in the neighbor's yard…" I said, as Dean knocked.

"Afternoon, ma'am" Sam said, holding up a badge. "Animal control"

"Oh, someone already came yesterday" a lady said, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, we're just following up" Dean said. "We're looking for a Dr. Sylvia Perlman" She opened the door wider, and Dean smiles. "Thanks"

"The doctor, well, she…I don't know exactly when she'll be back" the lady said, letting us into the house. "She left two days ago"

"Okay. And you are?" Sam asked.

"I'm Miss Perlman's maid" she replied.

"So, where did the doctor go?" I asked, looking around the house. Everything seems in order, and there was nothing weird.

"I'm not sure. She just packed and went. She didn't say where" the maid said, wringing her hands. "That stray dog, did you find it finally?"

"Uh, not yet" Sam said, "You know, you didn't ever happen to see the dog yourself, did you?"

"Well, no" she said, looking thoughtful. "I never even heard it. I was almost starting to think the doctor was imagining things, but she's not like that, so…"

"You know, I read she was the chief surgeon at the hospital" Dean said. "She's gotta be, what, forty-two, forty-three? That's pretty young for that job"

The maid smiled. "Youngest in the history of the place. She got the position ten years ago"

"Huh. An overnight success, ten years ago" I said, looking at Dean. Sean, the other guy was the same way

"Yeah, we know a guy like that" Dean replied, with a nod to me. He took a picture off the fridge, and looked at the back of it. "Oh, look at this" he said, raising his eyebrows. He handed it to Sam, but I could see it too.

"Lloyd's Bar"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We got out of the car at Lloyd's. I stopped as I saw the yellow flowers. "What are you—"Dean asked, but stopped, looking at the flowers too. "Hey" he said, looking at Sam, who had kept walking.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, stopping where we had now, looking where we were.

"That's weird" I said, pointing to them.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You think someone planted these?" Dean asked, walking over.

"In the middle of all these weeds?"

Dean sighed. "These are, uh…what do you call 'em?"

"Yarrow flowers?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Used for certain rituals, aren't they?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, actually, summoning rituals" Sam replied.

"So, two people become sudden successes about ten years ago, right around the time they were hanging out here at Lloyd's" I said, looking around. "Where there just happens to be a crossroads" I looked from Sam to Dean.

"You think?" Sam asked, not even having to ask the question.

"Let's find out" Dean said, walking to the middle of the crossroads. He stopped. "This seem about dead center to you?"

"Close enough" I shrugged. Sam handed Dean a small shovel from the trunk, and he started digging.

Dean dug for a minute, and then stopped as he hit something solid. "Yahtzee" he smiled, and bent down. He pulled out a small metal box. He opened it, and showed it to me. I grimaced. It included photos, small bones, and a jar of dirt.

"I'd be willing to bet that's graveyard dirt" Sam said. "And a black cat bone"

"Yeah, yeah" I said, rolling my eyes at him. "You're so damn smart, Sammy" He smirked. I looked back at the box. "That's serious spell work. I mean, that's Deep South hoodoo stuff"

"Used to summon a demon" Sam said.

"Not just summon one" Dean said, shaking his head. "Crossroads are where pacts are made. These people are actually making deals with the damn thing. You know, 'because that always ends well"

"They're seeing dogs, all right. But not black dogs" Sam said. "They're seeing hellhounds –- "I shot him a confused look. "Demonic pit bulls" he said, in response. I nodded.

"Whoever this demon is, it's back and it's collecting. And that doctor lady, wherever she's running, she ain't running fast enough" Dean said.

"So, it's just like the Robert Johnson legend, right?" Sam asked. "I mean, "selling your soul at the crossroads" kind of deal?"

"Yeah, except that wasn't a legend. I mean, you know his music" Dean said. Sam and I stared at him, empty handed. "You don't know Robert Johnson songs? Guys, there's occult references all over his lyrics. I mean, "Crossroad Blues"? "Me and the Devil Blues"? "Hellhound on My Trail"?"

"There's this story" he sighed….

_Robert Johnson sat on the stage, strumming on his guitar. He played for awhile, loosing himself in the music. It was supposed to happen today. He thought he heard barking, and he abruptly stopped, staring out the window. He frowned, and then went back to playing. He caught her eyes in the crowd, and the saw a shadow. He stopped again. The barking got louder. He grabbed his guitar and ran out. He ran to the nearby building and locked the doors. He bolted it shut. His heart was pounding. He waited. He could hear the pounding on the door. "Oh, my God. We need a doctor" said his wife, kneeling next to him. _

_He was shaking uncontrollably. It was too late for a doctor. She was asking him to tell her what happened, but he couldn't. "Dogs" he choked out. "Dogs, black dogs" Then he was gone. Dead. _

"Story goes that he died choking on his own blood" Dean said. "He was hallucinating and muttering about big, evil dogs"

I sighed. "And now it's happening all over again" I said.

"We've got to find out if anyone else struck any bargains around here" Sam said.

"Great. So, we've got to clean up these people's mess for them?" Dean asked. "I mean, they're not exactly squeaky clean. Nobody put a gun to their head and forced them to play "Let's Make a Deal.""

"So, what, we should just leave them to die?" Sam asked.

"Somebody goes over Niagara in a barrel, you gonna jump in and try to save them?" Dean asked.

"He probably would" I smirked.

"The answers still no" Dean scoffed.

"Dean…" Sam said, giving him his best puppy eyed look.

"All right…fine." Dean said, after a long pause. Sam smiled to himself. "Rituals like this, you've gotta put your own photo into the mix, right?" He pulled out a photo. "So, this guy probably summoned the thing. Let's see if anyone inside knows him…if he's still alive"

"That's George" the bartender said, as we held up his picture. "He's a regular"

"Can you tell us where to find him?" Dean asked. The man shrugged. Dean sighed, pulling out a twenty. "How about now?"

"George Darrow" he said, taking the money out of his hand with a smile. "The phone book is over there"

We walked over, and I searched for his address, wrote it on my hand, and we met Sam back at the Impala. "Lassiter Oval" I stated, "Go left"

Dean pulled up to a decrepit apartment building. "You sure this is the place?" he asked. I looked down at my hand, which was smudged.

"I told you Lassiter Oval, right?" I asked, looking up. He grabbed my hand.

"How can you even read this?" he asked. "It's all smudged"

"Well I wasn't going to leave the bathroom without washing my hands, Dean" I scoffed, pulling my hand back. "It was gross in there"

We walked in, and Dean asked the guy there what apartment George was in, making up some crap about him not telling him or something. The man told him. "What's this guy's name, again?" Sam asked.

"George Darrow. Apparently quite the regular at Lloyd's" Dean said, as we climbed the stairs. "This house probably ain't up next on "MTV Cribs", is it?"

"Yeah. So, whatever kind of deal he made…"

"It wasn't for cash" I said, looking around.

"Ah, who knows?" Dean shrugged. "Maybe his place is full of babes in Princess Leia bikinis." I scoffed. "I'm just saying. This guy's got one epic bill come due. I hope, at least, he asked for something fun"

We reached the door, and Sam stopped my hand before I could knock. "What?" I asked. He pointed at the ground.

"Look at that" Sam said, pointing to the line of black dust on the floor. It looked like a salt line, except it was, well…black.

"What is that, pepper?" Dean asked, inspecting it.

The door opened. "Who the hell are you?"

"George Darrow?" I asked.

"I'm not buying anything" he replied, and started to shut the door.

"Whoa, whoa. Looks like you went for the wrong shaker there" Dean smirked. George stopped and looked confused. "Usually, when you want to keep something evil out, you go for the salt"

"I don't know what you're talking about" he said.

"I'm talking about this" Dean said, holding up the photo from the box. His eyes widened. "Tell me…you see that hellhound yet?"

"Look, we wanna help" Sam said. "Please, just five minutes"

He thought for a moment, and then walked away, leaving the door open. Sam and I shared glance, and we went inside. "So, what _is_ that stuff out front?" I asked.

"Goofer dust" he replied matter-of-factly. I exchanged a look with Dean. "Oh, you guys think you know somethin' about somethin' but not goofer dust?" he asked.

He tosses a small bag to Dean, who caught it, looking confused. "Well, we know a little about a lot of things. Just enough to make us dangerous"

"What is it?" I asked, pouring a little into my hand.

"Hoodoo" he replied. "My grandma taught me –- keeps out demons"

"Demons we know" Dean remarked.

"Well, then, keep it. Maybe it'll do you some good" He stopped, looking at Sam. "Four minutes left"

"Mr. Darrow, we know you're in trouble" Sam said.

Dean mumbled. "Yeah, that you got yourself into" I shot him a look to shut up.

"But it's not hopeless, all right? There's gotta be something we can do" Sam went on ignoring him.

"Listen…I get that you boys wanna help" George said. "But sometimes, a person makes their bed, and they've just got to lie down in it. I'm the one that called that demon in the first place"

Dean smirked. "What'd you do it for?"

"I was weak. I mean, who don't wanna be great?" he asked with a heavy sigh. "Who don't want their life to mean something? I just…I just never thought about the price"

"Was it worth it?" I asked.

"Hell, no" he scoffed. "'Course, I asked for talent. Should've gone for fame. I'm still broke…and lonely. Just now, I've got this pile of paintings nobody wants" He gestured at the paintings around the room. They were kind of depressing. "That wasn't the worst"

"Go on" Sam said, wanting to know more.

"The demon didn't leave" he said, like he was appalled. "I never counted on that. After our deal was done, the damn thing stayed at Lloyd's for a week, just chattin', makin' more deals. I tried to warn folks, but who's gonna listen to an old drunk?"

"How many others are there?" I asked, hoping the answer would only be the two who were already dead. At least then it would be over.

"This architect, a doctor lady –- I kept up with them" George said. "They've been in the papers. Least they got famous"

"Who else, George?" Dean asked. "Come on, think"

George was silent for a moment. "One more" he said finally. "Nice guy, too. Hudson –- Evan, I think. I don't know what he asked for. Don't matter now. He's done for"

Sam started to pace slightly. "No. No, there's gotta be a way" he said desperately.

"You don't get it" George said. "I don't want a way"

Sam stopped. "Look, you don't—"

"I called that thing! I brought it on myself! I brought it on them!" George said desperately. "I'm going to hell one way or another. All I want is to finish my last painting –- day or two, I'm done" He looked over at the painting that was almost finished. "I'm just trying to hold 'em off till then. Buy a little time. Okay, it's time you went. Go help somebody that wants help"

"You can't just—"

"Get out!" he said. "I've got work to do"

"You don't really wanna die" I said. I stared at him as he looked towards the ground.

"I don't?" he asked. He looked up and shook his head. "I'm tired" he admitted, and walked back towards his painting. He said no more, and Dean grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the door.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We arrived at Evan Hudson's house as it was getting later. I fidgeted at Dean knocked on the door. "Yes?" said a guy in his thirties. He had short blonde hair, and seemed as normal as could be. I couldn't see him making a demon deal.

"Evan Hudson?" Sam asked, clearly thinking the same thing as me.

He nodded. "You ever been to a bar called Lloyd's?" Dean asked. "It would've been about ten years ago" Evan's eyes widened and he slammed the door in our faces. "Come on, we're not demons!"

I looked up at Dean. "Any other bright ideas?"

Dean sighed, and then with one big kick, he knocked the door in by kicking it. He smirked, and we ran in, following Evan to another door which he closed. Dean shrugged, and went to kick it down again, but I stopped his foot. "It's unlocked" I said, and opened the door. Dean smiled and walked on in. I rolled my eyes.

"Evan?" Sam asked, going in next.

"Please! Don't hurt me" Evan said, looking terrified.

"We're not gonna hurt you, all right?" Sam asked. "We're here to help you"

"We know all about the genius deal you made" Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"What? How?" he asked, looking from one of us to the other.

"Doesn't matter" I said, with a small smile. "All that matters is we're trying to stop it"

"How do I know you're not lying?" He said, eyes now narrowing.

"Well, you don't, but you're kind of running low on options there, buddy boy" Dean remarked. He looked out the window uneasily.

Evan sighed. "Can you stop it?"

"Don't know" Sam said.

"We'll try" I added, with a nod.

"I don't wanna die" Evan admitted.

Dean scoffed. "Of course you don't. Not now"

"Dean, stop" Sam said, shooting him a look.

Dean didn't stop. "What'd you ask for, anyway, huh? Never need Viagra, bowl a perfect game, what?"

Evan blinked at him. "My wife"

Dean chuckled. "Right, getting' the girl" He glared at Evan. "Well, that's worth a trip to hell for"

I turned to glare at Dean. He didn't need to do this. Not now. "Dean, _stop_" I said, shaking my head.

"No. He's right. I made the deal" Evan sighed. He looked at Dean. "Nobody twisted my arm. That woman, or whatever she was, at the bar –- she said I could have anything I wanted. I thought she was nuts at first, but…" He sighed. "I don't know. I was…I was desperate"

"Desperate?" Sam asked.

Evan paused for a second, deep in thought. "Julie was dying" he said finally.

"You did it to save her?" I asked, surprised. I had not been expecting that.

"She had cancer, they had stopped treatment, and they were moving her into hospice. They kept saying, "Matter of days." So, yeah, I made the deal" He glared at Dean. "And I'd do it again. I'd have died for her on the spot"

"Did you ever think about her in all this?" Dean asked.

Evan looked hurt. "I did this for her"

"You sure about that?" Dean asked. "I think you did it for yourself…so you wouldn't have to live without her. But, guess what, she's gonna have to live without _you_ now. But what if she knew how much it cost? What if she knew it cost your soul? How do you think she'd feel?"

"Dean" I said, glaring at him. I could feel the tears in my eyes, as I thought about what this really meant.

"Okay, that's enough" Sam said. "Evan, sit tight, all right? We're gonna figure this out" Dean scoffed and headed back into the hallway. I looked to Evan apologetically, and he gave me a small smile.

"He doesn't mean it" I said, "We just have our own issues"

"No" he said, shaking his head. "He's right, I didn't think"

I looked to where Dean and Sam were whispering angrily at each other. I sighed and headed over. "But I can trap it. I can exorcise it, and I can buy us time to figure out something more permanent" Dean said.

"Trap the demon?" I asked, shocked. "Dean, that's' stupid"

"But I can get us time" he said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but how much time?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, a while" Dean said. "I mean, it's not easy for those suckers to claw their way back from hell and into the sunshine"

"No" I said. "No way"

"You're not allowed to say no, Lexie" he said. "Not unless you've got a better idea"

"Dean, you can forget it, all right?" Sam said. "We're not letting you summon that demon"

"And why not?" Dean asked.

"Because it's stupid" I said, folding my arms over my chest.

"And because I don't like where your head is at right now, that's why not" Sam said.

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"You know, you've been on edge ever since we found that crossroads, Dean, and I think I know why" Sam said.

Dean glared and then started to walk away. "We don't have time for this" he scoffed.

"Dad" Sam said louder. Dean stopped. I looked to Sam, knowing what he was going to say, but wishing that he wouldn't say it. "You think maybe Dad made one of these deals, huh? Hell, I've been thinking it. I'm sure you've been thinking it, too"

Dean didn't turn around. "It fits, doesn't it? I'm alive, Dad's dead. The yellow-eyed demon was involved. What if he did? What if he struck a deal? My life for his soul"

Evan sounded panicked. "I think I hear it! It's outside!"

"Just keep him alive, okay?" Dean said, starting to walk off again.

"Dean?" I said walking after him, as Sam turned back around.

"Go!" he said, angrily. I took a step back, upset and he ran off. I ran back to the room where Evan was and shut the door behind me.

Sam put the Goofer dust around the room, and circled it around Evan. "What is that stuff?" Evan asked.

"Goofer dust" I stated, spreading some around the doorway.

"Are you serious?" Evan asked.

"Yeah, afraid so" Sam sighed. He looked up. "Look, believe me; don't believe me, whatever you want. Just –- whatever you do, stay inside the circle, all right?"

Evan only nodded. "You really think Dean going off is going to work?" I asked, hopefully. Sam shot me a look. "Yeah" I said, shaking my head. "Me neither" My head was pounding slightly, and I felt panicked. I should have insisted that I go with Dean.

"That's the last of it" Sam said, looking at me.

Evan looked around wildly. "What?" I asked.

"You hear that?" Evan asked, pointing to the door.

"No, where?" Sam asked.

"Right outside the door" Evan replied. He didn't take his eyes off of it. The room shook slightly, and Sam pushed me inside the circle of Goofer dust, hands on my shoulders. I could hear barking now, and my heart was pounding.

"Just no one move, all right?" Sam said, "Stay where you are" I nodded, and I felt his grip on me tighten.

They barked and the door started to shake as they pounded up against it. It might have just been me, but I had a feeling that these were bigger than your average dogs. The door looked like it wasn't going to hold much longer. It was bending and knocking wildly. I looked up and Sam and he looked at panicked as I did.

All the sudden, there was nothing.

"Do you still hear it?" Sam asked.

"No" Evan said, looking around. "Is it over?" Sam shrugged. Evan whipped around, and the air vent came off, clattering to the ground. "It's here!" Evan shouted.

The barking got louder, and I looked to Sam, but he didn't seem to hear anything. How come I could hear it? "Stay inside the circle!" Sam shouted.

I grimaced as claw marks began appearing on the floor. They were right outside out little circle. They would break through sooner rather than later. "Come on, Dean" I pleaded, and leaned back into Sam. He had an arm around my shoulders.

Wind began to blow around the room. I looked down. "Sam" I said, pointing.

"The circle's broken" he said, pulling me. "Come on!" He let go of me so that we could run. Evan was first, with Sam pushing him forward towards the closet.

I ran with them, right behind Sam, but felt a huge blow to my side that sent me reeling into the wall. It felt like the damn thing had head butted me. I crumpled into a heap, and Sam threw open the closet door.

I looked up to see nothing, but heard the low guttural growls. Then I felt it tear through my leg. I screamed and kicked and flailed as it tore at my back now. I could barely move anything, and I could feel the blood pumping. Sam was at my side, and was kicked sideways. He came back immediately, and scooped me up in his arms. We were running back to the closet.

He threw us in, and then held me close. He didn't even put me down. He leaned on the door, him and Evan using their body weight to keep the door closed. They barked and pushed, but Sam had a firm grip on the door.

I could only feel the ripped flesh all over my body. I wasn't sure how deep they were, or how much blood I had lost, or if I was even going to make it. If we were stuck in this closet forever, than I could tell you that answer would be no, I was going to die.

Out of nowhere, the barking stopped. I opened my eyes, and looked at Sam. We waited for a long time before we opened the door. Sam gave the all clear, and then laid me on the hard wood floor. My shoulder was ripped, and so was my left leg, but the bleeding had already almost stopped. I tried to move and then more blood came out. "Hurts" I complained to Sam, holding my leg close.

"You lost a lot of blood" he said, putting his jacket over my shoulder. "Stop moving"

"It hurts, S'mmy" I went on, feeling drowsy. I looked at him and saw the panic in his eyes. "It's gonna be okay" I stated, giving him a small smile. He was covered in my blood. I had never been more thankful for him than at this moment. It was usually Dean's job to take care of us when we got hurt, and he usually wasn't in the predicament alone.

"I should be telling you that" he admonished.

I tried to laugh, but couldn't. He dabbed at the wound on my leg, assessing the damage. "How bad?" I asked.

"Well—"

"How bad Sam?" I asked, blinking rapidly. "On a scale from one to ten?"

He looked back down. "Leg's a six" he said, "But your shoulder is a nine"

"Its deep" I said, starting to feel really cold and dizzy. I heard the door burst open, and Dean stopped when he saw me.

"It got her, man" Sam said. "I couldn't—it just—"

"It's okay, Sammy" Dean said, picking me up. "Is Evan okay?"

"He's good" I choked out and smiled. "It got me instead" I put my good arm around his neck and tried to keep my eyes open. It was getting more and more difficult.

"We gotta get her to a hospital" Dean said, carrying my out the door.

"No!" I shouted. "No hospital. We'd never get away with it"

Sam looked uneasy, but agreed as he opened the backseat. "I think she's right man"

"Sam" Dean said, motioning to the front seat. He laid me straight and sighed. "Her life is more important to me than dealing with cops"

"I want you to stitch it up" I said, glaring. "I'll seriously throw a fit Dean, just get us out of here"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He got into the car. He put my feet on his lap and I leaned my back up against Sam. "You two are going to give me grey hair" he remarked, and we pulled away.

We drove a few hours out, hit up a motel that was way off the radar, and Dean pulled me out of the car. He laid me on the bed and broke out the med kit. Sam watched as Dean got out the string and the hooked needle. He looked at me and grimaces. "You can do it, Dean" I said, shaking my head. "You use to do it for Sam and dad all the time"

"Yeah" he said, and pulled the chair over by me. "But this is different"

"I trust you" I stated, and Sam sat down behind me. He held my hand.

"This isn't going to feel like at the hospital" he warned, pouring the antiseptic on. I grimaced as it sizzled down my side. "It's not numbed"

"Dean" I sighed, squeezing Sam's hand. "Just get it the fuck over with"

He smirked slightly at my language, and looked down at my shoulder. I closed my eyes. I could feel the bite of the needle as it went into my skin. I tensed, but held my breath as he pulled it through. "You have to breathe" he stated, looking at me. I let out a long shaky breath.

He sighed, shared a discontented glance with Sam, and then kept going. I felt it every single time the needle bit into the inflamed skin. There were about twelve stitches in all. I put my leg on his lap, and whimpered as the antiseptic was poured on. I could feel the tears on my face. My leg took another seven stitches. I finally let go of Sam's hand as Dean was done.

Sam flexed his hand out. I couldn't help but smile. "Sorry" I said, giving him an apologetic smile. He just ruffled my hair. He grabbed his coat. "Where are you going?"

"To get you something for the pain" he stated, and left.

I tried to get up using my one arm, and then hobbled my way to the bathroom. Dean said nothing, just watching me struggle. He rolled his eyes, and let me use his arm as a crutch to get to the bathroom. I gripped the door frame and smiled. "Thanks"

He nodded and closed the door behind me. I sat on the toilet, and grabbed the towel from the rack. I wetted it down and wiped all the blood off my body. There was no way I was going to be able to take a shower. I changed into shorts that wouldn't touch my skin where it hurt, and a t-shirt, and then hobbled back out. I sat on the bed, and sighed.

"Here" Sam said, handing me a prescription bottle.

I took it, and looked at the label. "Alexis Dobson" I read, and looked up at him. "You wrote a fake prescription for morphine and they believed you?"

"I'm just that awesome" he smiled. "Only take one for now"

I opened the bottle, and grimaced. "Isn't this stuff like, addictive?" I asked.

Dean took the bottle, and then handed me a pill. "You can suffer, or you can just take it" he stated, glaring at me.

I took the pill, downed it in one gulp, and tried to lie down on the bed so that I was comfortable. I ended up on my right side, since that was the only way that it didn't absolutely hurt. I was drowsy, and I just fell into sleep in seconds.

I woke up the next morning to Dean watching TV. "Hey" I said, groggily. I looked around at the state of the room. Most of the blood drenched stuff was gone. "Shouldn't we be getting out of here?"

Dean turned and rolled his eyes. "Good morning to you too" he said. "And we're not leaving until you're up for it"

"I'm up for it" I said, trying to sound convincing. I was never one to want to be taken care of. I just wanted to get going. He said nothing. "So what happened with that demon?"

He tensed, as Sam came out of the bathroom. "You're up" Sam said, with a smile.

"Yeah" I said, looking away from Dean. "Are we going to head out soon?" They both shared an uneasy glance. "I really just want to get out of here, guys" I said. "Let's go to Bobby's or something"

Dean sighed, turning the TV off. "You're sure you're up for the trip?"

"I'll take a pill and sleep it off" I said, putting my hair up. This was extremely difficult with one hand. I almost just gave up. Sam came over and tied it for me. "Thanks" I said. "Okay, so we'll go?"

Dean smiled and got up. He grabbed the weapons bag and some of his clothes. "Eat first" he said, pointing to the food on the table. "Then we'll go"

I shoveled as much of the food in my mouth that I could handle without vomiting, and then Sam helped me limp to the car. "Why can't you just take it easy?" he asked, shaking his head.

"I don't like taking it easy" I said, scooting so that my leg was propped up and I could comfortably close my eyes and not be in major pain. I closed my eyes as the car started, and we drove off.

I fell into a light sleep, and then I heard Sam and Dean start talking. "Demons lie all the time, right?" Sam asked Dean uneasily. "Maybe she was lying"

"Come on. Is that really what you think?" Dean asked, him sounding annoyed. He paused. "How could he do it?"

I was confused until I realized that Dean was talking about dad. The demon must have told him the truth of what happened that day. "He did it for you" Sam said, sadly.

"Exactly. How am I supposed to live with that?" Dean asked. "You know, the thought of him, wherever he is right now –- he spent his whole life chasing that yellow-eyed son of a bitch. He should have gone out fighting. That was supposed to be his legacy, you know? Not bargaining with the damn thing. Not this"

Sam sighed. "How many people do you think Dad saved, total?"

"That's not the point, Sam" Dean said angrily.

"Evan Hudson is safe because of what Dad taught us. That's his legacy, Dean" Sam stated. "Now, we're still here, man. So we've gotta keep going. For him" there was a long paused, and I felt the tears coming down my face silently. "Hey, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Yeah?" Dean asked.

"When you were trapping that demon, you weren't…I mean; it was all a trick, right?" Sam asked. "You never considered actually making that deal for dad, right?"

Dean said nothing, and I immediately knew that he couldn't say yes. He was going to make a deal with the demon for dad. He turned on the radio, and then there was silence.

I think the silence said more than Dean's confirmation ever could.


	36. Season 2, Chapter Eleven

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took longer than normal! First was because I collaborated on this chapter with by bestest friend ever Brittpage21! She's amazing, and wrote some major parts of this chapter! Yay! She rocks! Second reason was because I am stupid, got halfway through this chapter, and then somehow lost it. All of it. Never do that. It sucks. Haha Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Lexie!**

**Again, BrittPage21 you are AMAZING, and I love ya! All her parts have stars before them. I wanted to make sure she got credit for how awesome she is! Share your love in the reviews for both of us! **

**Chapter Thirty Six**

For the last several days, we had done absolutely nothing. Neither Sam nor Dean would even let me move a muscle. They insisted on helping me do everything from getting a glass of water to getting to the bathroom. I was annoyed, cranky, and in pain. This was a lethal combination. Dean had gone out to get some food for the night, and some snacks for later. Sam was on his computer, and I kept casting him annoyed glances.

"Sam, I'm bored," I said, finally.

"Sorry Lex, but your hurt and you don't need to be moving around. You need your rest," Sam said.

"Please let me just at least go to the library and do research? On anything? " I asked, desperately.

"Absolutely not! You're going to get yourself hurt moving around more than you already have been," Sam said.

"I can at least do research."

"You need to rest and let yourself heal," Sam said.

"Can I go out to the car and get my music?" I asked.

"I'll go get it for you if you desperately need it," Sam said, with a dramatic sigh, and a huge eye roll.

"Yeah I do!" I said, annoyed. "I need to have my tunes to listen to so I can entertain myself."

"Fine, but you should be sleeping. I'll go get it," Sam said.

Sam left and I saw the opportunity to do something for myself for once. I tried to get up and then moved and I sat up on the bed, facing the other bed. I then moved myself to be standing up but took two steps and fell flat on my face and stomach. I felt like I couldn't move. I tried crawling towards the bathroom but it only hurt more. I turned over and let out a moan. I couldn't move anymore. This had been a stupid idea.

Sam entered iPod in hand and looked shocked as I lay on the floor crumpled in a heap. "Alexis Marie Winchester, what do you think you're doing?" Sam said, angry and yet also worried.

"I was trying to get to the bathroom, but fell and then tried to get on my back, but as I did it hurt even more and now I can't move," I said in one breath. I grimaced again in pain.

"I can't believe you even tried to move" he said, shaking his head. "Here let me help you back to bed so I can check to see if you're hurt," Sam said worriedly.

"Ok," I said, grateful for the help. "But do you have to check me? I'm fine, really. I just fell," I said.

"You might have pulled a stitch," Sam said. He moved me back to the bed very slowly so he didn't pull any stitches then stared hard at my shoulder. I knew what that meant. I must have pulled out a stitch trying to move on my own.

"Lexie, I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to re-stitch you. It seems you pulled out a few while you had your little trip on your own," Sam said.

"Ok, but can I at least have something for the pain?" I said and winced. I really didn't want to go through the pain of last time again. I hated this incessant pain.

"I'll see what we have," Sam said as he went to the bathroom and looked in the first aid kit. "Here take some of the morphine to help with the pain and it will help you sleep so you can relax," Sam said. I took them and then laid back down as Sam started to clean me up and re-stitch my stitches.

"Sam is there anything I can hold or squeeze while you stitch me up?" I asked, as Sam began to stitch me up. I winced.

"Grip onto the side of the bed, Lex," Sam said. Soon, he had finished and he helped me lay back down. Sam handed me my iPod and went back to researching on his computer.

"Sam, I need to go to the bathroom," I stated, embarrassed. I had already contemplated trying to get up myself again, but it was just not happening. "Please help me," I pleaded.

"Sure Lex," he said, getting up. "Just next time don't try a stunt like this again, you might hurt yourself even worse" He paused. "I might take your iPod away from you for a while if you do," Sam said, with a warning smile. I glared at him. Nice threat, Sam. He then helped me into a sitting position and carried me to the bathroom, much to my annoyance.

"Just sit me down and I can handle it from there," I said, wanting to blush. I was too tired. My attempt had worn me out.

"Ok, but when you're done just call and I'll help you wash up and carry you back to bed," Sam said. I nodded, and went to do my business. I tried but couldn't pull my pants back up. I tried to use one hand to balance myself and stand, but kind of fell again. This was getting annoying. Sam heard this and hurried quickly to the door.

"Alexis are you alright?" Sam asked from the other side of the door sounding annoyed and worried.

"I'm fine, just fell trying to get up," I said, praying that he did not come in and find me on the floor with my pants down. I struggled to get them up on the floor with one hand. "Sam?" I asked, defeated. "I think I need help."

"Alright are you done?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, help me up please?" I pleaded, wanting this new embarrassment to be over.

Sam opened the door and blinked. I could see his discomfort, but he was nice and said nothing. "Here let's get you washed up," said Sam as helped me to my feet, quick pulled my pants up, and then he helped me get to the sink and I washed my hands. Sam then carried me back to the bed and checked me over once more (which I fought him on as well). Thankfully I had not reopened any stitches.

"Here," he said, handing me my iPod. "Now you need to lie down and get some sleep." He helped me under the covers. I then turned my music on and laid my head on the pillow and was out within minutes. Just as I seemed to be out of it and into a deep sleep Dean walked back in.

I was so tired, I decided to ignore him and just focus on sleeping. It felt like I had only closed my eyes however, and Dean was shaking me awake. "What?" I asked groggily. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he said, with a small smile. "I just want you to eat before you sleep the entire night away."

I sat up and took the box of chicken tenders that he had bought me with a smile. I ate a fry and smiled even more. I was really in the mood for some serious saltiness. I chomped down on the rest of it in minutes, probably even beating Dean's record. I must've been hungrier than I thought. Dean smirked, and I stuck my tongue out. "Okay, well now I'm awake," I stated, closing the box.

"Wanna sit over here for awhile?" Dean asked, patting the couch. "You've been on that bed for days." I nodded, and he helped me to my feet and I hopped on one foot to the couch. I plopped down, my head on Dean's lap. "You're such a little kid," he remarked.

"I'm on drugs, leave me alone," I giggled. I played with the string on his jacket. He turned on the TV, and SpongeBob came on the screen. "Wait, leave it on," I persisted, smacking his hand away from the remote. "I wanna watch cartoons."

"Fine," he said, with a sigh. He still watched it intently, like he was really paying attention, and chuckled the entire time. "This show is so dirty," he said, with a smile.

"Like when?" I asked, and looked back at the screen. "No wait, don't tell me, you'll ruin it." He laughed again. I watched the yellow sponge on the screen, and he took a glass of water and drank it. "That makes no sense," I stated, annoyed. "They're under water!"

"It's a kid show, Lex," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but still," I insisted, shaking my head. "And why is SpongeBob a square? Aren't real sea sponges like coral shaped?"

"I don't know."

"Yeah!" Sam piped up. "They are."

"You guys realize this is a kid's show," Dean stated, rolling his eyes. "It's not supposed to make sense."

"I'm just saying that they could at least make it a little more factual," I said, shrugging. That hurt. "Ow," I remarked, frowning.

"You're being stupid."

"You're stupid," I laughed. "I mean, you talk in the car when I can hear every single thing you're saying!"

Dean frowned. "What?"

"I heard everything you guys said," I repeated matter-of-factly. "You said the crossroads demon said dad did make the deal. He's in hell. You said you thought about making a deal to get him back." I looked up at Dean, with a glare. "I'm not deaf."

He stared down at me, with a mixture of shock and sadness on his face. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked. "I thought you were asleep."

"I wasn't." I snapped at him. "How could you even think of trading yourself for dad, Dean?" He said nothing, which made me angry. "You're a buttmuncher." I said, annoyed.

Dean fought it, but smirked. "Buttmuncher?" he asked.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. "I'm on drugs right now, okay. It's all I could think of."

He shook his head. "I didn't make the deal." he stated. "I wouldn't do it."

"You thought about it, Dean." I said, worriedly. "Right, Sammy?"

Sam looked up from his laptop, and gave me a slight nod. Dean glared at him. "Thanks, Sam," he scoffed. He looked back down at me, moving my sweaty hair out of my face. I swatted his hands away with my good arm. "I won't leave you like that," he said. "I won't ever make that deal. Promise."

I thought about it for a moment. "Fine," I yawned. I looked back at the TV screen, which was on commercials. "We should totally get a puppy."

Dean looked confused at how fast I had changed topics. "How much of that morphine did you take?" he asked, amused.

"Enough, apparently," Sam snorted, as I grinned. "A puppy, Lexie?"

"Yeah," I nodded, messing up my already messed up hair. "It could be a guard dog. We could train it to growl at demons and stuff."

"Just growl at them?" Dean asked.

"Well okay, attack them then."

"But what would we do with it?" Dean asked, amused. "It's not going in the Impala."

I frowned, trying to come up with a solution. I thought long and hard, but kept coming up empty handed. "Party pooper," I remarked, and Dean chuckled. I winced, as I moved to get into a more comfortable position. "Ow," I looked at Sam. "I want ice cream."

"You just ate," Dean said, shaking his head.

"Oh," I said, with a yawn. "Right, I forgot." I snuggled myself closer to Dean, starting to feel drowsy, not that I would admit it.

Dean blinked. "I think you need to go to bed."

"I'm not tired," I stated, and then found myself yawning before I could stop myself. Stupid body was betraying me.

"You aren't?" Dean asked, amused. I sleepily shook my head. "Then why do you keep yawning?"

"I'm not," I insisted. "I'm stretching my mouth."

Dean smirked, and jostled me. "Get your ass in bed," he scoffed, and helped me up. I hobbled to the bed and crawled under the covers.

"Wait," I said, as he walked away. He stopped, looking back at me. "I'm glad you didn't make the deal, De." He smiled, and shook his head. "I think I'd rather have you, anyway." He frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"I would rather have you here then you make a deal for dad to come back," I replied, closing my eyes. He stared at me, and I was too tired to realize the extent of what I had just said. "Goodnight," I stated, and tried to get comfy.

"G'night ankle biter," Dean said, and walked away, still looking stunned.

I woke up the next morning, my shoulder killing me and my mouth dry. I flipped over to see Sam snoring quietly, taking up most of the bed. I rolled my eyes, and then sat up. I swung my legs off the bed, and used one hand on the wall to steady myself as I stood. I went into the bathroom, actually making it this time, and started the shower. I peeled the clothes I had on for the last two days off and got in the scalding hot water. I didn't care what Dean said, I felt icky. I needed to take a shower at some point.

I winced when the water hit the wound, but relished in the warmth and clean feeling. This was the only time I thanked the crappy motel for their sucky water pressure. I got out and dressed in a loose fitting top and jeans. My leg wasn't as sensitive. I walked out of the bathroom to see Dean and Sam both sitting at the table, sipping coffee. I sat with them.

"How you feel?" Sam asked, when Dean said nothing.

"Fine," I said, a little confused as to why Dean was giving me the silent treatment. I didn't remember much of last night. I remembered being on the couch, and then….Crap. I remembered what I said. I wasn't going to let them know that. "I don't remember going to bed last night," I laughed. "I was out of it."

Dean seemed to brighten. "Yeah," he said, with a small chuckle. "So, uh, Bobby called," he said, looking at Sam. "He wanted us to do a hunt for him. A Wendigo. I told him no."

"Why?" I demanded, ringing my hair out. Dean shared a glance with Sam, and then back at me.

"You're not ready to do anything too strenuous, Lex," he said. "You're still weak."

"Yeah, you fell last night and popped two stitches," Sam said, rolling his eyes, and taking a sip of coffee. Dean glared at me, and I glared at Sam.

"I'm fine, guys," I said. "I won't even move a muscle if that's what you want. But I think we should go. I mean, we're all bored anyway, right?"

Dean and Sam looked at each other again, and I watched in anticipation. "Fine," Dean said, and pulled out his phone to call Bobby. "Be ready to leave in an hour."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSNP

The hunt was seven hours away in Minnesota, and the ride took forever. Somewhere in between hour five and six, Dean stopped at a rest stop. I let Sam help me to the bathroom. I came out and he helped me limp back towards the impala. "So what do you remember about last night?" Sam asked, curiously.

"What part?" I asked, with a sigh. "The part where you said I couldn't have a puppy or the part where I said I would rather have you and Dean rather than Dad back?"

"The second part," he said, stopping me. I would've have just kept walking, but I couldn't go without him without falling flat on my face. "Is that really how you feel?"

"I—uh," I stuttered, not wanting to answer this. I sighed. "Yeah, Sam," I said. "I'm a horrible daughter and I would choose you and Dean over my own father, okay?" I looked at the car. "Can we go back now?"

He said no more and helped me back in the car. I lie down and felt my face go red as Dean handed me Tylenol. I took it and downed it. Dean gave me a confused look, but kept his mouth shut. He drove off.

We made it to the cabin in a few more hours. We had to take back roads that Dean swore at the entire time to get there. "This better not have damaged my baby," he scoffed, getting out and inspecting the car. He helped me out, and let me limp to the door. I sat down on the couch and looked around.

It was three rooms if you counted the bathroom, with one bedroom. It had a small table, a couch, and a TV, and a fully working kitchen. The entire thing reeked of cedar, which would have been a great if it wasn't making me sick to my stomach. Sam and Dean brought in the bags of stuff we bought to last us up to a week. We didn't want to have to run out again. Dean immediately sat down, and started to stock his weapons and get ready to go out.

"You're going already?" I asked, watching him put the flare gun in his jeans and load a shotgun too.

"Yeah," he said. "Sam, you'll stay here, right?" Sam just nodded, but looked annoyed. I looked at Dean. "We can't leave you here alone when you can't even make it to the bathroom." He got up, grabbed his coat, and opened the door. "If I'm not back by nightfall, assume the worst," he said, and shut the door behind him.

I looked to Sam, who angrily shut his laptop, and sighed. "What?" I asked.

"No Wifi out here," he said, and took out his cell. "Not very good reception either," he added with a scoff.

"I'm sorry," I stated.

"For what?" he asked.

"For making it so you couldn't go with Dean," I replied, getting up and walking over to the table. I winced as I sat down. "Now you're stuck here."

"It's not your fault I let that dog get you."

I looked at him in surprise. "Your fault?" I asked. "Sam that was an accident. You had nothing to do with it."

"I should've—"

"Shut up," I scoffed, cutting him off. "It's not your fault." I suddenly got dizzy and grimaced. Sam didn't seem to notice. "We could play cards," I remarked, pointing to the deck on the table. They weren't ours, so they must have been left here or something.

"Shuffle," Sam said, handing me a coke from the fridge. I did so, and then he took them out of my hands. He dealt me seven cards, and then put the rest in the middle after doing the same for himself. He smiled. "Any fours?"

"Go fish." I smiled. We used to play this all the time when we were little. We were obsessed with it for the longest time. "Remember we used to play this all the time?" I laughed.

"And we played it in the car and dad got annoyed and took the cards away." Sam replied, with a chuckle.

"Any sixes?" I asked, and he handed me one. I took it and laid down the set. "We had some good times." I sighed.

"Yeah," he said, "Jacks?" I handed it to him. "That was one of the things that made us normal."

"Normal," I scoffed. "You know you're weird when your favorite past time is Go Fish 24/7." I paused. "Eights?"

"It was better than those stupid daytime dramas," Sam replied, handing me the eight. "Queens?"

"Go fish." I said, with a smile. "Dad used to yell at us when we watched those," I stated, looking through my cards. "Remember? He said they were too full of sex." I looked up. "Any sevens?" He shook his head. I took a new card.

"That only made Dean _want_ to watch them," Sam snorted. "Threes?"

We played for the next twenty minutes, until I only had one set of cards left. "Sevens?" I asked, for the fourth time now. Sam shook his head again. I took a card.

"Kings?" he asked, and I reluctantly handed it to him. "And I still don't have any sevens." I took another card.

"Fives?" he asked, and I handed it to him again. He smiled, and picked up a card. He grinned. "Sevens?"

I threw them at him and glared. "Bitch move," I stated, and frowned.

Sam laughed. "Don't be a sore loser."

"Don't be such a sore winner," I countered, and sighed. I looked outside at the setting sun and then at the bathroom. I was starting to feel worse all a sudden. I wanted to inspect my shoulder, but I didn't want Sam to know. "I'm going to take another shower," I stated, and then went into the bathroom.

I closed the door and started up the shower to let the water warm up. I gripped the sink and steadied my aching head. I felt like the room was spinning. I peeled my shirt off and turned around, looking at my shoulder in the mirror. The line of stitches was red and puffy. I grimaced and then rolled my eyes. That did not help with the dizziness I was having. I could feel that food Dean made me eat coming up.

"Sam," I said, cracking the door. "Can you go look in the car for that good smelling shower stuff?" He gave me a confused look, but went out the door. I shut the door again and puked into the toilet. "Shit," I swore, wiping my mouth.

"I can't find it," Sam said, knocking on the door.

"Alright thanks anyway!" I called, getting in the shower. I had just wanted to get rid of him. I washed away all the pain letting it run off me. I stopped thinking for a moment and just breathed in and out. I let the water hit the wound and then winced. It hurt so damn bad and there was nothing I could do. I dressed in a loose fitting shirt and then looked through Dean's bag. I pulled out the antibiotics, and took the Amoxicillin.

I took six pills and then hid the bottle back in the bag and walked out. "I'm going to bed," I said, noting the sun now going down. "G'night."

"G'night." Sam called, flipping channels on the TV. I crawled into bed and then tried to get into a comfortable position. I fell asleep in moments.

I yelped as something prodded at my shoulder. I opened my eyes and flailed my arms at whoever did it. Dean grabbed my wrists before I could punch him. "Sorry," he said, "But Sam said you seemed sick and I wanted to check it out." I nodded and turned so that he could see my shoulder better. "It's infected," he said after a long pause.

"I know," I replied, adjusting my shirt. He moved it again and I all but screamed in pain.

"If you're in pain, why didn't you say anything?" Dean asked.

"Maybe it hurts because you keep touching it," I snapped. He looked hurt and I regretted it. I gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry," I sighed. "I'm just tired."

He got up and grabbed the medical kit and looked for the Amoxicillin. "You should take some-"

"I did," I said, rubbing my face.

He lifted the bottle and frowned. "How many did you take?"

"Six."

He looked down. "It says you're only supposed to take two!" he exclaimed.

I shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a rebel," I stated stoically. He glared at me. "I wanted to make sure it worked," I said.

"Well now it might just make it worse," he said.

"I'll sleep it off," I stated, and he rolled his eyes.

"You're impossible."

"Thanks," I replied, with a smile, and closed my eyes. Dean moved the hair out of my face and shook his head. I fell asleep again and slept for the next sixteen hours. I woke up, ate some food, went to the bathroom, and then went right back to sleeping again. I was just so tired.

Two days after that I was back up and moving around. I felt a lot better and the fever I had broke. I was still tired, but at least I had the strength to move. Dean and Sam hadn't left the cabin to look for the Wendigo since I started to feel bad. Now that I was better, however, it was time to start to get back to work.

"I think you two need to go hunt the Wendigo," I stated, sitting at the table. "We can't stay here forever."

Dean looked at me and then over at Sam. "One of us has to stay here with—"

"Dean," I said, "You can't hunt this thing alone. Sam's gotta go with you." He gave me a look. "No, listen. You can't try to take this thing down all by yourself and you can't wait much longer." I pointed to the counter. "We're running out of supplies."

"You're still sick," Sam said, carefully.

"But I'm not going anywhere," I said, shaking my head. "You guys go out, I'll be here and wait for you to come back."

"What if something happens?" Dean asked.

"To you or to me?" I asked. "Because I'll be fine." Dean fidgeted, but looked to Sam. "Just go and then we can get out of here."

Sam gave a slight nod and then stood up, pulling on his jacket to go. The sooner they left the better. Dean looked to me. "Don't leave this cabin. Don't even open the door for anything. And stay armed. And take the meds." He stood up. "And don't do anything stupid."

"I won't," I smiled, and sighed. "But be careful out there."

"We will, Lex," Sammy grinned, ruffling my hair. He hopped off the deck of the cabin, and gave me a grin. I stuck my tongue out at him. Dean grinned and followed, and then they disappeared into the trees. I sighed and sat down on the couch. It was going to be a long night.

SPNSPNSPNSPNS****BrittPage21**SPNSPNSPNSPN

I am all alone in the cabin and now have been waiting for hours on my brothers. I hope they get back soon. I seriously can't think of anything else to do. I want so badly to call and check on them, but Hey! I had no service. Great.

"Where on Earth could they be? Great, now I'm so bored now I'm talking to myself," I said, and looked at the clock and saw that it was getting late and that Sam and Dean weren't back for dinner yet. I decided that they were just be behind, but would be back soon. But things only got worse. I kept imagining bad things happening as it got darker outside. Maybe they were hurt? Maybe they had been taken by the Wendigo?

As the sun began to set I got really worried. They still have not shown back up at the cabin. I tried by walking around the cabin, and everywhere to get cell reception but there just was no way to reach them. I couldn't find reception anywhere. Even though I was feeling better from the pain and know that I can look after myself perfectly fine and that my brothers can do the same for themselves, I was really starting to worry. I was really starting to miss them and felt like I needed them to be close so I would know we were all safe.

I stood inside the cabin waiting for awhile but not long because it looked to be getting really dark and there was no sign of life outside. That meant no sign of my brothers. I realized that they could have been captured by the wendigos and might be in trouble and I might need to rescue them or something. I told myself that I was our only hope now. I had to do something or I could kiss seeing Dean and Sam ever again goodbye. Maybe I was over reacting a little, but I was freaking out. I mean, Dean never would leave me alone this long unless something had happened. He knew I would be worried.

"Lex!" I heard from outside. I could have sworn it sounded like Sam. He sounded like he needed help. I inwardly let out a sigh of relief that they were at least back, but I was worried that he was in trouble. The screaming was too hard to hear from inside but I could recognize the voice as Sam.

I looked outside from the window but saw nothing but blackness. I cautiously opened the door and looked out. It is pitch black out now. I picked up the flash light and my flare gun to be on the safe side and to be precautious. I slowly walked out onto the porch and waited for a few moments. Then I heard more screaming but saw nothing around me.

Then I heard the screaming again, and this time I could hear it loud and clear. "Alexis, hurry we need your help," Sam called.

I yelled back to it, "Sam? Sam where are you?"

The response seemed even closer. "Hurry we need help, we're in the woods." I ran towards the noise and tried to find the source of who was calling out to me. I then heard what I thought was Dean screaming to come help them. I paused for a second. Dean never would give up on a hunt so easily, or ask for my help when he knew I was still hurt.

I looked around but saw no one. I realized it had to be the Wendigo that was doing the calling. I scoffed at my stupidness. I was such an idiot. However, I knew that I had to find my brothers no matter what, so I kept going.

I treaded through the woods, but it was getting darker by the minute. I thought about heading back to the cabin and waiting till morning, but then realized that with all the turning I did earlier, I couldn't tell which way I came from. I had gone so far into the woods, and turned around so much I had gotten myself lost. I sighed and picked a direction and walked. I could track my way back, but it was too dark. I could barely see my hand in front of my face.

I tried to carry onward as long as I could. "Where could they be?" I asked myself worriedly. "I'll find them!" I told myself, encouragingly. "No matter what!" I felt like I had gone for what seemed like hours, and the pain was starting to get to me. I jumped forward as a shot of pain went through my shoulder. The morphine had officially worn off. I tried heading onward and ignored the pain. After another hour or so, I finally had to stop. I sat down with my back to a tree to rest for a minute. After I had rested my shoulder (even though I was still in major pain) I tried to get up so I could continue my search for my brothers. I was unsuccessful though because now there was pain not only in my shoulder but in my leg as well. It was too much. I couldn't move at all.

I fell back to the ground, and shivered. It was freezing. I realized that I needed help but there was no one close at all. I sat there for awhile; until I was exhausted and shivering and in so much pain that I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I finally just lay down, in the fetal position. Then I opened my eyes for a second and looked up, I saw none other than the stupid Wendigo itself. I aimed my flair gun, but was too weak to even get a good shot. I had nothing to steady my arm, and the recoil made me miss by a mile. I could barely even keep my eyes open. It stared at me, and then started to walk towards me slowly, menacingly. I shuddered one last time, and couldn't keep my eyes open. I blacked out, and was taken over by the pain.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPN***Mine***SPNSPNSPNSPN

I woke up in blackness. I was pretty sure my eyes were open, but I could only make out faint shapes. It was cold too, really cold. I must have been in a cave of some sort.

That was when the pain kicked in. My shoulder felt like it was being ripped off. I could feel blood pulsing out of the torn stitches. My head was spinning around. The pain was horrible, but I couldn't move. Both of my hands were tied above my head in a thick rope that was then tied to some sort of bar. I must've been in a mining shaft with the bar there. My feet were barely skimming the ground. All my weight was on my shoulder.

I flinched every time I tried to move. I worked at the ropes anyway, pulling and twisting my wrists until the skin was raw. I gave up as it really started to hurt. I needed this weight off my shoulder. I could feel the skin ripping and the blood seeping through. I felt tears in my eyes, but fought them back.

Hours went by, and I just dangled there not knowing what to do. I didn't know what time it was or even how long I had really been in here. I looked up and saw a small ledge above my head. Maybe I could get my legs up there and take the weight off my shoulder.

I started to swing around, going back and forth. I kicked my legs up, which hurt like hell, but I had to do it. I caught the ledge and then abruptly slipped back off. I fell hard, my feet actually smacking the ground and the pull on my shoulder made me yelp.

"Mother of-," I panted, trying to get my breath back. I sighed, clenched my jaw, and swung up again harder this time and latched my feet on the ledge. The weight was off my shoulder and I could breathe again.

I felt myself starting to pass out. My head felt heavy and I struggled to keep my eyes open. My legs slipped off and then my shoulder screamed in pain. I actually cried this time, tears pouring out of my eyes and down my face. I hoped that Dean and Sam were going to find me.

Another couple hours went by and I felt like I was dying. My eyes just wouldn't stay open and reality was starting to blur. I saw Dean walking towards me, staring me down. "What were you thinking?" he asked, and then suddenly he was Sam instead.

"Lex?" Sam asked, confused.

I tried to open my mouth to answer and found I had no words. Sam became my father. "I'm so disappointed, Alexis," he said, shaking his head. "You're giving up."

I struggled to open my eyes to make it stop, but I couldn't move. I grimaced and then felt very awake. I could see in the darkness and could make out a shape moving towards me. Part of me thought I was about to become Wendigo meat, but the shape was too small. "Hey, Lexie," grinned Yellow Eyes, appearing closer to me.

"Is this real?" I asked, my mouth dry.

He cocked his head. "Oh it's real, sweetie. I'm really here."

"Then what do you want?" I demanded, struggling with the ropes again.

"I have so many answers to that question." he sighed, pacing back and forth in front of me. "I want your brother, I want you dead, and I want lots of things." he listed.

"Then why haven't you just killed me yet?" I asked. "If you can walk into my dreams, I'm sure you can kill me."

"Oh I want to do this face to face," he shrugged. "Call me a sentimentalist."

"You keep appearing I think you _can't _kill me," I stated, staring at him.

"Oh I can do it," he smiled, amused. "I just want to be able to see the light in your eyes go out. I want you _begging_ for it."

I couldn't help but tense. He laughed. "I'm going to die here, so you might lose your chance," I stated.

"Either way," he said. "You're out of the way."

"Why do you keep coming here?" I asked, now annoyed. He was just appearing to taunt me and tell me he wanted to kill me.

He smiled and laughed again, turning around. "See you soon, kiddo."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSPNSPN

Everything was starting to go numb. My shoulder was a distant throbbing mess in the background. My body was tired. I hung there and thought about how this was just so damn stupid. This was a stupid way to die. I vaguely found myself wondering if I was dying from blood loss or from something else. I couldn't tell at this point. Dean would hate dying like this. He always talked about going out in a blaze of glory, like a gladiator or something. I found myself wanting to laugh. Dean in a gladiator helmet?

I wasn't sure I was awake anymore. Sam had made me watch this stupid documentary about how to survive blood loss and dire situations. I was pretty sure it hadn't told you how to survive this, since I was about one of the only people on the planet who would get into this situation, but maybe it would've helped. I wished I would have paid more attention. Too late now, I guess.

I was slowly slipping away. I felt something touch me. I opened my eyes slightly and saw none other than Dean himself. I had a feeling I was dreaming. "Lex?" he asked, shaking me. Okay, so maybe I wasn't.

"No gladiator helmet." was all that came out of my mouth. I laughed. He shook me harder and looked to Sam, who pulled out his knife and cut me down. "Thanks," I said, falling into Dean's arms.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I think we need to get out of here," Sam said, "We can talk all about it later." He took my arm and I pulled away.

"Lemme walk," I insisted, and stumbled a few steps before Dean just picked me up baby style and said nothing. I smacked his chest, but let him carry me out. The moment we hit normal air, I already felt better. I could breathe normally and I could see.

"Look," Sam said, pointing to my blood stained clothing.

"S'fine," I insisted, pushing him away. "Put me down." Dean stopped walking and let me down. I steadied myself and then walked. I could at least walk.

We paced ourselves slow, since I couldn't go that fast, and I think Sam was getting antsy. "Let me piggy back you, Lex," he insisted. I grumbled, but let him. We moved faster after that. We ran into the cabin and Sam laid me down on the bed. I whimpered as they looked at my shoulder. "We shouldn't re-stitch it," Sam said. "Not if there's an infection."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "She's got a fever. We'll wait."

That was the last thing I remembered before I heard them whispering again when I woke up. "What?" I asked. They both stopped.

"You feel okay?" Dean asked, looking concerned.

"A lot better," I said, sitting up. "Actually, I feel good compared to how I was." Dean shot Sam a look and I frowned. "Why?"

"You were screaming," Sam said, "Something about the demon."

I paused, tensing up. "I—I was dreaming," I said, shaking my head.

Dean nodded and then glared. "What the hell were you thinking?" He asked. "Going out like that?" I looked confused. "We followed your trail out into the woods."

"I thought I heard Sam screaming," I said.

"But you couldn't figure out it was the Wendigo? You know better than that!" He exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. I had been really stupid lately.

"You were already hurt, you could've died," Sam said, shaking his head. "You were really stupid, Lexie."

"How long was I out there?" I asked, not sure I really wanted to know.

"A day and a half." Dean replied.

I nodded. "Did you waste it?"

Dean frowned. "What?"

"Did you kill the Wendigo, Dean?"

"No, we were too busy saving your ass," He scoffed. I grimaced at his tone. "Sorry," he said, and then left the room. "We didn't want to wake you up, but we have a problem."

"What?" I asked, throwing the covers off.

"It followed us back," Dean said, looking out the window in the front. "It's waiting until it has to advantage, night probably."

"So we wait and then kill it," I said, with a curt nod. "Got it."

"No," Sam said, pushing me back to the bed. "You stay in here and we kill it."

"Sam," I complained. "I can't just wait in here like that."

"We'll give you a flare," Dean said, handing it to me and nodding. "But you don't come out under any circumstances." I rolled my eyes, but took it.

Night came quickly and I fell asleep twice. I heard the thing calling as the night went on. It was dark and I saw nothing, but I knew it was there, just waiting. That was when I heard the crash. Glass shattering. I panicked and heard more clatter. "Dean!" Sam yelled, and then I heard him hit the door to the bedroom. I still didn't open the door.

"Sam, get it outside!" Dean yelled.

Sam grunted and I heard him yell. That was the final straw. I opened the door. The place was trashed. There was glass and other stuff everywhere. I looked outside and saw Sam lying on the ground, passed out, while the Wendigo was right above Dean.

I held my hand as steady as I could, aimed and fired without a second thought. It burst into flames with a scream of pain and then was reduced to ashes. I stared at Dean and then helped him to his feet. "I'm awesome," I remarked, a cocky smile on my face.

"I told you to stay in the room," He said, rolling his eyes.

"Since when do I listen?"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSPN

We went to Logan's the very next morning. He was the closest and his father insisted that we stay at the house while we recuperated and healed. I was able to take my stitches out in a week or so, and then it was nothing but a pink scab. Dean and Sam got a motel room not far away, not wanting to impose, but I stayed with them for another week. Logan was increasingly absent.

He would come in everyday to see if I was okay, but then would disappear until the next morning when he would do the same thing and then leave again. Once I was up and around, he made excuses. He was clearly avoiding me and I didn't know why. After Dean finally agreed that I wasn't going to get sick or die or anything and he let me join them at the motel room, I was thankful. Staying in that house was becoming awkward for me.

Dean picked my stuff up and smiled as I looked over to where Logan was working on one of the four wheelers in the shed. "Why don't you just ask him what's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't want to piss him off," I said, shrugging. "You know how it's been lately."

"So fix it," he said, and tossed my bags in the trunk. "And come home when you do." He patted me on the shoulder and went to get in the car.

"Hey, De?" I asked, stopping him. He turned expectantly and I hugged his waist. "Thank you for saving me." He smiled and hugged me back.

"Anytime, ankle biter."

"But, De?" I said, frowning. "Before all that, what I said? About dad and you?" He tensed and pulled away a little. "I loved dad," I started, not letting him look away. "But you raised me. You were more a father to me anyway."

"That means a lot," he admitted, with a sigh. He pulled me into a hug, which was odd for him, but I think needed. "God, you're such a pain in my ass," he whispered.

"I know," I said, as he let go.

"Now, go make-up," he said, pushing me to Logan. I glowered at him as he drove off, but he just left.

I walked to Logan and watched him work on the engine in silence. I leaned on the doorframe, trying to get up the courage to talk. "Are you mad at me or something?" I asked finally.

"No, why?" he asked, not looking up at me and just doing more with the screws.

"You ignored me," I stated.

He sighed and stood up. He wiped his hands on his jeans and looked directly at me for the first time in days. "Seeing you like that? Knowing it could happen again?" he said, sadly. "Knowing that I'm stuck here while you're out there? It scares the shit outta me."

I walked to him. "You already knew this was the life I had when you agreed to this," I said softly.

"I know."

"You know I'm a hunter. It's not going to stop."

"I know."

I looked up at him, tears in my eyes. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," he admitted and stared into my eyes.

We stayed like that for a moment and then I turned away. "I'm going to head to my brothers," I said and he caught my arm.

"Let me drive you," he said, and led me to his car. I got in and we drove down the driveway in silence. Once we hit the road, he sighed. "Maybe if I go with you more, and you know, help? Maybe it wouldn't be so hard?" he asked.

"Yeah," I agreed. "But I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either," he replied. There was a long pause.

"Okay," I said, "Maybe it would help." I smiled and he smiled too. I got out of the car and he put his arm around my shoulders and I let him.

We walked to the motel room and I opened the door. Sam was on the ground, clutching his head and Dean was standing over him. My head immediately started pounding and I ran over. I touched him and my head exploded_._

"_I got no choice," Dean said, uneasily, pointing a gun. _

"_It's not in me, it's not in me," the boy pleaded. "Don't, don't" he cried. Dean mercilessly pointed the gun and fired. _

I came out of it and Sam's and my eyes met. I could see what he was thinking. "No," I said, shaking my head. Logan pulled me to my feet. "Sam, you don't—"

"I don't know," He said, starting to move about the room frantically.

"What was that?" Logan asked, angrily.

"A vision," Dean said. "What—"

"We should go," Sam said, scrounging for his stuff. "We have to go now."

"Okay," Logan said. "Let's go."

All three of us stopped and stared at him. "What?" I asked. "You have school, you can't just—"

"I was here for the vision and you agreed in the car, Lex." he countered. I shut my mouth. "I want to come." He said, looking to Dean. Dean looked to me, and I gave a slight nod.

"Fine," he said, tossing him his cell phone. "Call your dad." Logan got his permission with some convincing and then we ran out the door. Sam had seen more of the vision than me, but I had seen enough

I had a bad, bad feeling about this. And I hated to say it, but I think I was going to be right.


	37. Season 2, Chapter Twelve

**Author's note: Sorry i've been so horrible about updating lately! School has gotten really hard, and my grades were slipping, so i had to study a lot more this week to boost them back up! And sorry if there are typos, but i proofread this as fast as i could because i had somewhere i had to get to, but didnt want to have to wait another day!**

** Enjoy!**

**I own nothing but Lexie!  
**

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

We dropped Logan's car off at his house, figuring it was better if we just took him with us. Sticking together and all that. I didn't really care. I was freaking out. The look on Dean's face when he had went to shoot that kid? It scared me. I had only seen that look when he was looking at something of pure evil. That kid had been pleading for his life.

Sam was looking up the town, which he had seen on a poster or something in the room. I was too busy paying attention to Dean to pay attention to detail. "_Continue on OR-224 West" _The operator said.

Sam snapped the phone shut and sighed. "There are only two towns in the U.S. named River Grove" he said.

"How come you're so sure it's the one in Oregon?" Dean asked.

Sam closed his eyes, remembering the vision. "There was a picture –- Crater Lake" he replied.

"Okay, what else?" Dean asked, for the millionth time. Sam and I had already repeated the images a few times. I looked to where Logan was staring hard at the back of Sam's head.

"I saw a dark room, some people, and a guy tied to a chair" Sam said, listing it all again.

"And I ventilated him?" Dean asked. Again.

"Yeah" I said, rubbing my temples. My head was still pounding from all this. "You thought there was something inside him"

"A demon? Was he possessed?" Dean asked, looking at me in the rearview.

"I don't know" I shrugged.

"Well, all your guys' weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow" Dean said, looking at Sam desperately. "So, was there any black smoke? Did we try to exorcise him?"

"No. Nothing" Sam said. "You just plugged him, and that's it"

Dean clenched his jaw, but nodded. "Well, I'm sure I had a good reason"

Sam sighed, and shrugged. "I sure hope so"

Dean glared at him. "What does that mean?" he asked. Sam said nothing, casting me a dark glance. "Sam, I'm not gonna waste an innocent man" Sam looked out the window now. "I wouldn't!" Dean insisted.

"I never said you would!" Sam exclaimed.

"Fine" Dean stated.

"Fine" Sam agreed. He fidgeted.

I sighed. "Look, we don't know what it is" I said, leaning forward. "But whatever it is, that guy in the chair's a part of it. So, let's find him and see what's what"

"Fine" They said together and I leaned back.

"Fine" I said quietly. I sighed, and looked out the window. Logan took my hand and squeezed it. I looked over to him and he gave me a slight smile.

"Are you okay?" he mouthed, and I nodded. He smiled, patting my hand. I moved closer to him and put my head on his shoulder. I hadn't done that in about a month now. I had missed this. I breathed out and closed my eyes.

We stopped to hit the bathroom, and Dean and Logan left me and Sam behind at the vending machines. "Do you think Dean wasted an innocent man?" Sam asked, as I put in a quarter.

I sighed, and looked in the machine. "You think I should get starburst, or peanut M&Ms?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Lex"

I pressed the button, grabbed the M&Ms, and looked at him. "I don't know, Sam"

"Don't know?" he asked. "Or scared to answer?"

I stared hard at him. "I only saw the last ten seconds" I stated. "I don't know what happened, Sam. He could've been faking. Maybe he was possessed"

"He was a really good actor" Sam stated, looking distressed.

"Yeah" I agreed, and shook my head. "But it's Dean. I trust him"

"Thanks" Dean said, walking in, and stealing my M&Ms. "Trust me to do what?"

"To believe me when I say if you don't give me back those M&Ms I'll kick you" I said, grabbing them back. "And that we'll get there already. I'm freaking out"

"Well c'mon then" he said, as Logan came back. "Let's get our asses moving"

SPNSPSPNSPSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We pulled into River Grove, Oregon not too long later, and stopped on a corner of the main part of the small town. I looked around, but nothing looked familiar to me. Sam nudged me. "Is that-?" he pointed. It was the black guy from the vision.

I nodded. "I think so" I said, and Sam and I lead the way as Dean and Logan followed confused. "He was there" I explained to Logan.

All four of us walked up, which I had to admit probably looked weird, but I wasn't going to be left out of this one. "Morning"

"Morning" the guy grunted back. "Can I help you?"

Dean took out an ID, and I realized that Logan and I didn't have one. Dean usually handed me one as we got out of the car. "Yeah. Uh, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard –- U.S. Marshalls" Dean said. He looked at Logan and I. "They're in our custody" he said, winking at me. I rolled my eyes.

"For what?" the man asked.

"That's confidential" Sam said, staring.

"Okay. What's this about?" he went on.

"We're looking for someone" Dean said.

"A young man, early twenties" Sam said, from memory. "He'd have a thin scar right below his hairline"

The man frowned. "What'd he do?"

"Well, nothing" Sam shrugged. "We're actually looking for someone else, but we think this young man can help us"

"Yeah, he's not in any kind of trouble or anything" Dean added. "Well, not yet" He looked down. "I think maybe you know who he is, Master Sergeant. My dad was in the Corps. He was a corporal"

"What company?" the sergeant asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Echo 2-1" Dean replied, happily.

"So, can you help us?" I butted in, getting annoyed. I just wanted answers.

Sarge stared at me for a moment. "Duane Tanner's got a scar like that. But I know him –- good kid, keeps his nose clean"

"No, I'm sure he does" Dean smiled.

"You know where he lives?" I asked, as Logan pulled me back a little to calm me down.

"With his family, up on Aspen Way" Sarge replied.

"Thank you" Dean smiled and then gave me a dirty look. He grabbed my arm and led me across the street. "You need to calm down" he said and then let me go. I glared at him, and then grabbed Logan's hand almost like as a counter argument.

Sam stared at a telephone pole curiously. I wasn't sure what that had to do with anything, but he seemed serious. "Hey" he said, pointing to the word engraved in the wood.

"Croatoan?" Dean asked, reading it.

"Huh" Logan and I said nearly at the same time. "That's weird" he added after.

Dean just looked out of the loop. "Roanoke?" Sam asked. "Lost colony? Ring a bell?" Dean shook his head. "Dean, did you pay any attention in history class?"

"Yeah" Dean said, annoyed. He waved his hand dismissively. "The shot heard 'round the world, how bills become laws…"

Sam smirked, amused. "That's not school! That's _Schoolhouse Rock_!"

"Conjunction Junction, what's you function" Logan smiled at me, and I snorted.

Dean just shrugged. "Whatever"

"Roanoke was one of the first English colonies in America, late 1500s" Sam explained.

:Oh, yeah, I do remember that" Dean nodded. "The only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree. "Croatoan""

"Yeah" Sam nodded. "And there were theories - Indian raid, disease. But nobody knows what really happened. They were all just gone. I mean, wiped out overnight"

"You don't think that's what's going on here" I frowned, looking around at the town around me.

"Whatever we saw in our heads, it sure wasn't good" Sam said. "But what do you think could do that?"

"Aliens?" Logan shrugged. I smacked him on the arm and rolled my eyes.

"Well, like I said, all your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow, so…" Dean said, looking at all of us uneasily.

"We should get help" Sam said, with a nod. "Bobby? Ellen, Joshua maybe?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea" Dean said, pulling out his phone. He frowned, and held his phone up. "I don't have a signal"

The other three of us took out our phones, and I frowned when I saw I had no bars. "I don't either" Sam said. I nodded in agreement.

Logan pointed to the payphone on the corner. Dean picked it up and then sigh in frustration. "Line's dead"

"I'll tell you one thing –- if I was gonna massacre a town, that'd be my first step" I stated, looking at Sam. "Cut off the phone lines. No chance to get help, to warn people"

"Well you're pleasant" Logan stated, shaking his head.

"It's a gift" I shrugged, going right back to looking at Sam. "Maybe we should check out Duane's house now?"

"Yeah" Sam said, "See if anything weird is going on there"

We drove over to their house, which was slightly out of the way of the main part of town and by a small lake. "We can't all go up there" Dean scoffed, as we all got out of the car. "Four Feds? It's not happening"

"Well you can't leave me behind" I said, annoyed. "I had a psycho vision too" Dean stared at me and then looked to Logan.

"Fine, you and Sam go, but we'll be hanging around back just in case" he relented, and took Logan around the side of the house.

Sam knocked on the door. "Yeah?" a kid about my age said.

"Hi" Sam said, as we held up our badges. "We're looking for Duane Tanner. He lives here, right?"

The boy shrugged. "He's my brother"

"Can we talk to him?" I asked, getting annoyed. I wasn't asking for your brother just to make sure that he lived here. I wanted to talk to him. Now. Before Dean could just up and decide to waste him anyway.

The kid shook his head. "He's not here right now"

"Do you know where he is?" Sam asked, keeping calm. I wasn't sure how he was doing that.

"Yeah, he went on a fishing trip up by Roseland Lake" he said.

"Your parents home?" Sam asked.

The kid nodded. "Yeah, they're inside"

"Jake, who is it?" A male voice asked. He came to the door, and I noticed the way that he walked. It was almost too planned out. I couldn't explain it.

"Hi, U.S. Marshalls, sir" Sam said. "We're looking for your son, Duane"

"Why, he's not in trouble, is he?" Mr. Tanner asked nervously.

"No, we just need to ask him a couple routine questions, that's all" I shrugged, hoping we could just get to this kid before I went insane. "When's he due back from his trip?"

Mr. Tanner frowned. "I'm not sure"

"Well, maybe your wife knows?" I asked.

"No, I don't know, she's not here right now"

Sam frowned, confused. "Your son said she was"

Jake smirked. "Did I?"

"She's getting groceries" Mr. Tanner said, shaking his head. "So, when Duane gets back, is there a number where he can get a hold of you?"

"Oh, no, we'll just check in with you later" Sam smiled, and we turned to leave. The father put an arm around his son, and then closed the door. "That was kind of creepy, right? A little too Stepford?" Sam asked, glancing back.

"Big time" I scoffed. "Where the hell did Dean and Lo, go?"

We walked to the back of the property, where Dean and Logan were peering in the window, wide eyed. "Look" Dean mouthed, putting a finger to his lips. The mother was tied to a chair in the kitchen, looking terrified.

"It's okay, Mom" Jake smiled at her. "It's not gonna hurt"

Mr. Tanner grabbed a knife, and cut his sons forearm. He let the blood drip onto the identical wound that his mother already had on her shoulder. That was all I needed to see. I stood straight, and Dean kicked in the door. I grabbed my gun, and Dean shot down a screaming Mr. Tanner. I wavered as I watched that familiar look as he took him down. I shook it out of my head, and looked at Jake. Sam was pointing at him, but didn't shoot him. Jake just jumped through the window, and was gone. Sam had a clear shot, and had not taken it.

I started untying Mrs. Tanner, and Logan helped me by undoing her gag. She was crying. "It's okay" he said, comfortingly. "We're here to help you" She nodded, and then fell unconscious.

Dean swore, picked her up, and carried her to the Impala. He went back inside, and had Mr. Tanner on his back. "Where the hell are we going to put him?" I asked, and Dean didn't respond. He went in the trunk. Logan sat in the front while I made sure that Mrs. Tanner didn't kick it on the way there. We pulled up to Rivergrove Medical Clinic and Sam came around the car and pulled her out and carried her inside. I followed them in, and Dean went to go in the trunk to get Mr. Tanner.

"Hello? Hello, we need a doctor here!" I screamed, looking around for anyone.

A woman in scrubs came out from behind the door. "Mrs. Tanner, what happened?" she demanded, her eyes widening.

"She's been attacked" Sam replied.

The woman turned around. "Dr. Lee!" she shouted.

Dr. Lee came out, and waved us to the back. "Bring her in" she said, and Sam followed her back.

Logan came in, helping Dean carry Mr. Tanner. He was wrapped in the old blanket we had in the trunk. "Hey" Dean said, stopping me. I held the door for him.

Dr. Lee looked over a gasped. "Is that…?"

"Mr. Tanner" Logan grunted.

"Was he attacked, too?" Dr. Lee asked.

"Uh, no, actually he did the attacking and then he got himself shot" Dean explained.

Dr. Lee's eyes narrowed. "Shot?" Dean nodded. "And who are you?" she asked.

"U.S. Marshall. I'd show you my badge, but, uh…" He gestured to Mr. Tanner.

"Oh, sorry" Dr. Lee said, motioning to the bed in the back. "Bring him back here" Dean put him on the table. Logan looked to me, and pulled me aside.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah" I said, looking over to where Sam was talking to Mrs. Tanner now, who was getting her shoulder fixed. I glanced at Logan. "Why?"

"You seem, I don't know, freaked?" he shrugged.

I paused. "I am freaked!" I said, incredulously. "Dean is going to shoot somebody!"

"We don't know that" he replied, staring hard at me. "Don't think that way" I sighed, but gave a short nod so that he would shut up. I was not in the mood to talk. I pulled him over to where they were talking.

"Wait, you said Jake _helped_ him?" Dr. Lee asked, surprised. "Your son, Jake?"

Mrs. Tanner nodded. "They beat me…tied me up" she said, tears in her eyes.

Pamela sighed, shaking her head. "I don't believe it"

"Pam" Dr. Lee said, motioning for her to shut up. "Beverly, do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?"

"No, of course not" she said, starting to sob. "I don't know why. One minute, they were my husband and my son. And the next…they had the devil in them"

Dean whispered something to Sam, and then nodded his head to the waiting room. I followed them. "These guys are whacked out of their gourds" Dean said, whispering violently at us as the door closed.

"What do you think?" Sam asked, starting to pace. "Multiple demons? Mass possession?"

"If it is a possession, there could be more" I added.

"God knows how many there could be" Dean nodded. "It could be like a friggin' Shriner Convention"

"Great" Logan remarked, looking at Mrs. Tanner inside the room.

"'Course, that's one way to wipe out a town" Dean scoffed. "You take it from the inside"

"I don't know, man" Sam said, shaking his head. "We didn't see any of the demon smoke with Tanner, or any of the other usual signs"

"Well, whatever" Dean said dismissively. "I mean, something turned him into a monster. And you know, if you would have taken out the other one, there'd be one less to worry about"

"I'm sorry, all right? I hesitated, Dean, it was a kid" Sam said.

"No, it was an "it". Not the best time for a bleeding heart, Sam" Dean scoffed.

Dr. Lee came out and stared at us. "How's the patient?" Sam asked.

"Terrible" she said, annoyed. "What the hell happened out there?"

"We don't know" Dean said softly.

"Yeah? Well, you just killed my next-door neighbor"

Dean looked uneasy. "We didn't have a choice"

"Maybe so, but we need the county sheriff. I need the coroner" Dr. Lee said, shaking her head.

"Phones are down" I replied.

"I know, I tried" she said. "Tell me you've got a police radio in the car"

"Yeah, we do" Sam said. "But it crapped out just like everything else"

She sighed, hand on her head. "I don't understand what is happening" she cried, frustrated.

"How far is it to the next town?" Dean asked.

"It's about forty miles down to Sidewinder" Dr. Lee replied.

"All right, I'm gonna go down there and see if I can find some help" Dean said. "My partners will stick around –- keep you guys safe"

Dr. Lee frowned. "Safe from what?"

"We'll get back to you on that" Dean said, eying me. He went to leave, and I followed. "Stay here" he instructed.

"Just be careful out there" I said, watching him go.

"I always am" he smiled, and then he disappeared. I sighed, and I sat at a table in the waiting room, not knowing what to do. I could only wait for Dean to get back, or for someone else to try and come kill us I supposed.

"Lex" Sam called, sounding terrified. I looked at Logan, who was sitting next to me, and we jumped up and ran over to the office again.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned. The look on Sam's face told me more than his words could. Something happened. "What?" I asked again, when he said nothing.

"Sulfur" he stated. "Mr. Tanner was fighting off a virus of sulfur"

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. "I'm sorry, I don't get it"

Dr. Lee looked in her microscope again. "Mr. Tanner was fighting a virus when he died, like a cold except much worse. I don't know if the virus is what made him go psychotic, but I think it had traces of sulfur in it"

I looked up at Sam. "A demon virus, Sam?" I asked incredulously. "Really?"

"We can't rule it out" Sam replied, looking at Mr. Tanner's body under the sheet. I sighed. "I'm just saying that right now, that's our only lead"

"I know, Sam" I replied, and looked over to where Dr. Lee was talking to Mrs. Tanner. She seemed to be explaining the situation. I walked over.

"I don't understand" she cried. "Are you saying my husband and Jake had a disease?"

"That's what we're trying to find out" Dr. Lee nodded. "Now, during the attack, do you remember…did you have any direct contact with their blood?"

"Oh my God" she said, terrified. "You don't think I've got this virus, do you?"

Dr. Lee frowned. "Beverly, I don't know what to think. But with your permission, we'll take a blood sample" Mrs. Tanner paused, looking uneasy, and then smiled, holding out her hand.

Out of nowhere, Mrs. Tanner screamed, and jumped off the table. I didn't even have time to react until she had knocked Dr. Lee to the floor. She pushed me into the wall, and I felt the wind fly out of me. I was helped to my feet by Logan. She shoved Sam into the cabinet. Without a word, I threw him the oxygen tank lying on the floor. He caught it, and knocked her out with one swift move. "Bitch" I said, as she slumped to the floor.

Logan looked at me, giving me a funny look, and walked out. I followed. "What?" I asked a little annoyed. I wasn't in the mood for any crap.

"That was just, uh…" he said, running a hand through his hair. "Just, weird"

"Well she apparently has a demon virus" I said, looking over to where Sam was locking her in the closet or something. "That's not normal"

"No I mean, you just reacted" he said. "With Sam? It was like you barely event thought about it"

"You've seen me hunt before" I scoffed, with a small smile.

"Not like that" he said, giving me no smile in return. He just stared at me, and then sat down in the waiting room. I watched him and the followed.

"Lo, its always been this way" I said. "It's just now you're…more aware" He said nothing. "Logan, you can't freak out on me like this, okay? There's already too much stuff on my mind"

I walked away, fed up. He wanted to make it better by coming along, and was only going to screw it up more. I wish things could just go back to how they were. When seeing him was a break instead of a chore. "Wait, Lexie" he said, stopping me from going back to where Sam was.

"What?" I asked.

"Why can't you just understand that I'm worried about you?" he asked, glaring at me. "Why are you so critical? Excuse me for caring"

"I'm glad you care, just…" I sighed, not knowing what to say. "Logan, it's been like this since day one. I've been in the same amount of danger since say one. I can't quit hunting. I can't fix this" I pulled my arm out of his grip. "You can"

"I can't stop caring"

"Well try," I snapped, and walked back to Sam. He gave me a look, and I shook my head. I wasn't in the mood to talk.

"What if we all have it? What if we all go crazy?" Pamela asked, as we all crowded around the door.

"We've gotta stay calm. All we can do is wait" Dr. Lee said. "The Marshall's bringing help"

"No, I can't. I've gotta go" she said desperately. She went to leave, but Dr. Lee tried to stop her. "No, you don't understand" she pleaded. "My boyfriend's out there. I've gotta make sure he's okay"

"Wait, wait. Please" Sam said, grabbing her arm and stepping in front of her. "I know you're upset, all right? But it's safer if you stay here for now. Help is coming"

I heard the Impala coming. "Dean's back" I stated, and ran to the door.

"Lexie, open up!" Dean yelled.

I opened the door and was surprised to see not only Dean, but the Sarge from earlier as well. "Why is he here?" I asked, in a whisper.

"I found him" he whispered back.

"Did you guys get to a phone?" Sam asked, walking towards him.

Dean shook his head. "Roadblock" he said. He nodded at Sarge. "I'm gonna have a word. Doc's inside" The Sarge left the room and went to go talk to the doctor.

"What's going on out there, Dean?" Sam asked, as we huddled aside.

"Man, I don't know. I feel like Chuck Heston in _The Omega Man_" Dean said, looking out the window. "Sarge was the only sane person I could find. What are we dealing with, do you know?"

"Yeah. Doc thinks it's a virus" Logan replied.

"Okay, great" Dean said, nodding. "What do we think?" He looked at Sam and then at me.

"I think she's right" Sam said, nodding.

Dean looked at him in disbelief. "Really?"

"That's what I said" I sighed.

"I think the infected are trying to infect others with blood-to-blood contact" Sam replied, giving me a look to shut up. "Oh, but it gets better. The virus leaves traces of sulfur in the blood"

"A demonic virus?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, more like demonic germ warfare" I scoffed.

"At least that explains why I've been having visions" Sam said, with a shrug.

"It's like a biblical plague" Dean sighed.

"Minus the locusts" Logan said, looking out the window.

"Yeah" Sam snorted. "But you don't know how right you are, Dean. I've been poring through Dad's journal. I found something about the Roanoke colony"

"And?" Dean asked.

"Dad always had a theory about Croatoan. He thought it was a demon's name –- sometimes known as Dever or sometimes Reshef" Sam said, "A demon of plague and pestilence"

"Well, that's terrific" Dean remarked. "Why here? Why now?"

"I have no idea" Sam said, shaking his head. "But Dean…who knows how far this thing can spread? We've gotta get out of here, we've gotta warn people"

"Yeah" I nodded. "Hey guys, watch out! There's a demonic virus going around!" I smirked. "That'll go over well"

"They've got one! In here!" Sarge yelled from the back room.

I exchanged glances with Sam and we ran to the back, following after Dean. "What do you mean?" Dean demanded.

"The wife" Sam replied. "She's infected"

"We've gotta take care of this. We can't just leave her in there." Sarge said, shaking his head. "My neighbors –-they were strong. The longer we wait, the stronger she'll get"

Dean took out his gun and I stared him down. I wasn't going to deny that the lady was a lost cause, it just seemed like with every damn second the vision was coming closer and closer.

"You're gonna kill Beverly Tanner?" Dr. Lee asked.

"Doctor, could there be any treatment? Some kind of cure for this?" Sam asked, desperately.

"For God's sake, I don't even know what "it" is!" she cried.

"I told you, it's a matter of time before she breaks through" Sarge said staring at the door.

Pamela groaned. "Just leave her there! You can't shoot her like an animal!"

Dean cocked his gun. "Sam" They walked over to the closet, and Logan grabbed my hand comfortingly. I gripped it, even though we were still mad at each other.

"Mark, what are you doing?" she screamed from inside the closet. "Mark, it's them! They locked me in here, they tried to kill me! They're infected, not me! Please, Mark! You've known me all your life! Please!"

Sarge held his gun steady, but did nothing. Dean looked to Sam. "You're sure she's one of them?" he asked. Sam slowly nodded. Dean took one last look at Mrs. Tanner, and pulled the trigger.

It soon grew dark, and I could do nothing but sit quietly next to Logan on the chair in the office. Sam and Dean were preparing the weapons, and had told me to just keep an eye out for movement. I just stared into the darkness where I could only see the one streetlight that was shining in the street. There were about four people milling around, all in a group. Out of nowhere, a scream made me jump. I tried to calm down as I looked over. Pamela was crying, pointing at the vial of spilled blood on the floor. "Oh, God! Is there any on me?" she cried "Am I okay?"

"You're clean, you're okay" Dr. Lee said, sweeping the blood aside.

"Why are we staying here? Please, let's just go!" she sobbed, looking to Dean.

"No, we can't, 'cause those things are everywhere" I said, pointing to the window. "They're waiting"

Pamela started to sob harder "Oh, God" Dr. Lee tried to calm her down, shushing her. I leaned into Dean, hoping that he would have some sort of answer for all of this.

"She's right about one thing" Sam sighed, turning to look at us. "We can't stay here. We've gotta get out of here –- get to the Roadhouse, somewhere. Let people know what's coming"

"Yeah, that's a good point" Dean said. "_Night of the Living Dead_ didn't exactly end pretty"

"Pretty?" I asked. "Dean everyone died" I pointed back to the window. "We've got to get out of here"

"I'm not sure we've got a choice" Sarge said. "Lots of folks up here are good with rifles. Even with all your hard work, we're easy targets. So, unless you've got some explosives…"

I sighed, we were so screwed. "We could make some" Sam smiled, going to the shelf. He held up a bottle of potassium chlorate and grinned.

"Hey, let me in!" A voice screamed. "Let me in, please!" They pounded on the door desperately. We all ran to the door, and I watched as Sarge's eyes widened.

"It's Duane Tanner!" he said, and opened the door. Duane fell inside, panting. Sarge helped him up straight. I frowned, and looked to Sam.

"Oh, thank God" Duane said, crumpled over.

"Duane, you okay?" Sarge asked him, concerned.

"That's the guy that I, uh…" Dean made the motion like he was offing someone.

"Yeah" Sam and I said together, sharing a glance again. We both looked uneasy. I didn't know what to do about this.

"Who else is in here?" Duane asked, already looking around.

Dean stopped him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there, chief" he said. "Hey, Doc, give Duane a good onceover, would you?"

"Who are you?" Duane asked, frowning at him.

Dean shook his head, pushing him to the doctor's office. "Never mind who I am. Doc?"

"Yeah, okay" Dr. Lee said, preparing a needle and other things.

Sarge stared at him. "Duane, where you been?" he asked, curiously.

"I was on a fishing trip up by Roseland" he said. "I came back this afternoon. I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house by people we know. They started cutting him with knives!" He looked up at us, clearly terrified. "I ran, I've been hiding in the woods ever since" He looked around. "Has anybody seen my mom and dad?"

Dean rocked on his feet. "Awkward" He whispered to himself.

"You're bleeding" Dr. Lee said, deadpan. She stared at his leg, where there was blood on his clothing. He _was _bleeding.

"Where'd you get that?" Logan asked, uneasily.

He looked down at the cut. "I was running" he said, with a shrug. "I must've tripped"

Dean looked at Sarge. "Tie him up" he said. "There's rope in there"

Duane's eyes widened. He stood up, scared. "Wait—"

"Sit down!" Dean shouted, raising his gun. He glared at Duane menacingly, and then caught my eye. I was glaring at him, telling him to stop it. He had no idea what was going on. He wavered slightly, but then looked away.

"Sorry, Duane, he's right" Sarge said, "We've gotta be careful"

Duane was still freaking out. "Careful? About what?"

"Did they bleed on you?" Dean demanded.

"No, what the hell! No!" Duane said, confused. He looked at Sarge who was grabbing the rope.

"Doc, any way to know for sure?" I asked, desperately. "Any tests?"

"I've studied Beverly's blood work backwards and forwards" Dr. Lee sighed.

Duane looked up, in shock. "My mom?"

"It took three hours for the virus to incubate" Dr. Lee went on, ignoring Duane. "Sulfur didn't appear in the blood until then, so…no, there'd be no way of knowing. Not until after Duane…turns"

Sam looked at Dean. "Dean, I've gotta talk to you" he said, "Now" Dean sighed, but followed Sam. Sam looked to me and Logan, and nodded for us to follow as well.

"This is my vision, Dean. It's happening" Sam said, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, I figured" Dean scoffed, watching him walk back and forth.

"You can't kill him, all right?" Sam said, looking at him. "Not yet. We don't know if he's infected or not" He stopped walking and stared at Dean.

"Oh, I think we're pretty damn sure" Dean said, incredulously. "Guy shows up out of nowhere, he's got a cut on his leg, his whole family's infected"

"All right, then we should keep him tied up and we should wait and see" I said, nodding at Sam.

Dean rolled his eyes. "For what? For him to Hulk out? Infect somebody else?" he asked. "No, thanks, can't take that chance"

Dean went to leave, but Sam stopped him. "Look, man, I'm not happy about this, okay? But it's a tough job and you know that" Dean said.

"It's supposed to be tough, Dean!" Sam said. "We're supposed to struggle with this, that's the whole point!"

"What does that buy us?" Dean asked.

"A clear conscience, for one" I said, shrugging.

Dean glared at me. "It's too late for that"

"What do you mean it's way too late for that?" I asked. "Dean, you can't just kill him. We don't know anything yet"

"We know" he said, staring at me. "You two think you're so smart with your psycho visions, and you aren't thinking clearly" He looked to Logan. "You agree?"

Logan looked uneasy, and then looked to me. "I think he's more than likely affected but—"

"There" Dean smirked. "I rest my case. Logan?" Dean and Logan walked into the hallway, and Sam and I followed. I wasn't going to let Dean just do something he would regret.

"What the hell has happened to you?" Sam asked, stopping him from leaving the room. "You might kill an innocent man, and you don't even care! You don't act like yourself anymore, Dean. Hell, you know what? You're acting like one of those things out there"

"Mm-hmm" Dean said, and pushed Sam backwards, swung the door closed, and locked it.

"Dean!" I shouted. "Open it!" Logan was staring at his shoes. "Logan, open the damn door!"

"Hey! Open the damn door. Dean!" Sam screamed. "Don't do it, Dean! Don't!" He pounded against the door, but got nothing. I waited for some sound of a gunshot, but there was nothing. My head started to hurt.

"Sam?" I asked, leaning on the table. "You aren't having a vision, are you?" He turned, and looked at me. I took that as a no. My head exploded, and I saw the street outside.

_No one around. I glanced sideways, and saw Logan, and he was pulling me. Even though I wasn't sure why, I was upset. No, more than upset. I was fuming. _"_Because they want you to live, Alexis" Logan replied. He put his hands on my shoulders, turning me away from the door. "We've got to go"_

I came out of it, panting and being held up by Sam. "What the hell?" I asked, confused. I had never had a vision all by myself before, and of myself at that. That had never happened before either. Dean entered and put his gun on the table.

"I couldn't do it" he said, and then looked up. "I couldn't shoot him"

Sam nodded solemnly but said nothing else. He looked back to me. "What did you see?" he asked. "Something about all of this?"

"What?" Dean asked, immediately concerned. "You had a vision? By yourself?"

"I guess" I said, my head still throbbing. "But I don't think it was important" I added. "It was about me and Logan"

"And?" Dean asked.

"We were fighting" I said. "But safe" I looked up at them. "Nothing bad even happened"

Dean sighed, but grabbed the bottles from before. "Alright" he said, "We'll worry about that later. We've got bigger fish to fry"

We started back up to make the explosives. I sat as the table, Logan and I working together, and Dean and Sam also working together. I held the bottle, and he poured in the chemicals. "You really think this is going to work?" I asked Logan, in a whisper.

"No" he replied, stuffing in the cotton. "I think we're screwed"

"Okay" I sighed, grabbing a new bottle. "Just making sure its not only me"

"We need more" Sam said, shaking the empty bottle. "Logan you wanna—"

"Yeah, sure" he said, and then they went to the closet to get the supplies. I finished off the last of the supplies at the table, and looked to Dean.

"I knew you wouldn't shoot him" I stated, looking at Dean. He looked up, questioningly. "I knew you wouldn't do it. You could have, in a heartbeat. But you wouldn't if we told you not to"

"What can I say" he smirked, patting my hand. "You and Sammy are my weakness"

Logan and Sam came back, and then we went back to silence, until Dr. Lee walked in. "It's been over four hours" she sighed. "Duane's blood is still clean. I don't think he's infected. I'd like to untie him, if that's all right"

I looked to Dean, who slowly nodded. "Sure, yeah" Sam replied, after noting Dean's nod. She left to go untie him. Sam stopped what he was doing and looked at Dean. "You know I'm gonna ask you why"

"Yeah, I know Dean said, meeting my eye for a moment. It was a look to keep my mouth shut.

"So, why?" Sam asked. "Why didn't you do it?"

There was a long pause, where Sam, Logan and I all stared at Dean waiting for his response. He sighed. "We need more alcohol again" he stated.

Sam stood up and went to go and get it. I waited, looking at Dean for some kind of reason. I wanted to know why he couldn't just answer the stupid question. My head started to pulse. I looked over as I heard a loud crash. "Sam" Dean and I breathed.

We both ran over, immediately started to pound on the door to the supply closet. Dean pushed me out of the way, and kicked the door in. He pulled out his gun, and shot Pam several times, until she fell off Sam, dead.

"She bled on him" Sarge said, as Dean went to go and help Sam off the ground. "He's got the virus"

Dean, Logan, Sarge, and I all stopped moving, stopped breathing, and stopped everything. We stared at Sam.

He had the virus.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNSPN

I paced around the waiting room while Sam sat on the table in the back with a bandage to his chest. I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes. "Lo, what do I do?" I asked, wanting to cry. He just watched me silently, saying nothing. "Are you going to say something or not?" I demanded,  
turning on him. He still said nothing. "Look, Lo, you wanted to be a part of this, be a part of it, okay? Tell me what to do"

He put his hand on my shoulder, and sighed. "I don't know what you should do" he said, exasperated. "They don't exactly tell you this at boyfriend's 101"

I stared at him for a moment, and then went back to where Dean was pacing and Sam was still sitting, looking terrified. "Doctor, check his wound again, would you?" Dean asked, desperate. She did nothing. "Doctor!" Dean shouted.

Sarge sighed. "What does she need to examine it for? You saw what happened"

"Did her blood actually enter your wound?" Dr. Lee asked, looking at Sam for some sign that this wasn't really happening. He wasn't really infected. He couldn't be, he was my brother, and I wasn't goin to let him die.

"Come on, of course it did!" Sarge scoffed, throwing his hands in the air.

"We don't know that for sure!" I shouted, annoyed.

"We can't take a chance!" Duane said, shaking his head.

Sarge looked to Dean. "You know what we have to do"

"Nobody is shooting my brother" Dean said, angrily. He started pacing again.

"He's not gonna be your brother much longer" Duane argued. "You said it yourself"

"Nobody's shooting anybody" I insisted, moving closer to Sam, and giving him a strong glance.

"He was gonna shoot _me_!" Duane said, pointing at my brother. I looked to Dean, and opened my mouth to counter him back, but Dean was already in his own defense.

"You will shut your pie hole, I still might!" Dean shouted.

"Dean, Lex, they're right. I'm infected" Sam said, shaking his head. "Just give me the gun and I'll do it myself" he said, holding out his hand.

"Forget it" Dean said.

"Dean, I'm not gonna become one of those things" Sam argued, not dropping his hand.

I smacked his hand down. "Sam, we've still got some time—"

"Time for what?" Sarge asked. "Look, I understand he's your brother, and I'm sorry. I am" He took out his gun, and looked to Sam. "But I've gotta take care of this"

"You shoot him, you gotta go through me" I said, standing in front of him.

Sarge wavered slightly. "You better move" he stated. "I'm not above hitting a woman"

"I'm gonna say this one time" Dean said in his scary calm voice. "You make a move on him or her, you'll be dead before you hit the ground, you understand me? Do I make myself clear?" He was shouting by the end of hit.

"Guys!" Sam shouted.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Sarge asked.

Dean paused for a long time, looking from me, to Sam, to Sarge, and then back to me. "Get the hell outta here, that's what" Dean said. "You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in the trunk of the car out front" He looked to Dr. Lee and Duane. "You two go with them. You've got enough firepower to handle anything now"

I looked at him in shock. "What about you?" Sarge asked.

Dean said nothing, and Sam freaked. "Dean, no. No. Go with them. This is your only chance"

"No, you're not gonna get rid of me that easy" Dean said, shaking his head.

"He's right, man" Sarge said, "Come with us!" Dean just gave him another look. "Okay, here's your funeral" They all started to walk out the doors.

"I'm sorry" Dr. Lee said, "Thanks for everything, Marshalls"

"Oh, actually, we're not really Marshalls" Dean shrugged.

"Uh…oh" she said, and just walked out. Dean looked to me, and I automatically knew what was coming. I knew what he was thinking, but I was going to wait for him to say it, because I wasn't sure I could say it myself.

He went into his pocket, and took out his car keys. "Dean…" I said, my eyes watering. "Don't"

"Take good care of her" he stated, tossing them at me. "And don't you dare try to get rid of her, I'll know, and I'll come back to life and kill you"

I caught them, and shook my head. "Dean" I said, "Please"

"Lex, you're not staying" Dean said, uneasily, shaking his head slowly.

"I'm not leaving you two here to die" I said, choking back my tears. "I'm not doing it, De" I added, adamantly.

"Dean, she's right" Sam said, looking like he was about to cry as well. "All of you should go"

"Shut up, Sam" Dean and I said together.

"Alexis Marie" Dean said, sternly, using his I'm-your-scary-older-brother voice. "Get out of here. Leave" I didn't move. "Now!" he shouted. I wavered, the part of me that was scared wanting to listen. It was taking a lot of strength for me to not move.

"No" I said, standing my ground. "If you want me to leave, you're going to have to drag me out of here yourself"

"I'll do it" he said, stepping closer, so that I had to look up at him. He was sizing himself up to me, trying to psych me out. It may work usually, but now I was too far in. I wasn't going to do it. "I will drag your ass out of here" he threatened again.

"Then do it, Dean" I said, shaking my head.

He stared at me for a moment. "Logan" he said, looking over. "I want you to make sure that she gets out. Make sure that she's okay. Make sure Lex is safe" His lip quivered. "Make sure she never comes back here, or looks for us"

"Dean!" I shouted, grabbing at his jacket. "Please, don't"

"Okay" Logan replied, not looking at me. "I'll make sure"

Dean looked to me. "Last chance, Ankle Biter"

"I'm not moving, Dean" I said, shaking my head.

He stared at me for a moment, telling me with his quivering lip and red eyes that he really didn't want to do this. I would make him. He lunged at me, trying to push me to the door. He tried to pick me up, but I wouldn't let him. I knew all his moves. I fought against him, as he finally got the best of me. He shoved me out the door, and swiftly slammed and locked the door behind me. I pounded on it, angry tears pouring down my face. "I'm sorry" he shouted through the door.

"Sam!" I screamed. I got no response. "Dean I hate you!"

"Logan, get her out!" Dean shouted and then disappeared so that I couldn't see him anymore.

Logan abruptly grabbed my arm, and I was barely fighting him. I had no strength left. I was choking on sobs now. I just couldn't do it. "Let go of me" I said, angrily, twisting my arm out of his grip.

"No" he said, pulling me out of there. "We can't stay here"

"I'm not leaving them" I said. "How could you even let them do that?"

"Because they want you to _live_, Alexis" Logan replied. He put his hands on my shoulders, turning me away from the door. "We've got to go"

I paused, remembering my vision. I guess this was it. "I can't leave them" I insisted, but he just grabbed my arm. "I'm not leaving them here to die"

He pulled me, yanking my arm so hard I was surprised that it didn't come out of the socket. I fought him tooth and nail, but I was so tired I couldn't really even fight him that much. I clawed at his hands, but he didn't seem to notice as we got to the outside. "Stop it" he said, as we hit the last door to outside. "You don't need them"

I paused, and then smacked him as hard as I could. My hand was actually tingling, and I could already see the redness appearing. The worst part was that I didn't care in the slightest. "They're all I have left" I choked, hiccupping from my tears.

He felt his cheek, shocked, but just let go of my wrist. "Do you love me?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, incredulously.

"Do you love me?" he asked. "Because if you did, you wouldn't want to die. You wouldn't want me to let you die"

"This really isn't the—"

"Yes it is!" he shouted, throwing his hands up. "These past few months have sucked for us. They sucked! And every time we try to fix it, it only gets worse" He choked on tears of his own, and it scared me a little. "So, if you say it, if you say you don't care anymore, you can go back in there. Right now"

I looked behind me, choking on the words that were struggling to come out. "If you loved me, you wouldn't make me make the choice between you and my brothers" He said nothing, just staring at me. "And I think you know what I'm going to choose" He looked down.

"Guys?" Dr. Lee asked, walking back right inside the door where Logan and I stood. "I think we have a problem"

"What?" I asked, automatically switching gears. "What's wrong?"

"There's no one out here" she said, pulling me out into the open air. "Everyone's gone"

Sarge looked around again, and then to me. "We should tell your brother" He ran back in with Dr. Lee, and I followed without another word. She knocked on the door, and Dean looked out the window before he opened the door. Dr. Lee got him to come outside.

"There's no one. Not anywhere" she said. "They've all just…vanished"

Sarge and Dr. Lee searched the entire town for the next few hours. Sam still hadn't turned apparently, and we were getting iffy on if he even would. I sat in a corner of the clinic, all by myself. No one else even bothered to talk to me, and that was good. I might have tried to kill them if they tried.

"Well, it's been five hours and your blood is still clean" Dr. Lee said, inspecting Sam's blood. "I don't understand it, but I think you dodged a bullet"

"But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. But you're just not" Dr. Lee shrugged. She looked at the other microscopes. "I mean, when you compare it with the Tanner samples—what the hell?"

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"Their blood" She said, her eyes wide. "There's no trace of the virus. No sulfur, nothing"

SPSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"Doctor, the Sarge and I are getting the hell out of here, heading south" Duane said, packing up the truck. "You should come"

She shook her head. "I've gotta get over to Sidewinder. Get the authorities up here –- if they'll believe me. Take care"

Sarge waved goodbye as they drove away. "What about him?" Dean asked, nodding at Sam.

"He's gonna be fine. No signs of infection" She smiled, and then went back inside.

"Hey, man, don't look at me" Sam said, putting his hands up. "I've got no clue"

"I swear, I'm gonna lose sleep over this one" Dean said. "I mean, why here? Why now? Where the hell did everybody go? It's not like they just freakin' melted"

"Why was I immune?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yeah, you know what, that's a good question" Dean said, and opened the car door. I climbed in the back, and went back to staring out the window. I wasn't going to talk. Not now. "You know, I'm already starting to feel like this is the one that got away" Dean reached in his pocket for the keys, and then looked at me.

I held up the keys, which I had never given back, and handed them to him without a word. He gave me a small smile, which I did not return, and then looked at Sam. They shared a look, but they said nothing.

The car drive was really long, and really silent. We dropped Logan off, and I got out to tell him goodbye. "Bye" I stated, as we walked back up to his house.

"I'm sorry" he said, shaking his head.

I stared at my feet. "I think it's too late" I looked up. "I'm sorry I smacked you though"

"It's okay" he said, awkwardly. We stood for a moment. "Are we over, then?"

There was a long silence. "Yeah" I said, "I think we are"

We both looked up at each other, and although I think both of us wanted to convince each other that we weren't over, that it would be okay, and that we could do this, we knew it was nowhere close to the truth. It was over. It was way over. "I'll always love you" I said, giving him a hug.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close, knowing it was the last time. "Me too" he said, and then let go. "Bye, Lex"

"Bye, Logan" I said, and then walked away to the car, tears pouring freely down my face. I got in, sitting in the back. Sam turned around, but I silenced him with one look, and he turned back.

There was nothing to say.

SPNSPNSPSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPN

We drove for a few hours, and then took a bathroom break somewhere out of Iowa. "Hey" Dean said. I turned to look at him, and he pulled me into a strong hug, smooshing me to the point I could barely breath. "I'm sorry"

"No you're not" I said, pushing him away. "How dare you leave me like that! I would've rather been dead"

"I thought maybe you could handle it" he remarked, looking hurt.

"Dean" I scoffed. "What part of you made you think leaving me all alone on earth was okay? You realize I am all alone, right?" He said nothing. "You and Sammy are all I have"

"You had Logan at the time" he stated, looking past me. "You shouldn't have broken that off because I made him—"

"That wasn't why" I sighed. He gave me a blatant look. "Well, okay, that's part of it, but not all of it. I just…we weren't right. He didn't get it like I thought he did"

"It's your choice I guess" he shrugged.

"Yeah" I said, and then pulled him back into the hug, this time squeezing him. "If you ever try to leave me alone again, I will kill you"

"Ditto" he chuckled, and hugged me back. "Chick flick over?"

"For now" I smirked, and he piggy backed me to the Impala.

We pulled over randomly after about seven hours of more driving in random directions. It was what we did when we were upset. We just drove, and then stopped. Dean pulled out a few beers, and we would either sit on the impala, or just laze around. This time, we were at some river. We sat on the fence, drinking and sitting in silence. "So…last night" Sam said, finally breaking the silence. "You wanna tell me what the hell you were talking about?"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, playing dumb.

"What do I mean? I mean, you said you were tired of the job" Sam said. "And that it wasn't just because of Dad"

Dean put the bottle to his lips. "Forget it"

"No, I can't" Sam argued. "No way"

"Come on, man, I thought we were both gonna die" Dean scoffed. "You can't hold that over me"

"No, no, no" Sam said. "You can't pull that crap with me, man. You're talking"

"And what if I don't?" Dean asked.

Sam smirked. "Then I guess I'll just have to keep asking until you do"

"I don't know, man" Dean sighed. "I just think maybe we oughta…go to the Grand Canyon"

I looked up, this actually making me cringe. "What?" I demanded.

"Yeah, you know, all this driving back and forth, cross-country" Dean sighed. "You know I've never been to the Grand Canyon? Or we could go to T.J. Or Hollywood, see if we can bang Lindsay Lohan"

"You're not making any sense" Sam said.

Dean shook his head. "I'm saying we should take a break from all this. Why do we gotta get stuck with all the responsibility, you know? Why can't we live life a little bit?"

"Why are you saying all this?" Sam asked.

Dean hopped off the fence, and Sam and I followed. "No, no, no. Dean, you're my brother, all right?" Sam said. "So, whatever weight you're carrying…let me help a little bit"

"Me too, Dean" I said, even though the last thing I wanted was to talk right now. I would do it for him though. I would make myself suck it up.

"I can't. I promised" Dean said, quietly.

"Who?" I asked.

"Dad" he said, looking at his boots.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"Right before Dad died…he told me something" Dean sighed. "He told me something about you" He looked up at Sam, and then me. "Both of you"

"What? Dean, what did he tell you?" Sam asked.

I looked at Dean's conflicted face, and wondered what the hell could be so bad that he couldn't just say it. My dad made some scary requests, but I didn't think he'd make him do anything so bad.

"He said that he…he wanted me to watch out for you and Lex" Dean said. "Take care of you two"

"He told you that a million times" Sam said, not getting it. I had to admit, I didn't get it either.

"No, this time was different. He said that I had to…save you" Dean said, struggling to make the words come out of his mouth. This time, he was only looking at Sam.

"Save me from what?" Sam asked.

"He just said that I had to save you. Nothing else mattered" Dean said. "And if I couldn't, I'd…" He trailed off.

"You'd what, Dean?" I asked, wanting him to just spit it out already.

"We'd have to kill you" Dean said, looking at me. "He said that Lexie and I might have to kill you, Sammy"


	38. Season 2, Chapter Thirteen

** Authors Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I think i finally started to get my butt moving again so the updates will be back to normal! Thanks for sticking with me guys! You're awesome! **

**I do not own supernatural!**

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

"Kill me?" Sam asked, his eyes welling up with tears. I could feel mine welling up as well. I couldn't kill Sam. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know" Dean replied, shaking his head.

"I mean, he must've had some kind of reason for saying it, right?" Sam asked, going nuts. "Did he know the demon's plans for me? Am I supposed to go dark-side or something? What else did he say, Dean?"

"Nothing" Dean stated. "That's it, I swear"

"How could you not have told us this?" I demanded, also freaking out. I couldn't kill my brother. I don't care if he did go dark side, I wouldn't kill him. I just wouldn't, screw this.

"Because he was dead and he begged me not to" Dean replied.

"Who cares?" Sam said. "Take some responsibility for yourself, Dean! You had no right to keep this from me!"

"You think I wanted this? Huh?" Dean asked, annoyed. "I wish to God he'd never opened his mouth! And I wouldn't have to walk around with this screaming in my head all day!"

There was a long, long pause, where none of us said anything. "We've just gotta figure out what's going on then, what the hell all this means"

"We do?" Dean asked. "I've been thinking about this, I think we should just lay low, you know? At least for a while. It'd be safer. And that way, I could make sure…"

"What? That I don't turn evil? That I don't turn into some kind of killer?" Sam asked.

"I never said that" Dean said, sternly.

"Jeez, if you're not careful, you _will_ have to waste me one day, Dean" Sam said, with a scoff.

"I never said that!" Dean said again, louder this time. "Damn it, Sam, this whole thing is spinning out of control! You're immune to some weirdo demon virus, Lexie and you have powers coming out of the wazoo, and I don't even know what the hell anymore. And you're pissed at me, and I get it. That's fine, I deserve it. But we lay low until we figure out our next move, okay?"

"Forget it" Sam said, annoyed.

"Sam, please, man" Dean said, grabbing Dean's shoulder. "Hey, please. Just give me some time. Give me some time to think, okay, I'm begging you here. Please…please"

Sam slowly nodded, and then looked to me, and nodded at me as well. "Okay" he said, finally, and downed the rest of his beer.

"Okay" Dean said, and took a drink of his. We sat in silence for awhile, just looking out into the lake. I couldn't help but just think about Logan. Part of me wanted to run back, and tell him that this was a mistake. All of this had to be some messed up dream. My father didn't want me to eventually kill my brother, I didn't lose my first boyfriend, and I didn't want to start bawling my eyes out. I was fine.

"Let's get a room somewhere" Dean said, going back to the car.

"Can we drive?" I asked, coming out of my daze. "I want to move"

Sam and Dean both stared at me for a long moment, and then Dean nodded. He took the keys out of his pocket, and held them out to me. "You want to drive?"

I think my jaw dropped to the ground. "What?" I asked, in shock.

Dean shrugged. "I just thought maybe it would help you get your mind of stuff" he stated, jingling the keys.

I took the keys, and he opened the door for me. This may only be happening because I was upset, but I was fine with that for now. Dean let me drive sometimes, when we ran to the store or something. Sam got in the back, and lounged like I usually did. Dean sat passenger, and I started up the car.

I just drove for awhile. I let the car take me away, and focused on staying straight on the road. I hit the back roads, where we could just put the pedal to the metal and go. These were the times that I loved the most. Where it was nothing but me, and my family, and a long stretch of road. Lately it seemed that we were always heading somewhere fast. I missed driving aimlessly to some unknown destination.

"Hey" Dean said, smacking me on the arm. "Slow the hell down"

I took my foot off the gas pedal. I had been going really fast without even realizing it. "Sorry" I said, softly. "Got lost in the moment"

Dean looked back at Sam in the back seat. Sam was snoring softly, his long legs curled in. He barely fit back there. Dean looked to me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"No" I scoffed, giving him an incredulous look. "Why would I even be close to okay?"

"I don't know" he said, with a shrug. "I guess I was just making sure you weren't going to do something stupid"

"Like what?" I asked my hands on the wheel. I let go slightly. I was unaware of how tight I was gripping it.

"I don't know"

"You don't know anything, do you?" I smirked. He glared at me. "I'm fine Dean"

He nodded, and I pulled off the road when he told me to. We grabbed a room, and hung out for the night. Sam was silent, and I just kept staring off into nothing. I kept thinking of Logan's hand in mine, and how it should be there right now. I knew we were over. I knew it was for the good of both of us. I really didn't want to go back to all the fighting. But I missed him, and that was that.

We all sort of headed into bed, and I slept on the couch, facing the wall. I wanted both of them to just sort of leave me alone. I couldn't pretend that I was okay anymore. I found tears pour down my face, and I couldn't stop them. They flowed down as Dean snored in his sleep.

I cried myself to sleep.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNSPNSPN

I woke up the next morning, my face still sticky and wet. I got up and got in the shower, hoping that I could wash this all down the drain. I wasn't going to think about Logan anymore. I refused to. We were over, so I could stop now. I stood under the water and then Dean pounded on the door. "What?" I yelled. "I haven't even been in here that long!"

"Did you see Sam?" he demanded.

I thought back to when I got out of bed. "No" I called back. I started to shampoo my hair. Sam had probably gone out to get coffee. He did that almost every morning. I don't know why Dean was freaking out. The door opened, and I jumped and covered myself. "Dean, what the hell do you think you're—"

"He's gone" he said, holding up a note.

I washed the shampoo out and then came out with the towel around me. I took the note, getting it wet. I read it carefully twice.

_I went to go figure this out. Don't worry about me its better this way anyway. –Sam_

I looked up at Dean in surprise. "He ditched us" I stated, shaking my head. "I can't believe him!"

Dean pushed me back towards the bathroom. "Get dressed and pack" he said.

"Why?" I asked, going to close the door. "We don't know where he went"

"We'll find out" he replied, in his do-what-I-say-or-else voice. I sighed and closed the door.

I dressed quickly and as soon as I walked out Dean threw my bag at me. I went to the Impala, and we started driving as Dean got out his phone. "Start calling" I said. "Anyone you can think of"

"Okay" I said, and went into the contacts. I called almost everyone I could think of. I called Bobby, Joshua, Ellen, and even some of Sam's friends that I knew he still talked to. I called Sam seven times, but got no answer. I tried tracking his phone, but he must have done something to not make me able to. He was good.

"No one knows a thing" I scoffed, throwing the phone down on the bench. "He's just disappeared"

"He's somewhere" Dean said, pulling off the side of the road. "He's got to be. He'll make a mistake" he said. "And then we'll be right back with him"

"Okay" I said, even though I really didn't believe him that much. We were going to find Sam when either Sam wanted to be found, or someone called to say that they had seen him. He was trained to disappear like my father. And he was the best.

Dean sighed, and then started to drive again after a moment. We were in silence, and I wasn't sure that Dean even knew where he was going. I think he was doing what I had been doing last night. Just driving and thinking.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

When Dean's phone rang the next day, I was praying to god it was Sammy. I was sick of looking for him and more annoyed than anything. Dean was mad that I wasn't freaking out about this like he was, but to be honest I just wanted to smack Sam upside the head. And I would do it even if I had to jump to reach his head the tall moron.

"Why won't you help?" Dean asked, as I watched him call person after person over and over. "Don't you care?"

"I care" I scoffed, sitting up. "But Sam's doing exactly what dad did. And if Sam wants to go on some fricking crusade then good for Sam" Dean just glared at me.

"Hello?" Dean said as he answered his phone.

"It's Ellen"

I jumped as I heard that, hoping that she had some sort of news of what was going on. "Hey, have you heard from Sam?" Dean asked her.

"I have, but…he made me promise not to tell you where he is" she replied.

"Come on, Ellen, please!" Dean pleaded. "Something bad could be going on here, and I swore I'd look after that kid"

"Now, Dean, they say you can't protect your loved ones forever" Ellen sighed. "Well, I say screw that. What else is family for? He's in Lafayette, Indiana"

"Thanks" Dean said, and snapped his phone shut. He looked at me. "So I know where he is if you care" he said, a slight smile of his face.

"Awesome" I sighed, and smiled back. I was relieved to know he was okay, but was still pissed. Whatever part of him that made him think that running off was okay was going to pay. "Go look up all his names in Lafayette"

"Gotcha" I said, and started to research it. It was a good thing that I knew all of Sam's aliases by heart or I would have trouble with this. I looked up everyone I could think of, and eventually got a hit on Jack Richman. "Found you" I smiled.

We started to drive in silence, and I longed to have someone to talk to. Logan ran through my head again for the millionth time already. I think I was thinking about him more now that we were over than when we were together. "Dean" I said, as we hit the highway towards Indiana. "When was the last time you really liked a girl?"

He looked at me funny. "Probably Cassie" he stated, getting where I was coming from. "Why?"

I choked back the tears. "When does it stop hurting?"

He looked back to where he was driving, and sighed. "Truth?" he asked, and I nodded, wiping the tears. "It doesn't"

"Oh" I said, and sniffled. I picked at my shoe, and tried to stop myself from thinking about it.

"You'll be okay" he said, patting me on the leg. "It's not like you were married to him. He was only you're first boyfriend. You never even had sex or anything like that"

I felt my face go red. "Uh-huh" I said, looking out the window. I was pretty sure I was freaking out on the outside. I kind of forgot that we never talked about that yet. Dean had no idea.

Dean looked over at me. "You didn't right?" he asked, glaring at me.

I nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh" I said again, still not looking at him. "At least not recently…" I added, under my breath.

"Oh my—you did!" he said, and hit his hands on the steering wheel. "You totally _did it _with him" I said nothing. I couldn't deny it. "When?" he said.

"Back when I ran off to Missouri's" I replied, my face going redder. "Dean could we not—"

"You had sex at a psychic's?" He shouted.

"No!" I yelled. He pulled over. "We had an agreement, Alexis" I said nothing, trying to pretend that he wasn't actually talking to me. "Alexis Marie Winchester, you talk to me right the fuck now!"

"What do you want me to say Dean?" I demanded, turning to look at him for the first time. "I'm sorry that I had sex? Because I'm not! I'm glad it did it! I'm not glad we broke up almost right after, but I loved him, okay? I loved him!" I stared at Dean, tears pouring down my face. "So just don't"

He said nothing for a long time. I think I knew what he was thinking. He wanted to tell me I was stupid, and how messed up this was, but he wouldn't because he knew I was hurting. "Was it, uh….safe?"

"Yeah" I said, tears still pouring out.

"Good" he said, and started the car again. "We'll talk more about this when we find Sammy" The rest of the ride was in silence.

Kill me, seriously. Just kill me now.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS

We pulled into the motel and Dean looked at me for the first time in hours. "This is the place?"

"Yeah" I said, looking at the sign. "This is it"

He sighed and pulled around the lot. He pointed as he saw Sam in a window of a room. "Well, thank God you're okay" Dean sighed. Sam moved away from the window, and some girl appeared. "Oh, you're better than okay" He said, his eyebrows shooting up. "Sam, you sly dog" I glared at him. Hypocrite much?

"I mean, uh" Dean said, his smile faltering. "That's not right and he shouldn't do…that"

"Nice cover" I snorted, and rolled my eyes. "Are we going to bust in there or not?" I asked.

"Or not" Dean replied, watching Sam talk to the girl. "Something's going on. It's not like Sam to run away to hit some girl"

"Well then—"An intense pain hit me. I grabbed my head with a yelp of pain. "Oh shit" I said, feeling the pain radiate in my head. I thought I was going to vomit. I saw Gordon with a sniper rifle, aiming. I came out of it and looked up to the roof.

"Gordon, roof, rifle" I panted. "Go!"

"Stay" Dean said, and then jumped out of the car. I watched him run up to the roof where I could barely see Gordon aiming a gun. The window of the motel room shattered and I jumped. Sam hit the deck with the girl, and I watched as Dean still headed up. I wanted to get up there so bad, but I just didn't know what to do.

I decided to go on instinct. I got out of the car, and ran up to the roof. Dean was lying on the ground, unconscious. "Hey!" I screamed, holding up my pistol. It looked wimpy next to the sniper rifle, but I had to do something. "Get the hell away!"

Gordon smiled. "Put the gun down, Alexis"

"Just get the fuck away from my brother" I snarled, not in the mood for this. "I swear to god I'll kill you"

"No you won't" He said, stepping towards me.

"Yeah you're right, I probably won't" I said, stepping backwards. I pointed the gun at his groin. "But I can cause some collateral damage" I smirked, cocking the gun. "You wanna risk it?"

He stopped. "C'mon Alexis" he smiled. "Let's just talk"

I wavered slightly, but held strong in the end. "Go ahead" I said. "I'll keep it pointed"

His smile faded. "I didn't want to have to do this" He lunged at me and I shot without a second thought. I missed.

I hit the ground in seconds, and went out cold.

SPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNS

I woke up and found that I couldn't move my limbs at all. I was tied to a chair, and the knots were tight. There was no way out of this. "Dean?" I groaned, looking around.

He looked up at me from the chair that he was tied to. "I thought I told you to stay in the car" he said, looking around the room.

"Shut up, Dean" I scoffed. I looked up when Gordon smiled at me from across the room. "You know it's rude to tie people up"

"I don't really care" Gordon sighed, walking over. Dean's phone rang. "Hey" Gordon said, picking it up. "Look who it is!"

"Just leave Sammy alone" Dean growled.

"You tell him to come here" Gordon said, holding up the address. Dean clenched his jaw. "Do it!" he yelled, holding the gun to my head.

Dean grudgingly nodded. "Hello?" Dean said, glaring at Gordon. I couldn't hear the other line. "Sam, I've been looking for you" There was a pause. "I know. Yeah, I talked to Ellen. Just got here myself" he looked to me. "It's a real funky town"

I sighed. He used the code word. Nice.

"You ditched me, Sammy" Dean said, trying to sound normal. "What? Who?" Dean sighed. Sam said some more. "Yeah sure, hang on let me get her" He looked up at Gordon.

Gordon put the phone to my face. "Hey" he said. "So I just wanted to ask you if you ate dinner yet? I was going to bring food?"

I sighed to myself. Our code. Sam was double checking. "Yeah" I replied. "I ate tacos"

"Oh" He said, sounding tense. I hated tacos. "Alright never mind then. Can I talk to Dean again?"

I looked up at Gordon, who switched the phone back. "Yeah" Dean said. "I'm staying at 5637 Monroe Street. Why don't you meet me here?"

Gordon smiled, and flipped the phone shut. "Now, was that so hard?" He asked, with a smile.

Dean glowered. "Bite me"

Gordon just smiled, and went to the corner where he had a little chair. He sat down and started to load his gun and clean it and the like. I sighed, and tried to squirm my way out of the ropes. All I did was make my wrists raw and my hands hurt. Gordon was a talented hunter. He wasn't going to just tie crappy knots. That would be way too stupid.

"Gordy, I know me and Sam ain't exactly your favorite people, but don't you think this is a little extreme?" Dean asked.

"What, you think this is revenge?" Gordon asked.

"Well, we did leave you tied up in your own mess for three days…" Dean said. "Which was awesome!"

I snorted, and then stopped abruptly. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh"

"Yeah. I was definitely planning on whoopin' your ass for that" Gordon said, with a smirk. "But that's not what this is. This isn't personal. I'm not a killer, Dean. I'm a hunter. And your brother's fair game" He closed the mag and smiled.

"You're no hunter" I stated, glaring at him. "You're a crazy asshole"

"Look, I just want Sammy" Gordon smiled.

"But why?" I asked, wondering what the hell he wanted to off Sam for. I mean, I wanted to off him sometimes too, but I had a feeling that there were two very different things. "Why do you want to off Sam?"

Gordon smiled. "See, I was doing an exorcism down in Louisiana –- teenage girl, seemed routine, some low-level demon. But between all the jabbering and the head-spinning, the damn thing muttered something about a coming war" He said. "Now, I don't think it meant to. It just kind of slipped out. But it was too late –- peaked my interest. And you can really make a demon talk if you've got the right tools"

"And what happened to the girl it was possessing?" Dean asked, fearing the worst.

Gordon shrugged. "She didn't make it"

Dean shook his head. "Well, you're a son of a bitch"

Gordon stood and walked over and stood in front of Dean. He sighed, and then slapped him across the face. "That's my mama you're talkin' about" He stated, and then smirked. ""Anyway, this demon tells me they have soldiers to fight in this coming war –- humans fighting on hell's side, you believe that? I mean, they're psychics, so they're not exactly pure humans, but still…what kind of worthless scumbag you've gotta be to turn against your own race. But you know the biggest kick in the ass?" He asked. "This demon said I knew one of 'em –- our very own Sammy Winchester"

"Oh, this is a whole new level of moronic, even for you" I chuckled trying to play this off as a lie. There was the knowing feeling in my brain. Sam was part of this war. Gordon couldn't know that.

"Yeah?" Gordon asked, coming by me. I nodded. "Come on, Alexis. I know about Sam's visions. I know everything. Even about you"

"Me?" I asked, shaking my head. "I'm normal" I paused. "Well, alright, I can kick some ass for a sixteen year old girl…"

"And you can do things with your mind" he said. "And you know when your brothers are in trouble"

"Really?" Dean laughed. "And you know this because a demon told you?" He laughed again. "Yeah, and it wasn't lying"

"Hey, Dean. I'm not some reckless yahoo, okay?" Gordon said, adamantly. "I did my homework. Made damn sure it was true. Look, you got your Roadhouse connections, I got mine. It's how I found Sammy in the first place"

"From the roadhouse?" I asked, "They told you?"

"Something like that" he smiled. "And about a month ago, I found another one of these freaks here in town. He could deep-fry a person just by touching them"

"Yeah, did he kill anyone?" Dean asked.

"Besides Mr. Tinkles, the cat? No" Gordon replied. "But he was working up to it. They're all gonna be killers, Dean. We've gotta take 'em all out. And that means Sammy, too" He cocked his gun.

"You think Sam's stupid enough to walk through that front door?" Dean asked.

"No, I don't. Especially since I'm sure you found a way to warn him" Gordon said. "You really think _I'm_ that stupid?" Dean and I shared and glance. "No…" Gordon said with a sigh. "Sammy's gonna scope the place first, see me covering the front door. So he's gonna take the back. And when he does, he'll hit the tripwire. Then…boom"

"Sam's not gonna fall for a friggen' tripwire" I scoffed.

"Maybe you're right" Gordon smiled, and took another tripwire out. "That's why I'll have a second one" I glared at him hoping he knew I was wishing death on him in my mind. "Hey, look…I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this, I really do. But for what it's worth…it'll be quick"

He walked away to go set up the trip wires, and I rocked my chair around. I got no give on the ropes and gave up. I looked to Dean. "So, Dean" I said, looking behind me to where Gordon was. "Got a plan?"

"Not really" Dean said, "Do you?"

"I could pretend I gotta pee" I shrugged. "But Gordon's not that dumb"

"We're screwed" Dean sighed, and let his head hang in defeat. He looked up after a moment as Gordon stood up to come back. "I'm gonna kill him" he growled. Gordon smiled at us as he came back. "Come on, man" Dean pleaded. "I know Sam better than anyone. He's got more of a conscience than I do. I mean, the guy feels guilty surfing the Internet for porn"

"Maybe you're right" Gordon said, with a shrug. "But one day, he's gonna be a monster"

"How, huh?" I asked. "How's Sam become a monster?"

"Beats me. But he will" Gordon replied.

"No, you don't know that!" Dean yelled, and I knew what he was thinking. If Gordon was right, we would have to waste Sam, and I wasn't sure we were going to be able to do that.

"I'm surprised at you, Dean –- getting all emotional" Gordon said, clearly amused. "I'd heard you were more of a professional than this. Look, let's say you were cruising' around in that car of yours, and you had Little Hitler riding shotgun, right? Back when he was just some goofy, crappy artist. But you knew what he was gonna turn into someday. You'd take him out, no questions, am I right?"

"That's not Sam" I cut in, looking at Dean's hurt expression.

"Yes, it is" Gordon nodded. "You just can't see it yet. It's his destiny" He looked from me to Dean. "Look…I'm sympathetic. He's your brother, you love the guy. This has gotta hurt like hell for you. But here's the thing"

He came behind me and gagged my mouth. I swore at him from behind it, throwing around more obscenities to rival even Dean's mouth. Gordon ignored me and kept talking. "You would've wrecked him. But you're Dad? If it really came right down to it, he would've had the stones to do the right thing here" He looked right at Dean. "But you're telling me…you're not the man he is?"

I screamed at him again, and he slapped me to make me shut up. I blinked away the tears. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. I heard footsteps behind me and the movement of someone outside. Sammy.

"You hear him?" Gordon whispered in my ear. The creak of a door made my heart pound. I could feel the tears pooling. Gordon was right next to me, I could feel his breath. "Here he comes"

An explosion made the entire building shake. "Oh, no. Not yet. Just wait and see" Gordon said. I shut my eyes as another explosion shook the building harder and debris flew everywhere. Part of the wall came away and smoke made my eyes burn likes crazy.

"Sorry, Winchesters" Gordon said, and then took his rifle back with him to check for Sam. I started to fight the ropes again, more adamantly this time. I felt the chair break, and then I was on my back. The gag fell off.

"Sam!" I screamed, and listened.

"Drop the gun" I heard Sam say. My heart soared. I couldn't hear the rest of it, but I heard someone fall and then punching and gasping.

Sam came over and smiled down at me. "You fell?" he asked, amused.

"Get me up" I growled. He lifted the chair up and pulled the ropes off. I stood up and rubbed my sore wrists. Sam untied Dean and then looked at me apologetically.

I walked to him, and punched him as hard as I could in the stomach. He doubled over in pain, and glared at me. "That's for running off" I said, and then as he stood back up I hugged him. "You're an idiot"

"Dean, no" Sam said, as Dean went to go kill Gordon.

"I let him live once, I'm not making the same mistake twice" Dean said, pointing towards him and glaring.

"Trust me. Gordon's taken care of" Sam said. "Come on"

We left the building, and out of nowhere Gordon came at us shooting away. We looked back and Sam and I shared a glance. He pushed me in front of him and then we ran. "You call this "taken care of"?" Dean shouted. Sam pulled me down as we jumped a log. "What the hell are we doing?" Dean asked.

"Just trust me on this, all right?" Sam said, peering over the top of the log.

"Drop your weapons! Get down on your knees! Do it, now!" A police officer said, as cars surrounded Gordon. Gordon stopped what he was doing, glaring in our direction and then he was handcuffed. I laughed, and Dean had to cover my mouth so that no one would hear me.

"Anonymous tip" Sam said, with a nonchalant shrug.

Dean snorted. "You're a fine, upstanding citizen, Sam"

SPSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNP

"Gordon Walker was hunting Sam?" Ellen said, on the phone.

"Yeah, he almost killed us both, 'cause somebody over there can't keep their fricking' mouth shut!" Dean scoffed into the speaker.

"Dean, do you honestly think that it was me? Or Ash? Or Jo?" Ellen asked, sounding slightly hurt. "No way"

"Well, who else knows about Sam? Huh?" I asked. "I mean, you must've been talking to somebody!"

"Hey, you can say a lot of things about us. But we aren't disloyal. And we're not stupid" she said, annoyed. "We haven't breathed a word of this"

"Gordon said he had Roadhouse connections, Ellen" Dean went on.

"And this Roadhouse is full of other hunters. They're all smart, they're good trackers –- each of them with their own patterns and connections. Hell, I could name twelve of them right now that are capable of putting this together" Ellen sighed. "I am sorry about what happened, Dean. But I can't control these people. Or what they choose to believe"

Dean sighed, and then hung up without a goodbye. Sam took the phone and dialed that girl that he had been with earlier. Apparently she was a special kid just like me and Sammy. She had a vision of Sam and had found him. "Hey, Ava, it's Sam again" Sam sighed, looking at me in defeat. We had called her a million times now. "Call me when you get this. Just wanna make sure you got home okay. All right, bye"

"Everything all right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I hope so"

"Well, Gordon should be reaching for the soap for the next few years, at least" Dean smirked, happy with this. I snorted.

"Yeah, if they pin Scott Carey's murder on him. And if he doesn't bust out" Sam said, shaking his head. Leave it to him to be a downer.

"Dude, you ever take off like that again…" Dean said with a sigh.

"What? You'd kill me?" Sam asked, amused.

Dean glared. "That's so not funny"

Sam laughed. "All right. So, where to next, then?"

"One word" Dean said, with a smirk. "Amsterdam"

I rolled my eyes. "Dean…"

"Come on, guys I hear the coffee shops don't even serve coffee!"

"I'm not gonna just ditch the job" Sam stated.

Dean scoffed. "Screw the job. Screw it, man. I'm sick of the job anyway" He looked to us. "We don't get paid, we don't get thanked. The only thing we get is bad luck"

"Well, come on, dude. You're a hunter" Sam said. "It's what you were meant to do"

"No, I wasn't meant to do anything. I don't believe in that destiny crap" Dean replied.

"You mean, you don't believe in _my _destiny" Sam said, staring at him.

"Well, whatever" Dean responded shortly.

Sam sighed. "Look, Dean, I've tried running before. I mean I ran all the way to California and look what happened. You can't run from this. And you can't protect me"

"Well, I can try" Dean stated.

"Thanks for that" Sam said softly. I smiled to myself. We would go to the ends of the earth for each other. "Look, Dean, I'm gonna keep hunting. Whatever's coming, I'm taking it head-on. So, if you really wanna watch my back, then I guess you're gonna have to stick around"

Dean smirked. "Bitch"

"Jerk" Sam replied automatically, and then smiled.

"Yeah, yeah" I said, leaning forward. "Car full of love" I looked to each of them and laughed.

Dean's smile faded. "You know, we never finished talking about what you told me"

I was confused, and then my face went red. "God, Dean, really?" I asked. "Can't we just drop it?"

"No"

Sam looked lost. "What's going on?"

"Alexis had sex with Logan and never told us" Dean said coldly. "And I think we need to discuss it"

"Discuss what?" I asked. "It's not like I can take it back!"

"Lexie, you used a condom, right?" Sam asked, turning around.

"Don't call it that!" Dean said. "I don't even want to hear Lex and condom in the same sentence. Ever"

"I used protection" I said, mortified. "I swear. We were safe, I'm not pregnant and I don't have Aids" I buried my face in my hands. "This is why I don't tell you things like this! I can't tell you or you quiz me on it!" I felt angry tears coming closer.

"We just want to make sure that—"

"I'm fine" I said. "It was awkward enough without you two knowing every detail, okay?"

Sam smirked. "First times usually are"

"Mine wasn't" Dean said. "Ah, Hannah. She was awesome"

"Shut up!" I yelled, and then looked away from them. "I don't even get what all the fuss is, it isn't that great"

"You only did it one time" Dean scoffed. I said nothing, and Dean glared at me. "Right?"

"No" I replied. "A few times"

"What's a few times?" he roared, about to pull the car over.

"Dean!" I shouted. "C'mon, really? Three, okay! Three!"

He sat fuming, and Sam looked at me. "You should've told us"

"I will if I ever decide to again, okay?" I asked, "Promise. I swear on mom's grave" I leaned back. "Can we just stop talking about it now?"

No one said a word, and I took that as we were done. Sam picked up his phone again as I put my IPod on to block them out. "You calling that Ava girl again?" Dean asked. "You sweet on her or something?"

"She's engaged, Dean" Sam said, annoyed.

"So? What's the point of saving the world if you can't get a little nookie once in a while, huh?" Dean asked.

I smacked the back of his head. "You are the most hypocritical person I think I've ever met" I shouted. "You two can go bang random chicks and chalk it up to a good time but I do it with my actual boyfriend and the world is ending?"

"Yeah" Dean said, and Sam just frowned. "What?"

"Just a feeling" Sam said, snapping his phone closed. "How far is it to Peoria?"

"An hour or so" Dean replied, and started to gun it. Sam hunted down Ava's address. He seemed really worried about her.

We got out of the car almost an exact hour later and walked up to Ava's front door. "Hello? Is anybody home?" Sam called, opening the door. It hadn't been locked. That wasn't a good sign. "Oh my God" Sam said, as he pushed open the bedroom door.

I looked in, and saw what I was presuming to be her fiancé mauled on the bed. Blood was everywhere, soaking the sheets. "What the hell happened?" I asked.

"Hey" Dean said, showing up his yellow fingers. "Sulfur. Demon's been here"

"That sucks" I sighed, looking at the man in the bed. I grimaced.

Sam suddenly bent down and picked up a ring off the floor. "Ava?" he asked, and frowned.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNSPN

"We gotta get some supplies, Lex" Dean said, stepping on the gas. "And Joshua's the closest"

"But Bobby's only like an hour or so past them!" I exclaimed indignantly. "C'mon Dean! You just want to go there to yell at him! This is torture"

"Lex, Dean's right" Sam said, anxiously. "We grab the ammo and stuff and we go back. We gotta find Ava"

I looked from Sam to Dean and sighed. "Fine" I said, folding my arms over my chest. "For Ava, the psychic girl I _never even met"_

Sam smiled. "Thank you"

"No problem" I said, and watched as we pulled up to Logan's house. I wanted to shoot myself. I walked in front of Dean to the front door. I looked back at him before I let him knock. "Say anything even close to my sex life and I will stab you" He slowly nodded. I let him knock on the door.

Joshua answered and looked at us. "The stuffs in the shed" he said, "I packed it up already" he looked to me. "How are you, Lexie?"

"Fine" I said, and gave him a smile. "How's Logan?" I couldn't pretend I wasn't curious.

"He's okay" he said, and they left. I peeked in the house and saw Logan on the couch, watching TV. The only thing that made me gasp was who was on the couch next to him. Hannah.

"You're with Hannah?" I asked, walking in the house immediately. I didn't really care that this wasn't the best of my plans or anything. It wasn't even tactful, but I didn't care. I was fuming.

"Uh, yeah" Logan said, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"HI, Lexie" Hannah said, all chipper and perky. She twirled her hair. "What are you doing here? Logie said that you left for a long time"

"Yeah well" I said, not knowing what to say. "My brothers are waiting" I turned on my heel and stalked out. I could feel the angry tears about to fall, but choked them back. I wasn't going to cry. We were broken up, there was no reason he couldn't go out with some other girl. Even Hannah. That was fine.

"You okay?" Dean asked, putting an arm around my shoulder as they loaded the car. "Did something happen in there?"

"Why are boys so stupid?" I demanded, and got into the backseat without another word. Sam and Dean shared an uneasy look and then Sam sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked calmly.

"No. I want to hit something" I replied.

"Go ahead" Dean smirked. "You won't do too much damage"

I glared at him, and then lay down so that I could pretend all of the different ways I could kill Logan in his sleep. There were a lot. "Just leave me alone, okay?" I said as Sam called my name. "I'm fine" They both shared a glance and then left me to think in silence. I wasn't sure what a broken heart felt like, but I knew it hurt. It hurt worse than a lot of things. My insides were aching, and I wanted to curl up and cry until it stopped hurting.

The worst part was that broken or not, my heart kept beating. Even if I wasn't sure I wanted it too.


	39. Season 2, Chapter Fourteen

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys! I wouldnt be as motivated as i am without you guys! You all rock! **

**P.S. This is an original!**

**Disclaimer: I really wished i owned this...but it belongs to Kripke! **

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

We were still searching for Ava after two weeks. We followed every lead, and went down every path we could think of. There was no sign of her anywhere. She just disappeared off the map. I had this sinking feeling that she was with yellow eyes, wherever he was. Dean and I were ready to just call it a day and move on.

Sam however, would not give up.

"Sam" I said one night, watching him stare intently at his laptop screen. He had done this for the past two weeks. "Don't you think it's time to, you know, start going back to normal?"

Sam looked up at me with his bitch-face, usually reserved for Dean. "No" he stated coldly. "I'm not giving up yet"

I looked to Dean, who just shrugged. Apparently I was on my own for this. "All I'm saying is—"

"We didn't give up on dad" Sam said, giving me a cold look.

I raised my eyes, taken aback by that. He usually didn't bring up the dad card on me like that. I was a little offended. I was already having a crappy month, and Sam wasn't making it any easier. I clenched my jaw. "Dad didn't slaughter his fiancé" I stated back just as coldly. That was completely uncalled for, but I was annoyed and still moody and getting over my ex so Sam could suck it.

"We don't know that!" Sam shouted, standing up.

"I think we do, Sam" I stated, standing up as well. "She's probably—"

"What?" he demanded. "Went dark-side? Like I'm supposed to?"

"Oh don't relate everything back to you!" I shouted. "I have freaky powers to and yellow eyes wants to kill me! The world doesn't revolve around you Sam!"

"It doesn't revolve around you either!" Sam yelled back, towering over me. "You know what? You're such a baby! You need to freaking grow up already!"

We both sort of stopped as Dean stepped in-between us, and I just shook my head and went out the door. I didn't even think about where I was going I just left. I needed to clear my head. "I'm the baby?" I thought to myself. "I'm not the one who can't accept that someone is gone! I work my ass off to keep up with them to and they don't even care! I have a freaking demon on my ass and Sam's worried about _me _killing _him?"_

I stomped my way down the block until I realized that I had nowhere else to go. I went to the gas station on my right and bought a coke, figuring maybe it would help me clear my head. I sat on the curb and tried to hold in my tears. "Hey" a voice said, making me look up. "You all alone"

"What's it to you?" I asked, tensing up.

"Nothing" he smirked. "But I could show you a good time" He smiled at me, wagging his eyebrows like he was the coolest thing since sliced bread.

"Fuck. Off." I stated, through clenched teeth. He put his hands up in surrender and walked away. I was a hormonal teenage girl. I was not a force to be reckoned with. I ran my fingers through my hair and looked down at my phone. I had three missed calls from Dean, and none from Sam. Nice.

My phone started ringing as it was in my hand. It was Bobby. I decided to answer. "You can tell them I'm fine" I sighed, "I'm going back"

"Where the hell are you?" he demanded. "They're freaking out!"

"At a gas station" I replied, standing up. "I just needed some air"

"You three idgits will be the death of me" Bobby sighed, "Just get back there, you know Sam didn't mean it"

"I think he did" I stated, shaking my head. "He seemed very serious, Bobby"

"He's upset and so are you" Bobby replied, "It'll be fine, darling"

"If you say so" I said, and started walking back. "Is Dean really pissed?"

"Worried" Bobby said gruffly, "So good luck"

"Thanks" I said, and hung up. I could see the motel room, and walked up slowly. I didn't really care how pissed Dean was, I just didn't want to deal with Sam right now. I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't in the mood for anything. I opened the door, and heard the shower running.

Dean was sitting on the bed, glaring at me. "You can't just run away like that"

"Sorry" I said, not really sorry at all. I sat next to him. "I needed air"

"Sammy didn't mean it" Dean said softly, not looking at me. I stared at the bed spread. It was a horrible shade of vomit green. "He's just upset. Just like you"

"Yeah" I said, not really believing him. "I don't want to talk okay? About anything"

Dean stared at me for a long moment and then nodded. "Okay" he said. "Fine with me" He flicked on the TV and we all ignored each other for the rest of the night.

The next morning, I woke up to see Sam already gone to get breakfast. I hopped in the shower and came out to see Sam and Dean arguing. "I'm just saying we found the case, we should take it" Dean stated, taking a large bite of a sandwich. "We can't stay here forever Sam"

"We can't give up yet" Sam replied, adamantly. "Ava could be in trouble" Sam looked to me as I grabbed the food that was set aside as mine. He quickly looked away.

I took it and sat on the bed, picking at the food with disinterest. Sam and I usually weren't the ones to fight. Dean and I were usually the ones who were at each other's throats. It was harder to be mad at Sam since he took the time to listen and usually was on my side anyway. Dean cleared his throat. "So Lex, we found this job"

"Where?" I asked, taking a small bite of the hash browns.

"A few hours away" Dean replied. "But we aren't sure whether we should take it"

"Because we still have to find Ava" Sam piped up, glaring at Dean in annoyance. He looked to me. "It wouldn't be right to just leave"

"Right" I stated. "Well I think we should take the case"

"Of course you do" Sam scoffed.

"What does that mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "That I should grow up?"

"Okay, stop it" Dean said, looking from Sam to me. "No more fighting okay? Look, this case is only a few hours out. We're close enough that if Ava shows up we'll know. So let's just go, okay?" Sam and I said nothing, shooting daggers at each other with our eyes. "Okay?" Dean asked again, desperately.

"Fine" Sam and I said in unison. I threw my barely eaten food out and threw all my crap into the bag and went to the car. They joined me not much later. I put my iPod on and blocked them out.

SPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I woke up to Dean yelling my name. I bolted upright, still groggy. "What?" I demanded, annoyed. I pushed my hair out of my face, making a mental note to cut it soon. "There are nicer ways to wake people up you know" Sam mumbled to himself, and I just rolled my eyes. "Are we there?"

"Yeah" Dean said, giving Sam and me a look that basically said you-two-better-as-hell-behave-or-I-will-kick-your-ass. He hadn't given us that look in years. Then again, we hadn't fought like this in years. "C'mon" he said, and got out of the car. Sam and I walked on opposite sides of Dean, avoiding each other's gazes.

"Are you supposed to be here?" a man asked as we walked in to the police station.

"Yeah" Dean replied, taking out a badge. "FBI. I'm agent Frehely; this is agent Criss and agent Simmons?" He put his badge back in his pocket. "We're here about the possible cult case"

"I don't remember anyone saying you guys were coming" The officer said, irritated. "I swear no one tells me anything here!" I shared a glance with Dean and then we were led back by the officer to get the files.

He handed Dean the files and then left us alone at the back room. I opened it to see morbid pictures of the man. He was bloody and his abdomen was cut nearly clean in half. "Ew" I said, handing it to Dean. He looked at it in curiosity, and then put it down. I picked up the next photo and frowned. There was a symbol on the wall next to the body that looked like it was painted in blood. "Dean" I said, staring at it. It was a circle with two curved lines coming off the side at the diagonals, a line going vertically through the entire thing. "What is that? I've never seen it before"

Dean stared at it, just as confused, until Sam ripped it out of my hands. "Let me see" he scoffed, staring at it. Stupid Sam thinking he's se freaking smart… "Huh" he remarked. "I've never seen anything like it"

"Yeah" I nodded. "I didn't think you had" I snatched it back out of his hands and put it back in the folder. I pulled out more of the papers and let Dean take the folder. "Oh god" I said, reading down the line of details. "The symbol was written in lamb's blood" I handed it to Dean.

"Lamb's blood is commonly used in rituals" Sam said, trying to be all smart and know it all again.

I nodded anyway, ignoring him. "They knew what they were doing"

The door opened and the police officer leaned in. "Are you three done?" he asked, "We need the conference room back"

Dean stood up and I followed, the picture of the symbol folded up and in my pocket. "Thanks for your time" Dean said, as we left. I nodded at the officer and we went back to the car. I got into the back seat and Dean glared at Sam and me. "You two need to hug and make up because I'm not going to deal with this much longer" he stated, and started the car. Sam and I exchanged a look. Yeah, neither of us was in a forgiving mood.

Dean pulled into a motel that was out of the way, and we got out. Sam and I avoided each other, going to opposite ends of the room and making ourselves comfortable. I put my bags on the one bed, and Sam put his on the other. Dean looked at them and pushed my bag off. "S'not my night to share" he stated, and threw it on the ground.

I picked it up and shoved it in the corner. There was no couch in here. "Okay" I stated, grabbing a pillow. "I'll sleep on the floor"

Sam shot me a look and I said nothing, just happy with the personal satisfaction I was getting from pissing him off. "Alright, well" Dean said, staring at us. "We need to figure out what this symbol means"

We called everyone in our father's journal and everyone else we could think of. Ash and Bobby both promised to keep looking for some answers, but so far they hadn't called back and it had been hours. Dean handed me my phone. "Call Joshua" He said.

I glared at him. "Why can't you do it?" He just stared at me, and I eventually gave in and took the phone out of his hand. I rang three times before Joshua answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Joshua" I said, trying not to meet Dean's eyes. He was watching me carefully. He was only doing this to me because I never told him what happened when we stopped there a few weeks ago. I never told him about Logan and Hannah. "I need to know if you have some info for me"

"Sure" he said, sounding like he was as tense as I was. "Want to send me a picture?"

"Yeah" I said, going into my texts and sending him the picture right away. "It should pop up in a second"

"Okay" he said, "I heard you saw Logan with Hannah"

I tensed, pushing the hair out of my face nervously. I wasn't sure where he was going with this. "Yeah, it was…uh…"

"A surprise?" Joshua said, uneasily.

"Yeah" I breathed, remembering how I walked in and freaked out. I should have just left the moment I saw her.

"They just started hanging out or whatever" Joshua replied.

"That's nice, but uh, why are you telling me this?"

"I just wanted you to know that he wasn't, you know…" Joshua said. "She came around the day after you broke it off"

"Oh, okay" I said, and felt Dean's eyes on my back. I tried to ignore them. "So the symbol?"

"Right" Joshua said, and paused for a second. "No, I can't say I've ever seen anything like it. I can ask Logan if you—"

"That's okay" I said, cutting him off. "Thanks"

"No problem" he said, and we hung up.

I handed Dean his phone back. "What was that about?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing" I said, and went back to staring at the symbol. It seemed so stupid that someone put this obscure symbol next to someone. Usually with cults you got stupid kids who thought they knew what they were messing with and ended up getting themselves killed. This symbol meant that these people weren't messing around, they knew things. "So we have nothing on this stuff, maybe we should take a new approach?" I questioned.

"Let's hit up the local hot spots" Dean said, nodding. "Check to see if anyone around knows the symbol"

"Yeah" Sam said, "I'll head to the library while you two go" He grabbed his jacket. "I'll see if there's anything there that has something"

"Fine" Dean said, going for his coat. "We'll drop you off"

Sam shook his head, going to the door. "I'll walk" he said, and then slammed the door behind him. I rolled my eyes, and mumbled obscenities under my breath.

"What was that?" Dean asked, glowering at me.

"Nothing" I stated quickly and we walked out the door together. We hit up the local bar, and I watched as Dean started to talk to every single woman in the bar.

I sat down and stared around, looking for people who were secluded or alone. They usually were the ones who were in the cults. The loners. "Hey" a voice said, coming up next to me. "You all alone?"

I turned to see a very attractive man giving me the one over. He seemed happy with what he saw. "Yeah" I replied, smiling. "Are you?"

He sat down next to me, grinning from ear to ear. "Not anymore" He called the bartender over. "What are you drinking?"

"I'm not" I stated nonchalantly. "Designated driver right here" He chuckled, and I knew that I was getting myself into something that I wasn't sure I wanted to. I was flirting with some guy I barely knew, and Dean was only a few feet away.

"That's no fun" he pouted slightly, and took a sip of beer.

"Oh trust me" I laughed. "I'm still tons of fun"

He raised his eyebrows. "So you got a name?"

"Alexis" I said, pushing my hair behind my ear.

"I'm Colin" he grinned, and took another sip. "I take it you're not from around here?" he asked. "I've never seen you before"

"Guilty" I stated. "What gave it away?"

"It's a small town" he explained. "How long have you been here?"

I decided to take this opportunity to ask questions. "Long enough to hear about the murders" I grimaced. "Horrible what happened. And that creepy symbol? Freaky"

"There used to be a cult in this town" he stated, "In the eighties"

My eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah" he scoffed. "Disgrace of the town" He smiled as he saw that he caught my interest. "A bunch of kids got into some dark stuff. They were into all this satanic shit"

"Huh" I remarked. He nodded and I moved closer to him. I didn't want him to lose interest. "What happened?" I whispered. I had to admit, I was good at this flirting thing.

"The leader went off the deep end and killed himself" he replied. "Then all the members either moved away or went back to normal life I guess"

"Oh" I said, and felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around. "De—"

"Get up, we're going" he said. I tensed as Colin's face turned to confused. "_Now_" he insisted, and nearly tore my arm off yanking me off the chair.

I gave him an apologetic glance and then let Dean pull me out. "Calm down" I insisted. "I was getting info"

"What?" he demanded, angrily. That little vein in his forehead was pulsing again. "His phone number?"

"Oh please" I scoffed, shaking my head. "I got information on a cult" I shook my head. "How many phone numbers did _you_ get?"

He glared at me, but didn't deny anything. "That's not important" I smirked and rolled my eyes. I walked towards the car. "Hey" he said, stopping me. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but it needs to stop"

"Why is it that everyone else can pull this stuff but the moment I do it's a horrible sin?" I demanded, irritated. "You can flirt; Sam can run off, Logan can…" I trailed off and sighed. "Never mind"

Dean's gaze softened. "What did Logan do?" he asked.

"Nothing" I said, shaking my head. "C'mon, let's go and I can tell you what I learned" He gave me a hard stare, but said no more on the matter and got into the car. "So there was a cult here in the eighties that no one likes to talk about" I stated. "Small town drama, you know? Anyway, the leader committed suicide"

"Huh" he remarked, dialing Sam. "That is interesting"

"Yeah, so I figured maybe the ones dying were members or something?" I suggested. "It's a stretch but I figure it's worth a shot"

"You get any names?" he asked, putting the phone to his ear. I shook my head. "Well that's awesome"

"Well maybe I could've if you hadn't pulled me away like you were on fire" I mumbled, and he slapped me on the knee.

"Hey" Dean said. "Meet us back at the room in ten" He snapped the phone shut. "So you think maybe the cult's back and with a vengeance?" he asked me.

"I guess" I shrugged. "But how are we supposed to figure out who they were? Ask around?"

Dean shrugged. "Wait?"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We had been waiting for an entire day, still not finding anything about the symbol or about any of the previous cult members. Sam had hogged the laptop, so I had nothing to do but watch TV. I stood up and grabbed my coat. "I'm going to the store" I stated to Dean. "Need anything?"

"Nothing you can buy legally" he smirked. "What are you going for?"

"Stuff" I stated, and smirked. "Be back soon" I walked out the door and to the little grocery store on the corner. I walked down aisles until I had everything I needed to make the best freaking cookies ever.

I paid for all of it and carried the bags back to the motel room. It was a good thing this one had a little kitchenette in it. The stove was small, but it would do. "What did you get?" Dean asked, trying to paw through the bags.

"Nothing for you" I snapped, giving him an evil smile. I pushed him out of the kitchen. "Stay out, I'm going to cook"

"Just don't burn the place down" he smirked, and went back to watching TV. Sam just gave me a look, picked up his laptop, and went to sit on the bed. He glared at me, and then went back to whatever he was doing. Guess who's totally not getting any cookies….

I mixed the flour, eggs, baking soda and salt. Then I mixed up the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until it was good and then added eggs. Dean walked back over. "Are you sure you're doing this right?" he asked, watching me pre-heat the oven.

"Dean, its cookies" I stated, rolling my eyes. "It's kind of hard to mess up" He looked at the dough and stuck a finger in. "Ew, Dean, go away!" I said, pushing him away. He ate it off his finger and grinned.

"Tastes funny" he stated, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Dean I swear—"

"Oh calm down" he said, throwing a fist full of flour at me. It went everywhere, getting all over my clothes and hair. He stood there and burst out laughing.

"I'm gonna kill you" I said, throwing some back. He just kept laughing.

"Will you two stop" Sam said, and went into the bathroom.

Dean and I shared a glance and kept laughing. I made him leave before we made a huge mess, and I cleaned up the flour, not bothering to wash it off of me. I would take a shower later. I put the cookies in and waited the allotted amount. By the time they were done I could see Dean glancing over desperately wanting one but waiting. I smiled to myself and turned the oven off. I took the plate over, and held it in front of him.

I took a long bite of one. "Mmm" I said, laughing at his expression. "Too bad you said they taste funny or I'd let you have one"

He glared. "Just gimme a freaking cookie"

"Is that an apology?" I asked, innocently. I put the plate of cookies closer to his face.

"Yes" he said and went to grab one. I pulled away.

"I'm not sure I believe you" I stated, narrowing my eyes.

He stared at me, testing me, and ended up sighing. "I am so sorry" he said, and looked at the plate again. I smiled and handed him the plate. He scarfed three down in like two seconds. "Wow" he said, once he could talk. "These rock" He looked to Sam, who was towel drying his hair. "Want one?" Dean said, through a mouth of cookie.

Sam looked at the plate and then at me. He came over and tentatively took one and ate in silence. "They are good" he admitted, and took another. I smiled. We hadn't made up yet, but at least he appreciated the cookie.

I sat down on the bed, and then remembered I was sleeping on the ground. I put the pillow on the ground and put a blanket down. Out of nowhere, Dean picked me up and threw me on the bed. He picked the pillow up and chucked it at my head, "I thought we weren't sharing?" I asked.

"Think of this as thanks for the cookies" he remarked, and rolled his eyes. I smiled and cuddled up on one side.

SPSPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"Shit" Dean said, fiddling with the police scanner. "I think we got another one"

We rushed to the car, and went right to the site of the crime. They hadn't even gotten rid of the body yet. "Hey" Sam said, handing me the EMF. "Why don't you EMF while I distract the officer over there"

I glared at him. "Why don't you?"

Dean took one look and me and frowned. "Just do it, Lex" he said. "We'll meet up with you in five"

I grumbled, but took it and went to the site. I ignored the nearly cut in half body. I swept it around and got low readings, but there was definitely something present. I frowned, and went closer to the symbol, where it spiked higher. I got a tap on the back. "Lex" Dean said, "Get stuff?"

"Yeah" I said, showing him. "It's low, but it spikes near the symbol"

"What's that?" Sam asked, pointing to the dead person who was being loaded into the coroner's truck.

I rolled my eyes. "That's a human, Sammy" I stated "I know that their unfamiliar territory since you aren't one—"

"That's not what I meant, smartass" he growled. "Look at the tattoo"

We headed over and before they loaded it onto the truck caught a glimpse. It was a weird symbol, much like the one that was on the wall. "Tramp Stamp" Dean smirked.

Sam and I glared at him. We hopped back in the car and I drew out the tattoo. "Here" I said, handing it to Dean. "What now?"

"Well" he sighed, and looked to Sam, "What do you think?"

"I think we should check out whether these victims were in that cult" Sam said. "You guys can check out the tattoo. See if it means something"

"Sure" Dean said. "We can go to that that diner on the corner after?"

"Yeah" Sam said, and we headed to the library.

I sat at a computer and felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey Alexis" Colin smiled. "Long time no see"

"Yeah" I smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"School stuff" he said. "You?"

"Same" I lied, and clicked out of all the links I was on. "Sorry about last night. Protective older brothers"

He chuckled. "No problem" He sat down. "I'm just glad I get to see you again" We stared at each other awkwardly. "So, uh…I was thinking, if you wanted to go out sometime…"

"I would love to" I replied. "But I'm only in town for another day"

"Oh" he said, looking sad. "Well I figured it was worth a shot"

"I wish I could though" I said, "If that counts for anything"

"Thanks" he smiled, and he stared at me again.

"We gotta go" Sam said, watching me. I jumped and turned around. He didn't seem mad, just curious. I stood up, smiling at Colin, and left with Sam.

Sam said nothing about what happened. We went to the diner, and I sat quietly. Being with Colin, and flirting? It reminded me of when times were okay with Logan. It used to be fun like that. I

"Earth to Alexis" Dean said, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Huh?" I said, looking up. "What?"

"Wanna hear what we found out or not?" Dean asked. I nodded. "Both victims had that tattoo, but there's nothing on what it means"

"Oh" I said, pulling out the paper with the tattoo on it.

"Hey" the waitress said, filling Dean's coffee. "I haven't seen that symbol in years" She laughed. "Ain't that from that cult way back when?" She snorted, shook her head and walked off.

"Well" I said. "I guess that answers that"

SPSPNSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSN

Since now we were pretty positive that this had something to do with the cult in the eighties, we scoured everywhere for some kind of record of who had been in it. Eventually, after hours, we found them. Most were gone, but of the remaining ones who stayed in town, only two were left.

"So it's got to have to do something with this symbol" Sam said, with a long sigh. "If we could figure what it meant this would be so much easier"

"Maybe it's like a death mark" Dean suggested. "An old member wants his friends dead, he paints this symbol, and they die"

"Maybe" Sam said. "But who? Most of them are dead"

"Maybe we should pay the final two a visit" I said, with a shrug.

"Only ones in town" Sam said. "The other's on vacation"

"Then let's go to this one" I said.

And that was exactly what we did. We went to the woman's house first, and knocked. "Hi ma'am we're with the FBI?" Sam said. "Can we have a word?"

"About what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Look" Dean said, "We know about the cult, and we think someone may be targeting you"

My phone rang and I read the caller ID. "It's Bobby" I stated.

"I don't want any part of that group anymore" she said. "It was a long time ago. Please leave" The door slammed.

"Huh" Dean said, and we turned to leave. We went back to the car. "Stake out time" Dean said, and they watched the house. I called Bobby back.

"Hey" I said, as he answered. "What's up?"

"I got that info on the symbol" he said.

"Hang on" I said. "I'm putting you on speaker" I pressed the button. "Okay go"

"It's like an inverted pentagram, it means that the devil is present" Bobby said. "You can use them to call on a demon without needing the whole blood and bone ritual"

"So draw the symbol, a demon comes" Sam said, looking confused.

"Yeah, and then you can ask it to do your bidding" Bobby replied. "Also says that sometimes the demon is sent there using the symbol"

"So who's doing this?" I asked. "Or what?"

"We'll find out" Dean said, "Thanks Bobby"

We stared at the house, watching the woman, whose name was Gracie leave. I was falling asleep in the back seat before anything interesting happened. She came back, carrying in groceries. That was when we heard the scream.

We all shared a glance and ran inside. She was in the kitchen, staring fixated on the symbol on the wall that was drawing itself. It was literally appearing all on its own, blood coming out of thin air. Once we all appeared, it stopped exactly how it started half drawn and dripping.

"I went to the store and when I came back it was there!" she cried, as Dean sat her down on the couch. "How was that even happening?"

"Gracie" Sam said, carefully. "We need you to tell us about the cult"

She sniffled. "When we were still a group, our leader used to have that symbol around his neck. He said that was where our power came from" She shuddered. "We all paid respect to it, promised it could keep our souls" I looked at Dean. "It was like a game. We didn't think that it was real" She looked up at the bloody symbol. "Then when it was over we all forgot about it. We moved on. We grew up and made lives. And now…"

"It's back" I stated, looking at her. I think we all understood now. "I don't think anyone is actually doing this. I think the demon's coming back to get what it was promised"

That just made Gracie sob harder.

"There's only one way to stop it" Dean said, standing up. He walked over to the symbol. "We need blood"

SPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"Here we go" Dean said, with a sigh. Dean cut his hand, using a brush to paint on the final line. As soon as he was done, a bright light filled the room.

A woman with dark hair appeared right in front of the sigil. "Well hello" she smiled, showing us her black eyes. "Thanks for finishing that for me!"

"Mary?" Gracie asked, stepping forward.

"Nope" Mary said, shaking her head. "Mary's not here right now, please leave a message at the beep" She grinned, "Beep!"

"Who is she?" Dean asked, after splashing holy water towards her.

"She was in the cult" Gracie said. "But I don't understand, I thought she was dead"

"She was" Mary grinned, trying to walk towards us. She was met by an invisible wall. She kicked the rug aside. "Devil's trap" she remarked. "Classy"

"Drew it myself" I stated, with a smile. "Now why don't you just leave the members alone, we'll send you back home, and I can sleep soundly tonight?"

"Hmmm" Mary smiled. "No thanks" She looked to Gracie. "They made a deal, and I have come to collect"

"Then we'll have to kill you" Dean grinned, "And trust me, I'll do it"

"I've heard of you three" she smirked, "You're the righteous Winchesters ridding this earth of big bad evil, right?" she asked. She laughed. "Your daddy even died. Well guess what? You might kill me, but you've got no idea what they're planning downstairs"

"You're right" Dean said, with a glare. "I don't really care though" He looked down and started reading.

She grimaced, falling to her knees. "He's gonna kill your little sissy poo!" she taunted. "He's gonna kill her soon!" She smiled at me, and Dean stopped for a moment. "He wants you dead, girly" she stated. "And what he wants he gets"

"Shut up, bitch" Dean said, and went back to reading.

She started laughing. "Sammy's gonna die! Dean-o's gonna die! Lexie's gonna die!" she sing-songed.

"He said shut up!" I screamed.

Dean quickly finished her out, and then the girl fell to the ground. She had been dead for a long time it seemed, for she didn't even move.

"Is it over?" Gracie asked.

"Yeah" Sam said, "It's over"

SPNSNSPNSPNSPSPNSPNSPNSPN

We packed up the motel room, and Dean had gone to get gas before we left so that we didn't have to stop on the way. I picked up my stuff and put it in the bag, and caught Sam's eye. We stared at each other, and then sighed.

"So, uh" Sam said. "What happened back at Logan's?"

I shook my head. "He was with Hannah"

"Like with-with her?" Sam asked in shock.

"Seemed like it" I sighed. "Great, huh?" I sat on the bed. "It just….it hurts, Sammy. It hurts so bad. It's like my heart is aching in my chest"

"Is that why you talked with that kid?" Sam asked, "In the library?"

"Yeah" I said. "It made it feel better, just for a minute"

He sighed and sat down next to me on the bed. "I know I never talked about Jess" he started. "But I felt that same way when she was gone. I felt like my heart had shattered into a million pieces and I wanted to fill the void with anything" He paused. "I can't imagine what seeing Logan with Hannah felt like"

"It felt like he stomped on my heart a few dozen times" I chuckled slightly. "I just don't get why he went right to her though"

"Maybe he was trying to fill that void"

"With that bitch?" I giggled. "Ew"

"Yeah, well" Sam said, putting his arm around me. "I'm sorry for being an ass"

"Me too" I said, with a small smile. "I didn't mean it"

"Neither did I" Sam said. "I mean, you're already way more grown up than a lot of kid's your age. Kind of forced into growing up a lot faster"

"Yeah" I laughed. "Tell me about it" I paused "Don't tell Dean about Logan. I hate his guts but Dean would shoot him"

"Got it" he laughed.

Dean walked in. "Hey" he smiled. "Thank god. I thought you two were going to do this forever"

"We should try looking for Ava again" I stated. "At least for a little while" Sam grinned and Dean shrugged. We got into the car, and I sighed. I popped some pain meds.

"Headache?" Dean asked worriedly.

"Not that kind" I remarked, and looked at him. "He's going to kill me, Dean. And I don't even really know why"

I didn't have to explain what I meant. "Not while I'm here" he stated, shaking his head.

"You can't protect me forever, De. Not from boys, not from psychopathic demons" I said, shaking my head.

Dean smiled. "Doesn't mean I'm not going to try" He patted my knee, and hit the gas.

We stopped back in Peoria to search for Ava again. I sat on the bed, and came across the photo of me and Logan smiling like goofballs. "Nice" I said, to myself, and was about to throw it away, but stopped. Whether we were together or not, he was a part of me. I shoved the picture in the bottom of my duffel bag.

I was going to move on. I had bigger things to worry about now. "You okay?" Dean asked, watching me.

"Fine" I smiled, plopping myself next to him. "I'll be fine"


	40. Season 2, Chapter Fifteen

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews you guys! They're like my crack! Haha Here you go! Playthings!**

**Disclaimer—Yeah I wish…. Only Lexie is mine!**

**Chapter Forty**

I was sitting on the bed with the laptop going over all the databases again, hacking into police files, and looking everywhere I could think of for the millionth time. Ava's picture was on the wall beside me, and I grimaced. We still had no sign of her. It was like she just dropped off the face of the earth. Sam was on the phone.

"Yeah" Sam said, looking defeated. "Okay, thanks, Ellen"

Dean walked in, kicking the door closed with his foot. He handed me a coke, shaking his head. "What'd she have to say?"

"She's got nothing" Sam stated, with a heavy sigh. "Me, I've been checking every database I could think of –- federal, state, and local. No one's heard anything about Ava. She just…into thin air, you know?"

"Same" I stated, closing the laptop. "What about you?" I asked, looking at Dean.

"No, same as before" Dean said. He looked at Sam. "Sorry, man"

"Yeah" Sam sighed. "Ellen did have one thing though" he added as an afterthought. "A hotel in Cornwall, Connecticut –- two freak accidents in the past three weeks"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah, what's that have to do with Ava?"

"It's a job" Sam stated, "I mean, a lady drowned in the bathtub, then a few days ago, guy falls down the stairs, head turns a complete 180. Which isn't exactly normal, you know? Look, I don't know, Dean, it might be nothing. But I told Ellen we'd think about checking it out"

"You did?" Dean said, in shock.

"Yeah" Sam nodded, "You seem surprised"

"Two weeks ago I wanted to take a job and you all but bit my head off" I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"So?" Sam asked, looking hurt.

"Well, it's just not the patented Sam Winchester way, is it?" Dean said.

Sam frowned. "And what way is that?"

"I just figured after Ava, there'd be more angst, droopy music, staring out the rainy windows" Dean listed.

"And don't forget the mopeyness and the really long showers" I snorted. Sam gave me a death glare. "Okay, I'll shut up now" I said, surrendering.

"Look I'm the one who told her to go back home" Sam said, "Now, her fiancée's dead, and some demon has taken her off to God-knows-where, you know? We've been looking for a month now. We've got nothing. So, I'm not giving up on her, but I'm not gonna let other people die either. We've gotta save as many people as we can"

"Wow. That attitude is just way too healthy for me" Dean said, sipping his coffee. "I'm officially uncomfortable now. Thank you" Sam laughed, and shook his head. "All right, call Ellen" Dean said. "Tell her we'll take it"

"Okay" I said, getting up. "I'm going to go make a call"

"You can't just do it in here?" Dean asked, curiously.

"Not when you listen in" I said innocently. He stared at me, blocking the door. "Relax it's just to Bobby. You can check my phone when I'm done" He thought for a moment, and then let me pass. "Thanks" I said, and went out the door.

I walked a little ways away, and dialed Bobby. "Hey darling" Bobby drawled. "Whatcha need?"

"An alibi" I stated. "If Dean asks I called you okay"

He paused. "Who are you really going to call?"

"Ash" I replied, knowing I could tell Bobby what I was really up to. "I just want some info and I don't what Dean or Sam on my case about it" I could feel him weighing this in his mind. "Nothing bad, but you know how Dean can be"

"Yeah" he said, gruffly. "Consider you're alibi set"

"Thanks" I said, and then I dialed Ash. "Hey Ash!" I said, as he picked up. "I'm calling in for a favor"

He thought for a moment. "And what do I get for this favor?"

I rolled my eyes. "My eternal gratitude?" I asked. "I don't know what do you want?" I could feel him smiling through the phone. "And nothing that my brother's will kill me for please"

"Your gratitude is good enough" he chuckled. "What can I do you for?"

"I know you've got that demon tracker all set up right?" I asked. He grunted in response. "And you looked up that stuff for Sam in 1982?"

"Yeah..." he said slowly.

"I need you to check for the same sort of signs in 1989" I stated.

There was a pause. "Why?"

I smirked. "This is my favor. I don't have to tell you why"

"Well fine" he replied sarcastically. "And to think I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart too"

"Ash, here's a hint" I said. "I was born that year"

"Oh" he replied, sounding like he got it now.

"And don't tell anyone" I added.

"This is starting to sound like shady business"

"Oh and there's more I need" I said, carefully. "And then that's it I swear" I added when he sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"I heard that you got some hits on the demon thing?" I asked. "Like only little things you weren't even sure were real? I want you to tell me where. Even if it's minuscule"

"You got it Lex" he said, and I could already hear him booting up the computer.

"You're the best Dr. Badass" I smiled.

He chuckled. "And don't you forget it" He cleared his throat. "I'll be done in about three days. That okay"

"You can take as long as you need" I said, "Thanks so much Ash! Bye!" I clicked off, deleted the phone call out of the history in case Dean really did decide to check, and walked back inside to see Sam and Dean giving each other looks. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing" Sam said, shaking his head.

"Okay" I said, and grabbed my bag. "So are we going or what?" Dean and Sam shared another worried look. "Okay, what?" I demanded, slinging the bag on my shoulder. "You're freaking me out"

"Are you okay?" Dean asked like he was walking on egg shells.

"Fine" I replied, with a shrug. "Sam's right, we should go save these people"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I swear you two are freaking me out" He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to the car.

Almost a day later we pulled into the Pierpont Inn. It was a classic inn, with a very old style feel. "Dude, this is sweet!" Dean said, excitedly getting out of the car. "We never get to work jobs like this"

"Like what?" Sam asked, also hopping out. I followed, staring up at the Inn. It was almost creepy.

"Old-school haunted houses, you know?" Dean asked, happy with this case. "Fog, secret passageways, sissy British accents"

"Dean, we're in Connecticut, why would they have accents?" I asked, with a laugh.

"Whatever" Dean said, ignoring me. "We might even run into Fred and Daphne while we're inside" He chuckled to himself. "Mm, Daphne. Love her"

"You like a cartoon?" I snorted.

"Hey, wait a sec" Sam said, staring at a vase thing on the porch. "I'm not so sure "haunted" is the problem"

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking where he was pointing.

"You see this pattern here? That's a quincunx. It's a five-spot" Sam said, and pointed to the little five pointed star.

"A five-spot?" Dean asked, turning around and leaning over to look at it.

"Yeah" Sam said, showing him.

"That's used for hoodoo spell work, isn't it?" Dean asked.

"Right" Sam nodded. "You fill this thing with blood weed; you've got a powerful charm to ward off enemies"

"Yeah, except I don't see any blood weed" I said, looking inside. "It's empty"

"Don't you think this place is a little too white-meat for hoodoo?" Dean asked, looking up at the building.

"Maybe" Sam shrugged.

We went inside, and I had to say that this looked like a nice and yet really creepy place. I wasn't sure I would be able to sleep here. "May I help you?" the lady at the desk asked.

"Hi, yeah. I'd like a room for a couple of nights" Dean said, taking out his wallet.

Two girls sprinted by, almost knocking me over. I dodged out of the way and laughed.

"Hey!" the woman shouted, and shook her head. "Sorry about that"

"No problem" I smiled. I looked behind her. "Can I use your restroom?"

"Sure" she said, motioning for me to go.

I went in and did my business, tying my hair up in a pony tail. I really needed to cut it. It was getting annoying. I walked back out. "So, uh…king-sized bed for you two?" the woman asked, looking from Sam to Dean.

"What? No, no, uh…no, two singles" Sam said, looking flustered. "We're just brothers"

I seriously processed what had apparently just happened and then burst into laughter. "Oh…oh, I'm so sorry" the woman said nervously.

"What'd you mean that we look the type?" Dean asked after shooting me a mean look.

"You know, speaking of antiques, you have a really interesting urn on the front porch" Sam said, when the woman had no answer. "Where did you get that?"

"You know, I have no idea" she said, looking thankful that Sam had changed the subject. "It's been there forever. Here you go, Mr. Mahogoff" She handed Dean the key to the room. "You'll be staying in Room 237"

The woman smiled at the bellhop who had just walked in. "Sherwin, could you show these gentlemen to their rooms?"

"Let me guess –- antiquers?" he asked, and I caught Dean's eye and covered my mouth so that I wouldn't crack up again. Dean shoved me forward as Sherwin took us to our room.

"I can give you a hand with that bag" Dean said, realizing that it had the weapons in it.

"I've got it" Sherwin said happily, like carrying bags was his joy in life or something.

Dean backed off and looked confused. "Okay" he said slowly.

"So, the hotel's closing up, huh?" I asked, after getting control of my laughter. I had the hiccups now, and Dean smirked.

"Yep" Sherwin replied. "Susan tried to make a go of it, but the guests just don't come like they used to. Still, it's a damn shame"

"Oh, yeah?" Sam asked.

"It may not look it anymore, but this place was a palace" Sherwin sighed. "Two different vice-presidents laid their heads on our pillows. My parents worked here. I practically grew up here –- gonna miss it" He stopped. "Here's your room"

He unlocked the door and Dean and I went inside. I turned to see Dean staring at Sherwin's outstretched hand. "You're not gonna cheap out on me, are you, boy?" Sherwin asked.

Dean narrowed his eyes. I rolled my eyes, and reached into my pocket, pulled out a few dollars and handed it to him. "Thanks" I said, and he left.

Dean shook his head, and then turned around. He laughed. "What the…?" he pointed to the hideous dress that was hanging on the wall. "That's normal" He turned to look at Sam, who was already looking up research. "Why the hell would anyone stay here? I'm amazed they kept in business this long"

"Maybe they like dresses" I shrugged, looking at the bed. "Just for the record, I call sleeping in the non sunken in one"

"I dare you to try it on" Dean said, pointing back at the dress.

"Uh, no" I stated, looking at it. "It looks like someone died in that thing"

"All right" Sam said, shutting us up. "Victim number one –- Joan Edison, forty-three years old, a realtor, handling the sale of the hotel. And victim number two was Larry Williams, moving some stuff out to Goodwill"

"Well, there's a connection" Dean said. "They're both tied up in shutting the place down"

"Yeah" I agreed, sitting on the bed. "Maybe someone here doesn't wanna leave and they're using hoodoo to fight back"

"Who do you think the witch doctor is?" Dean asked. "That Susan lady?"

"That doesn't seem likely. I mean, she's the one selling" Sam replied.

"So, what then? Sherwin?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, Dean" I laughed. "The butler did it"

Dean scoffed, and then shrugged. "Of course, the most troubling question is, "Why do these people assume we're gay?""

Sam smiled. "Well, you are kind of butch. But I think you're overcompensating"

Dean forced a smile. "Right" He stated. He looked to me, and I stifled a laugh.

"No comment" I forced out.

Dean smirked. "Good choice"

SPSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNSNPSPSPN

"So what now?" I asked. After a few hours in this room I was beginning to think that this hunt was going nowhere. We had gone over the history of the building in detail, and over the previous deaths as well.

"Maybe we should look around?" Sam suggested, putting a few papers down.

"Sure" Dean said, standing up. "I could stretch my legs"

We headed into the hallway, looking around at all of the stuff on the walls. "Hey" Sam said, pointing to the vase. "Look at that. More hoodoo"

I looked down to see another five star on the vase. I narrowed my eyes, tracing it with my finger. Weird.

Dean knocked on the door to the room that was marked private. I knew he was actually hoping that no one would answer, since he wanted to look around. That was why he shot me that look when Susan answered the door. "Hi there" he grinned.

"Hi. Everything okay with your room?" she asked curiously. We all looked at each other and nodded and affirmed that it was fine, creepy dress and all. "Good" she said, with a sigh. "Well, I was just in the middle of packing, so…"

"Hey, are those antique dolls?" Dean asked, staring at the walls. I looked in as well to see an entire wall dedicated to shelves of the creepiest porcelain dolls I had ever seen in my entire life. "'Cause his one here" Dean said, nodding in my and Sam's direction. "Got a major doll collection back home"

"Oh, your sister likes dolls?" Susan asked, smiling at me.

"Oh not her" Dean said, smiling evilly at Sam. "Sam does! Don't you? Huh?"

Sam glared at him, and then forced a smile for Susan. "Big time" he choked out.

"Big time" Dean smiled, and I tried my best not to laugh. He was really not helping the whole gay factor here. "You think we could come in and take a look?"

"I don't know" Susan said, a little uneasily.

"Please? I mean, he _loves_ them" Dean said. "He's not gonna tell you this, but he's always dressing them up in these little, tiny outfits, and you'd make his day" Dean smiled at Sam. "She would, huh? Huh?"

Sam squirmed uncomfortably. "It's true" Dean grinned even wider, looking like his world had just been made. I didn't blame him; I think this made my day.

"Okay. Come on in" Susan relented.

We stepped inside and I couldn't help but feel really uncomfortable with all the eyes that were staring at me from the shelves. "Wow. This is a lot of dolls. Nice, you know –- not super-creepy at all" Dean said.

Susan laughed. "Yeah, I suppose they are a little creepy. But they've been in the family forever. A lot of sentimental value"

I spotted the dollhouse over by the wall. "Hey that's cool" I said, walking over. "Is this the hotel?"

"Yeah, that's right" Susan nodded. "Exact replica, custom-built"

I walked behind it and looked at the doll that had its head completely turned around. "His head got twisted around" I said, looking at Sam. "What happened to it?"

Susan shrugged. "Tyler, probably"

At that moment, Tyler came bursting in the room. "Mommy, Maggie's being mean" she insisted.

"Tyler, tell her I said to be nice, okay?" Susan said.

"Hey, Tyler. I see you broke your doll. You want me to fix it?" I asked.

"I didn't break it" she said. "I found it like that"

"Oh" I said, looking at the blond who appeared behind her. "Well, maybe Maggie did it?"

Tyler shook her head. "No, neither of us did it" she said, "Grandma would get mad if we broke them"

Susan smiled slightly. "Tyler, she wouldn't get mad"

"Grandma?" Dean asked.

"Grandma Rose" Tyler said. "These were all her toys"

"Oh, really…where's Grandma Rose now?" Dean asked her.

Tyler pointed to the door where I could see steps leading upwards. "Up in her room" she replied.

Sam smiled. "You know, I'd really love to talk to Rose about her incredible doll—"

"No" Susan said, quickly. "I mean…I'm afraid that's impossible. My mother's been very sick, and she's not taking any visitors"

"I'm very sorry" I stated, and I looked to Tyler. Maggie was whispering something in Tyler's ear.

Tyler smiled. "Maggie and I would like to know if you would play with us" Tyler asked, showing me her toothless smile. "She says that playing with a big girl like you would be fun"

I stood speechless for a moment, and Dean nodded his head at me. "Sure" I stated. "I would love to"

"C'mon" she said, grabbing my hand. Maggie smiled at me, and they pulled me outside. I sat on the swing, and pushed Tyler while Maggie was on one of those spinny things. "So do you guys like living in this hotel?"

"Yeah" Tyler replied. "I don't think I want to move"

"Yeah" Maggie agreed, staring at Tyler with a happy smile.

I thought that was weird, but passed it off as nothing. They were sisters, and I couldn't comment on how sister's acted. I was stuck with Sam and Dean after all. "I'm sorry that you're being forced into it"

"Oh we're not going to go" Maggie said, shaking her head. "Right Ty?"

"I don't want to move" Tyler agreed, hopping off the swing. "Wanna play tea party?" I nodded and we headed back upstairs.

We sat around a tiny table. I sat Indian style and sipped at the pretend tea in the tiny cups. She had put some of the dolls around the table as well. Maggie had disappeared, but this didn't seem to faze Tyler at all. I guessed Maggie had gone off to do something else. I glanced at the dollhouse to see a person sitting on the bed. I smirked. These dolls were so freaking creepy.

"Cookie?" Tyler asked, bringing my attention back to the tea party.

"Sure" I said, taking it and eating a bite. Tyler whipped her head to the doll house. "What?" I asked, looking over. The doll that had been sitting on the bed was hanging from a noose.

I went over and picked it up. "What the—"I looked to Tyler. "Who did that?" She shook her head in confusion. I stood up. "Can I borrow this?" I asked, picking up the doll. She nodded.

I ran back to our room and found Sam looking out the window. "This doll was hung from the ceiling fan" I said, walking over. "In the dollhouse"

"Huh" he said, and sat down on the chair.

I wrinkled my nose. "We're you drinking?" I asked, looking at the half empty bottle of tequila on the table. "Sam?" I asked again when he didn't answer.

"Don't be such a girl" he snorted.

I stopped, staring at the blatant look on his face. He was really out of it. "Sam, are you drunk?" I questioned. He said nothing, just laughing. "Oh my god" I said, in shock. "You are drunk"

"What's it to you?" he asked, bringing the bottle back to his lips. I just shook my head and contemplated calling Dean. "Want some?" he laughed.

"Uh, no" I said, and pulled out my phone, which was ringing. I was hoping it was Dean, so I could tell him to get his ass back up here and deal with this. It was Ash. I looked at Sam, who looking pretty content with himself. I shook my head and went to the hallway. "Ash" I said, answering. "What you got for me?"

"Okay, so" he started. "In 1989, there was one other house fire other than yours in Tennessee but there were no survivors and no prior signs"

"Was there for me?" I asked. "Signs I mean"

"Sort of" he said, with a sigh. "Close to how it was back in '82 but more leading up to the day of the fire. Like it spiked"

"Huh" I said. "And there were no survivors of the one in Tennessee?"

"Nope" he stated. "Just an old couple. No kids"

"And what about the other things I asked" I said, running a hand over my face in annoyance. "Any hits?"

"Yeah" he said. "Hang on, wrote it down" I heard the scuffle of papers and such. "Here" he said. "The signs that popped up were small, might just be flukes, but they were in…Pennsylvania, Maryland, Mississippi, Oregon, and Indiana areas" He paused. "Those were the big ones anyway"

I wrote down the places he listed and sighed. "Okay, thanks Ash" I said. "This means a lot"

"No problem sweetheart" he said, "Call me if you need anything else" He clicked off.

I went back in to see Sam staring out the window. "What?" I asked, putting the list on the table. "What's wrong?"

"A man died" Sam said. I walked over and looked out the window where a body was being carried out of the Inn. "He hung himself"

I thought back to the doll. "You think?" I asked, holding the doll up. He shrugged and took a long gulp from the bottle. I sat down and stared at the list. Something was up with it, I just knew it. I thought really hard. "Oh shit" I said, and looked up at Sam. Sam just rocked on his heels. "We were at all these places"

"So?" he asked, confused.

I ignored him and looked back down. "We were in Pennsylvania with Jo, Baltimore Maryland with the Dana Shulps case, Oregon with Croatoan, and…it's following us"

"What is?" Sam asked, falling onto the chair.

I looked up at him and then back down and sighed. "Nothing" I said. "Never mind"

Sam gave me a look and then handed me the bottle again. "You look sad" he said in explanation. He must have been really wasted to be offering me some. I stared at the bottle for a moment, and then took it.

I took a small sip, letting it run down my throat. I coughed, but drank more anyway. You had to keep drinking before it made you feel better. I guzzled some and then coughed again. I didn't feel any different. The door opened.

"There's been another one" Dean said, going to the window and peering out. "Some guy just hung himself in his room"

"Yeah. I saw" Sam replied, staring at his shoe. He looked at his quizzically and then back up at Dean.

"We've gotta figure this out, and fast" Dean said, with a sigh. "What'd you find out about Granny?"

Sam scoffed. "You're bossy"

Dean turned around, and gave us a look. "What?" he asked confused.

"You're bossy" Sam repeated, with a smile. "And short" He started laughing and I couldn't help it, I did too. I muffled them with my hand, but it was too hard.

"Are you drunk?" Dean demanded, looking from Sam to me and back.

"Yeah. So?" Sam asked, with a scoff. "Stupid"

"Lexis?" Dean asked, looking at me.

"Nah" I said, with a smile. "Just tipsy I think" I looked at the dress on the wall. "That dress is freaking me out"

"Right" Dean said, shaking his head. "Dude, what are you two thinking? We're working a case"

"That guy who hung himself –- I couldn't save him" Sam said, suddenly near tears. I looked over at him confused.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "You didn't know, you couldn't have done anything"

"That's an excuse" Sam accused. "I should've found a way to save him. I should've saved Ava, too"

"Yeah, well, you can't save everyone. Even you said that" Dean replied.

"No, Dean, you don't understand, all right?" Sam asked, looking defeated. "The more people I save, the more I can change"

"Change what?" Dean asked.

"My destiny, Dean!" Sam said, loudly.

"All right, time for bed" Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Sasquatch" He made Sam get up and I followed. I hadn't had too much to drink so I could walk straight and fine, unlike Sam who was falling over.

"I need you to watch out for me" Sam pleaded.

"Yeah. I always do" Dean replied.

"No, no, no. You have to _watch out_ for me, all right?" Sam said, seriously. "And if I ever turn into something that I'm not…you have to kill me"

"Sam"

"Dean, Dad told you to do it. You have to" Sam went on.

"Yeah, well, Dad's an ass. He never should've said anything" Dean said. "I mean, you don't do that, you don't lay that kind of crap on your kids"

"No, he was right to say it. Who knows what I might become?" Sam asked. "Even now, everyone around me dies!"

"S'true" I stated, looking back down at the table. I couldn't really believe that had really come out of my mouth. Well there was one thing drinking did to me. I didn't filter what I said.

"Well, I'm not dying, okay?" Dean said, looking at both of us. "And neither are you. And neither is Lexie" He sat Sam on the bed.

"No, please. Dean, you're the only one who can do it" Sam begged. "Promise"

"Don't ask that of me" Dean said.

"Dean, please. You have to promise me" Sam said. He looked at me. "You two"

"No" I stated, folding my arms over my chest. "I'm not that tipsy" Sam just looked from Dean to me and then back at Dean again, pleading with his eyes.

"I promise" Dean said, finally.

"Dean!"

"Thanks" Sam said, happy he at least got one of us to agree to it. He smiled at Dean and then looked to me. "Please, Lexis" he begged.

"Sam…" I sighed. Dean just stared at me. "Okay. Promise" I stated. Sam rolled over and was out like a light.

"So" Dean said, moving the bottle away from me. "Who let you have the alcohol?" I glanced at Sam's sleeping form. "Huh" Dean said, and sighed. "You're an idiot"

"And you just told Sam that we'd kill him" I whispered.

"He won't remember" Dean stated.

I looked down. "Dean" I said, handing him the list. "We've been to all these places in the last few months" He looked down and then back up at me. "There've been signs—omens—in every single one" He said nothing, his face going expressionless. "It's following us"

"You don't know that"

"You really think this is just a coincidence?" I demanded my head pounding. "I'm not that tipsy, Dean. I only had maybe one shot. I see that look on your face! This is freaking you out too!"

He looked up at me. "Alright, it's freaky" he relented. "But drinking isn't the answer! I know I do it, but you're only sixteen!"

"Dean, bigger picture" I said annoyed. "Yellow eyes wants me dead and you just promised Sam that we would kill him. I think I can drink to that"

He sighed. "Just go to bed, okay?" He stood up and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, smirking. "To drink, right?" He said nothing, and just kept going. "Way to take your own advice!" I called after him. I plopped myself on the bed.

I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, or the fact that I wasn't freaking out that was bothering me more. My head kept telling me that it was all good. I mean, if yellow eyes really wanted me dead, why the hell hadn't he done it already? What was stopping him? The other part of me wanted to run screaming in the other direction. I wasn't sure which one to follow.

I hadn't known I fell asleep until I was waking up. I looked over to see Sam with his head in the toilet. My head spun, but I hadn't drunk enough to be hung over by any means. Watching Sam, I was sort of thankful for that. "Sam?" I questioned, grabbing my tooth brush. I had to get this taste out of my mouth. Why people drank I would never understand. "You okay?"

"Awesome" He said, before puking again. He spit and looked up. "I can't believe you let me do this"

"Me?" I asked. "Sam you were wasted by the time I got here"

"Oh" he said, looking confused. "Right"

I brushed my teeth as Dean walked in. "Hey" I said, "Where were you?"

"Coffee run" he replied, holding up some cups. "How you feeling', Sammy? I guess mixing whiskey and Jager wasn't such a gangbuster idea, was it?" He chuckled. "I bet you don't remember a thing from last night, do you?"

"Ugh, I can still taste the tequila" Sam groaned, spitting again.

Dean looked at me, relieved. I shrugged. "You know, there's a really good hangover remedy. It's a greasy pork sandwich served up in a dirty ashtray"

Sam moaned. "Oh, I hate you"

Dean laughed. "I know you do" He looked to me. "You're still in trouble, you know"

I reached down in my bag for the Excedrin and took three. Screw the recommended amount. "Bite me" I stated.

"Try washing my baby" he smiled. I groaned and flopped on the bed. "Hey, it turns out when Grandma Rose was a tyke; she had a Creole nanny who wore a hoodoo necklace"

"So, you think she taught Rose hoodoo?" Sam asked, getting up.

"Yes, I do" Dean smiled, happy with himself. I wondered what it would be like to smack him.

"All right. I think it's time we talk to Rose, then" Sam said, coming out of the bathroom.

Dean grimaced. "You need to brush your teeth first" he stated.

I walked over and nodded. "And shower"

"Go" Dean said, pushing me to where Tyler was sitting in the lobby of the Inn. I shot him an annoyed look, but went over nevertheless.

"Hey" I said, sitting down. "Where's Maggie?" Tyler shrugged. "How about your mom?"

"The store" Tyler said, and stood up. "Sherwin supposed to be watching me but he's cleaning"

"Bummer" I said, and looked to Dean and nodded. "After I get one thing done I'll play again if you want"

"Okay" she said, "I'm going to go outside"

"Okay" I said, and watched her go out the doors. I ran back to the top of the steps. "She said her mom's not here and Sherwin's busy, so we should be clear"

Sam picked the lock on the door and we headed upstairs to where Rose was supposed to be. She was sitting in the middle of a room in a wheel chair, staring at nothing. "Ms. Thompson?" Sam asked. "Mrs. Thompson? Rose?"

We walked around the chair to face her. She looked scared, but wasn't saying anything. "Hi, Mrs. Thompson" Sam went on.

"She's creepy" I whispered. Sam glared at me. "What she is!"

"We're not here to hurt you, its okay" Sam said, ignoring me. "We…Rose?" She opened and closed her mouth like she wanted to speak so badly but couldn't no matter how much she wanted to. "Guys" Sam said, pulling me aside. "This woman's had a stroke"

"Yeah, but hoodoo's hands-on" I stated.

"You've gotta mix herbs and chant and build an altar" Dean added, looking confused

"So, it can't be Rose" Sam said, "Heck, maybe it's not even hoodoo"

Dean's eyes narrowed and he glared at the old woman. "You know, she could be faking"

"Yeah, what do you wanna do? Poke her with a stick?" Sam asked sarcastically. Dean looked up, actually considering it. "Dude! You're not gonna poke her with a stick!" Sam replied, incredulously.

"What the hell?" Susan asked, walking in. She glowered at us. "What are you doing in here?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Oh, we just wanted to, uh…" We all looked at each other, trying to come up with a really good reason why we were up here wanting to poke this old lady with a stick. Needless to say, we didn't really have one.

"Look at her, she is scared out of her wits" Susan said. "I want you out of my hotel in two minutes or I'm calling the cops"

Dean was about to argue, but Sam just pulled him away. We grabbed our stuff and then headed out the door to the car. Susan watched us the entire time, making sure we disappeared. "So now what?" I asked, throwing my hands up. "There's no way we're getting back in there!"

Dean said nothing, just parking the car at the side of the road. "Stake out time" he smirked, and handed me a flashlight. I took it, not amused. "C'mon" Dean said, and pulled me into the woods.

We snuck into the back of the place, near where the swing set was. We had a good view of the place. Susan was outside with Sherwin, loading up his truck. They were placing the last boxes in, and he drove off. I got a chill and shivered. "Is anyone else suddenly really cold?" I asked, uneasily.

"It's a ghost" Sam said. "The hoodoo was to keep it at bay"

"Well that sucks" Dean said, and pointed to the moving seesaw. I looked around, trying to see if it was appearing at all.

Headlights made me jump. "De" I said, and Sam took off at a run as the car started to speed at Susan.

"You okay?" Sam asked, as he helped her up.

She was shaken, but nodded. "I think so"

"Come on, come on. Let's get inside" Dean said, looking around. He helped Sam up, and I held onto Susan so she wouldn't fall. She was still shaking as we led her to the couch and made her sit down.

"Whiskey" Susan said, pointing to it.

"Sure. I know the feeling" Sam sighed, handing her some in a glass. I snorted.

"What the hell happened out there?" Susan asked after taking a gulp.

"You want the truth?" Dean asked. Susan nodded. "Well, at first, we thought it was some sort of a hoodoo curse. But that out there? That was definitely a spirit"

Susan narrowed her eyes. "You're insane"

"It's been said" I replied, shaking my head.

"Hey" Dean said, nodding at the steps. "Go check on the girls. Make sure nothings weird"

I nodded and headed upstairs. I walked into the room and saw Tyler and Maggie sitting at the table, sipping at tea. "Hey guys" I smiled. "Everything okay?"

"Fine" Maggie replied. "We're not moving"

I frowned. As far as I knew, they were still leaving this place. "What do you mean?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

"We don't want to move" Tyler replied, looking at me funny.

"What?" I asked, looking at her.

"You can talk to Maggie?" she asked, looking at Maggie.

"Uh, yeah" I said, looking a Maggie for some sort of explanation for her sister's crazy accusation. Maggie just started to grin.

"She's my imaginary friend" Tyler said. "My mommy can't see her"

My heart dropped into my stomach as I made the connection. The hoodoo was to keep Maggie away. Maggie was a ghost. I glanced back at Maggie as she smiled, and then she was gone. Dolls started to fly off the shelves, cracking and hitting us. Tyler screamed, and I saw Maggie pull her along, to get her out of the way. "We won't leave" she said to me and then they were both leaving.

I tried to follow and was thrown backwards into the wall. I got back up as Sam and Dean ran in. "Tyler?" Susan asked. She saw me lying against the wall. "Oh my God. Tyler! Tyler? She's not here! Where is she?"

"That evil little—"

"What happened?" Dean asked, stopping me.

"Its' Maggie" I said. "It's her Dean. She's not even real!" Dean didn't look surprised, so I figured that he had already figured this out as well.

"Susan, tell us what you know about Maggie" Sam asked.

"Not much" Susan said. "Tyler's been talking about her since Mom got sick"

"Okay, did you ever know anyone by that name?" I asked.

Susan shook her head. "Think, think. Maybe somebody that could have lived here, might have passed away?" Dean suggested.

"Oh my God. My mom" Susan said, in surprise. "My mom had a sister named Margaret. She barely spoke about her"

"Did Margaret happen to die here when she was a kid?" I asked.

"She drowned in the pool" Susan replied.

"Shit" I said, and ran off towards to pool house.

I ran all the way, beating even Sam and Dean to the door. It was locked and shut tight. I pounded on it, screaming for Tyler to move. She was on the ledge, looking terrified. "Maggie!" I yelled. "Let me in, dammit!"

Sam and Dean got there and started to do the same thing I was doing. I kicked at the glass, but it was strong. "Tyler! Tyler!" Susan screamed.

I looked up to see a slightly open window. I could make it through. Dean and Susan went to the other entrance, leaving Sam and I to break the glass here if we could. "Sam" I said, stopping him. "Lift me"

"What?" he asked, looking up to where I was staring?

"Just do it!" I yelled. He cupped his hand and lifted me up. I threw myself in just as Maggie turned around. She glared at me as I stood straight and then threw Tyler off the ledge. I ran to the ledge, and Maggie appeared beside me.

"You can die too" she glared and then pushed me forward.

I hit the water with a loud smack. I tried to get air, or at least get to where Tyler was struggling, but I couldn't move. Maggie had a hand on my head. I swam away, which was nearly impossible. The pool had a tarp over it, so you really couldn't swim without getting tangled in it. I grabbed for Tyler's arm, feeling my lungs start to burn.

"It'll all be over soon" Maggie said as Tyler went limp.

I pulled her close and reached for the knife in my boot. I pulled it out, and swung it. Maggie disappeared. I had dropped Tyler in the process and she floated towards the bottom. I reached for her and started to choke on water. I still hadn't gotten any air.

I saw Sam above me, and he reached out to grab me. I put Tyler's arm in his hand instead and then sank to the bottom. I had no strength left. Water was invading my mouth and nose. White lights appeared behind my eyes.

Out of nowhere, something was yanking me upward. It was too late, I realized, and I was out.

I woke up choking on water. I leaned over and spit it out and coughed. Dean patted me on the back. "You okay?" He asked.

"No" I said, "Maggie—"

"Is gone" Dean replied. "According to Tyler"

"She's okay?" I asked, looking over.

"I'm okay" Tyler smiled, showing me her toothless grin. I sighed and leaned back. "You saved me" Tyler said, giving me a hug.

Dean grinned at me and I smiled, even though my lungs still felt like they were on fire. "No problem" I said, and then looked to Dean. "Never let me do that again"

"I won't" he laughed, as Tyler got off me and ran over to her mom. "Gave me a freaking heart attack" Sam laughed too, helping me to my feet. "You did good though, Lex"

"Thanks" I beamed. I squirmed and then coughed again. "I need to change" I grimaced, and moved the wet hair out of my face.

I changed and then waited while Susan and Tyler grabbed last minute things to get the hell out of here. "Don't worry, honey. We're leaving in two minutes. We've just gotta get Grandma" Susan said, climbing the stairs to the attic.

"I don't get it. Did Maggie just stop?" Dean asked, in a whisper.

"Seems like it" Sam shrugged.

"Where the hell did she go?" Dean asked.

We heard a scream. "I think I know" I stated. We ran upstairs to see Rose in her wheelchair, dead.

"The paramedics said it was another stroke" Susan said, as they took the body away, "You think Margaret could have had something to do with it?"

"We don't know" Dean shrugged, putting an arm around me. Ever since I almost drowned he was very protective. He hadn't left my side. I guess it scared him more than he let on.

"But it's possible" Sam stated. "Susan, I'm sorry"

"God, you have nothing to apologize for" Susan sighed. "You've given me everything" Tyler bounded up next to us, giving me a smile. "Ready to go, kiddo?" Susan asked.

Tyler nodded. "Tyler, you're sure Maggie's not around anymore?" Dean asked.

"I'm sure. I'd see her" she said simply.

"Well, I guess whatever's going on must be over" Dean sighed, as we walked to the cab that was taking them off.

"You two take care of yourselves, all right?"Sam said, and Susan hugged him.

"Thank you" she said. "All of you"

She got in and Tyler grinned at me. "I hope I'm like you when I grow up" she smiled, and then they were driving off. I smiled to myself. If only she knew.

"I think you could've hooked up some MILF action there, man" Dean said to Sam. "Seriously, I think she liked you"

Sam smirked. "Yeah, that's all she needs"

"Well, you saved the mom, and Lex, you saved the girl –- not a bad day" Dean sighed. "Of course, you know I could've saved them myself, but I didn't want you two to feel useless"

"Thanks" I scoffed, and Sam just laughed.

Dean looked at me, stopping me before we got to the car. "About what you told me?" Dean asked. "About it following us?" He paused, and I waited expectantly. "You almost died saving that little girl. You could've… I won't let him get you" he finished. "Never"

I smiled, and just hugged him. Sometimes actions spoke louder than words. "Feels good to get back in the saddle, doesn't it?" I asked, as we walked back to the car. "To our normal?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it does" Sam sighed. "But it doesn't change what we talked about last night, guys"

I tensed. "We talked about a lot of things last night" Dean said, squeezing my shoulder to tell me to keep my mouth shut. I did so.

"You know what I mean" Sam said, accusingly.

"You were wasted" Dean scoffed, as though that made it nothing.

"But you two weren't" Sam said. "And you promised"

I looked to Dean, and he just got in the car so I followed silently. I didn't know what we were going to do about any of this. I didn't even know if I was going to live or die. But what I did know that Sam didn't was one thing and one thing only.

I was never good at keeping promises.

**Don't forget to Review please!**


	41. Season 2, Chapter Sixteen

**Author's Note: Thanks you guys for all the reviews! I really appreciate them! **

**Chapter Forty One**

"Dude" Dean said, shaking me. "Get your ass out of bed"

I grumbled and flipped over. "C'mon De" I complained, with a yawn. "I've barely slept in a week! Five more minutes" I closed my eyes again.

"It's Christmas" he stated, as though that was supposed to make me get up or something.

"Oh" I said, rolling my eyes. I rolled over to face him. "Well then think of this as my present" I smiled and then closed my eyes again. He smacked me with the pillow, and then did it again, and again…and again…and—

"Okay, geez!" I said, "I'm up!" I hopped out of bed and glared at him before scampering to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and then as I opened the door and Dean smiled at me, I knew something was up. I knew it was Christmas, which we had been properly ignoring like we did every year, but that meant nothing to me. It really hadn't since I was six and found out that ghosts were real and that Santa was not.

"What?" I asked, sitting at the table. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Dean shrugged. "It's Christmas"

"Yeah" I stated, confused. "I know. So?" Dean shrugged. I drank some OJ and then watched him watch me some more. He was still staring at me. I looked to Sam, who just shook his head. "Are you okay?" I asked, Dean. "You're freaking me out"

"I'm fine" He grinned. "I think we should go to breakfast"

"Okay" Sam said, standing up. "When I went to the store yesterday there was a sign in the diner window that it should be open this morning. We can go there"

"Awesome" Dean smiled, and grabbed his coat and ran out the door. I wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but it was scaring me a little. He was usually the one who told me to shut up when I mentioned that it was Christmas. He had already insisted that we treat ourselves to a nicer room at an actual hotel, which was like a sign of the apocalypse.

I got dressed in record time, and then ran out the door after him, Sam on my heels. We went to the diner, and Dean happily sipped at his coffee, looking around at the nearly empty diner. Most people were at home, opening presents that had been under their tree, laughing and drinking egg nog or something. Whatever. And yet here we were, Sam and I pretending that we cared to make Dean happy.

"I'll have the short stack" Dean said, handing the menu to the waitress. "Extra bacon"

I ordered the French toast myself, watching Dean out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at me and Sam from across the table like he was trying to keep the smile on his face. It was the first time all day that I realized that he was faking. I kept this to myself for the moment.

We ate and left and went back to the hotel room without very many words exchanged. There really wasn't a lot to say. "Hey" Dean said, pulling out the old play station that they had in the motel room. "Wanna play?"

"What game?" I asked, deciding to just let Dean fake his happiness for awhile. We could use the pick me up.

He shrugged. "This racing one" he said, and then loaded it. He handed me the controller, and we started to play.

Almost an hour later, around noon, I was kicking his ass. "Go! Go!" I urged, jumping up and down in excitement. "C'mon!"

"You're cheating!" Dean said, pushing me over and making my car go into the wall.

"Dean!" I shouted and he just laughed. He crossed the finish line, and grinned at me. "You're such a freaking cheater!" I yelled, laughing anyway.

"My turn" Sam said, taking the controller that I threw at Dean's head. "And you're going down!"

"I don't think so Gigantor" Dean laughed, and then pressed play.

Later, after eating an entire bucket of chicken that Dean picked up and eating the ice cream he was able to get too, I lay on the bed. "Hey" Sam said. "Check this out"

"What?" I asked, sitting up.

"There was a jewelry heist and a bank robbery in Milwaukee this month" Sam said "And both perps stole the stuff and then killed themselves right after"

"That was stupid" I remarked. "I mean, what's the point if you can't even enjoy it?"

"I don't know" Dean said. "Can't we just enjoy Christmas and then think about another hunt?"

Sam and I both turned to stare at Dean in confusion. When I said that we never celebrated Christmas, I meant it. It was almost like Christmas came and past without any recognition. Sometimes we didn't even tell each other Merry Christmas. I wanted answers, and I wanted it now. "Okay" I said, standing up. "What's going on?"

"Lex" Sam warned.

"No, Sammy" I said, looking to Dean. "I want an explanation"

Dean just shook his head. "An explanation for what?"

"You know what" I said, exasperated. "This" I said, waving my arms around. "Dean we never think about Christmas, ever"

"Well sorry for trying to have a nice time" Dean scoffed. "I mean, I just thought with all the crap that's went down lately you'd want to feel better on our first holiday without Dad, okay?"

I was slightly taken aback at that. "That's what this is about?" I asked, "It's because it's our first one without dad?" Dean said nothing, just shooting me pathetic glance. I couldn't help it. I started to laugh.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, but kept laughing. "Dean, that's the…that's just…"

"What?" He asked.

"When was the last time you can think of that dad was sober for Christmas, or hell, even with us?" I asked, starting to laugh again. "This _is _normal for us on Christmas!"

Sam started to chuckle behind me, and Dean cracked a smile. It wasn't really funny at all, but we all laughed anyway. "Remember that one year?" Sam asked, through laughter. "When dad left and Dean decided that he wanted to spend the entire amount of money dad left to buy that mini bike for us?"

"That thing was sweet" Dean said in defense.

"Until dad got back a day early and busted you" I snorted, remembering how mad he had been. "He made us get rid of it"

"Yeah" Dean sighed. "Good times"

"Yeah" I agreed. "Today was good too" I hugged his waist. "Thanks"

"I didn't even give you your present yet" he smiled. I waited expectantly as he went into his bag and pulled out a two boxes, one for me and one for Sam"

"What is it?" I asked, opening it. We didn't have money, so I knew it had to be something small. I pulled out a knife that had been my fathers. The handle was engraved by hand to be JW. It had been in his possession since as long as I could remember. "Dean" I sighed. I held the grip, and smiled. "Thanks"

"Yeah" Sam said, holding up the book from the store that Sam saw months ago. I hadn't even seen Dean pick it up. "Thanks"

"You're welcome" He said, with a bright smile.

It wasn't traditional, but this was an awesome Christmas by my standards.

SPNSNPNPSNPSNPNSPNSPSPN

We decided to pick up that hunt, and headed to Milwaukee. We entered the Jewelry store that had been robbed and Dean immediately went to work on picking up the employee while Sam and I did actual work. "So, what's it like, being an FBI guy?" the girl asked, leaning over the table so that her boobs were nicely shown. I rolled my eyes, looking at all the expensive jewelry.

Dean sighed, like he was about to tell his life story "Well…it's dangerous" he started. "And the secrets we've gotta keep…oh, God, the secrets. But mostly, it's lonely"

"I _so_ know what you mean" she said, leaning over further.

Sam and I were staring until the manager came out. I made puking noises, and Sam snorted. The head manager came back out. "Yeah" the man said. "Helena was our head buyer. She…she was failing, you know? She said it herself. Every year at the Christmas party, she said we were the only family she had"

"So, there were never any signs that she'd do something like this?" Sam asked, thinking of the robbery that she had committed not even a day ago.

"No. I still can't believe it, even now" he said, shaking his head. "That night, Helena came back to the store after closing, cleaned out all the display cases and the safe. Edgar, our night watchman –- he caught her in the act. He didn't know what to do. He'd known her for years. He called me at home"

"And that's when she took his gun?" I asked.

"She shot him in the face" he replied, with a grimace. "I heard him die through the phone" I winced.

"Any idea what her motive could have been?" Sam asked.

"What motive?" he asked. "It makes no sense. Why steal all those diamonds, all that jewelry, than what? Just dump it somewhere? Just hide it and then go home and then fry yourself in the bathtub"

"So, you never saw the security camera footage yourself, then?" Sam asked, as I glanced back at Dean. Great, he was getting her number. Way to be professional.

"The police –- they took all the tapes, first thing" the guy said.

"Of course they did" Dean said as he walked over and put the number in his pocket.

"You get her number?" I asked, speaking out of the corner of my mouth.

"I'm a professional" Dean stated, looking offended. I raised my eyes and he grinned. "Of course I did"

We walked out after that disappointing bit of information. Now we had nothing to go on since we had no idea what we were dealing with. Sam had some information on a bank that had been hit up the same way as the jewelry store, so we headed to the guard's house whom was there that night.

"This is it" Sam said, stopping in front of the last house on the right hand side.

"Ugh, friggin' cops" Dean scoffed as we walked up the drive.

"Stupid nice outfit" I scoffed, pulling the skirt back down again. "I don't get why I can't wear pants. Plenty of normal business people wear pants"

Sam shot me a look to shut up and then sighed at Dean. "They're just doing their job" he said.

"No, they're doing _our_ job, only they don't know it, so they suck at it" Dean replied, shaking his head. "Talk to me about this bank"

"Milwaukee National Trust –- it was hit about a month ago" Sam replied, and then looked down at the papers that we was holding.

"Same M.O. as the jewelry store?" I asked.

"Yep, inside job, long-time employee, the never-in-a-million-years type" Sam said. "Dude robs the bank then goes home and supposedly commits suicide"

"And this guy, Resnick –- he was a security guard on duty?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" Sam said. "He was actually beaten unconscious by the teller who heisted the place"

"God…" I sighed.

"Yeah" Sam scoffed and then knocked on the door. There was no answer at first so Sam yelled. "Mr. Resnick? Ronald Resnick?"

A flood light came on and nearly blinded me. "Son of a…" Dean said.

"FBI, Mr. Resnick" Sam said, squinting in the light. I stepped behind Sam and then could see again. I could make out the shape of the guy.

"Let me see the badge" he insisted. Sam, Dean and I all took out our badges and then slammed them against the glass of the window in annoyance. Maybe if we could freaking see…. Ron turned the light off. "I already gave my statement to the police" he said.

"Yeah, listen, Ronald" Dean said. "There's just some things about your statement we wanted to get some clarification on"

"You read it?" he asked, seeming slightly surprised.

"Sure did" I smiled.

"Come to listen to what I've gotta say?" he asked, not seeming to believe a word we were saying. He narrowed his eyes at Sam and then looked at me slightly less harsh.

"Well, that's why we're here" I stated, with my best you-can-trust-me face.

Ron stared at me for a moment, and then sighed. "Come on in" He led us into his house. "None of the cops ever called me back" he said, pacing around the room. I glanced at the walls and the papers on them. They were full of conspiracy theories and other crazy crackpot ideas. "Not after I told them what was really going on. They all thought I was crazy"

"I'm sure you're not crazy" I said, a little hesitantly. Oh this guy was off his rocker.

"Thanks" he said, smiling at me. "Anyway, first off, Juan Morales never robbed the Milwaukee National Trust, okay? That I guarantee. See, me and Juan were friends. He used to come back to the bank on my night shifts and we'd play cards"

"So, you let him into the bank that night? After hours?" Sam asked.

"The thing I let into the bank…wasn't Juan" Ron said. "I mean, it had his face, but it wasn't _his_ face. Every detail was perfect, but _too_ perfect, you know, like if a doll-maker made it. Like I was talking to a big Juan doll"

"A Juan doll?" I asked.

Ron handed me a file. "Look. This wasn't the only time this happened, okay?" he said, standing a little too close to me for comfort. "There was this jewelry store, too, and the cops and you guys –- you just won't see it. Both crimes were pulled by the same thing"

"What's that, Mr. Resnick?" Sam asked.

Ron held up an issue of Fortean times, with a cover about "cybermen". Whatever the hell those were. "Chinese have been working on it for years. And the Russians before that –- part-man, part-machine" Ron said, looking at us bug eyed. "Like the Terminator, but the kind that can change itself, make itself look like other people"

"Like the one from _T2" _Dean stated.

"Exactly! See, it's not just a robot" Ron said. "It's more of a…a mandroid"

"A mandroid?" I asked, in confusion.

He leaned over me, and smiled. "Or whatever _you_ want to call it" I grimaced backing away a little, looking at Dean for help. He just grinned happily.

"And what makes you so sure about this, Ronald?" Sam asked.

Ron grinned at me and then put a video in the VCR, and then hit play. "See, I made copies of all the security tapes. I knew once the cops got them, they'd be buried. Here" He rewound the tape until the screen was clear.

"Watch…watch him…watch him" He said, pointing. I stared at the person he was pointing to and then. "Look! There it is!" he said, pointing. He paused the tape on what I assumed to be Juan. "You see, he's got the laser eyes" he insisted.

I stared hard at the silver eyes. I could tell you one thing, that was not a mandroid.

"The cops said it was some kind of reflected light, some kind of camera flare. Ain't no damn camera flare" he scoffed. "They say I'm a post-trauma case. So what? Bank goes and fires me? It don't matter! The mandroid is still out there!" He flailed his arms around to make his point, almost smacking me in the face. "The law won't hunt this thing down? I'll do it myself. You see, this thing –- it kills the real person, makes it look like a suicide. Then it sort of morphs into that person, cases the job for a while till it knows the take is fat, and then it finds its opening"

He walked over to a map and pointed. "Now, these robberies –- they're grouped together, so I figure that the mandroid is holed up somewhere in the middle. Underground, maybe, I don't know. Maybe that's where it recharges its, uh…mandroid batteries!"

"Uh-huh" I said, staring at him. To tell the truth, I was a little impressed. Mandroid or not, he was close to the answer.

"Okay" Sam said slowly. "I want you to listen very carefully" He stood up, so Dean and I followed. "Cause I'm about to tell you the God's-honest truth about all of this" Ron looked excited, like we were about to make his dreams come true. "There's no such thing as mandroids" Sam stated. His smiled faded, and he looked destroyed. "There's nothing evil or inhuman going on out there. It's just people. Nothing else, you understand?" Sam asked.

Ron looked at a loss for words. "But…the laser eyes"

"It's just a camera flare, Mr. Resnick" Sam said. "See, I know you don't wanna believe this, but your friend, Juan robbed the bank, and that's it"

Ron started fuming. "Get out of my house! Now!"

"Sure" Sam said. "First things first" He looked at the tapes. "I'm going to need to take those"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNPSN

Dean was still laughing as we entered the motel room. "Man, that has got to be the kicker, straight up" he chuckled. "You tell that poor son of a bitch that - what did you say? Remand the tapes that he copied? Classified evidence of an ongoing investigation? That's messed up"

"What, are you pissed at me or something?" Sam asked, annoyed. Dean had been laughing at him the entire time that we had been on our way here.

"No, I just think it's a little creepy of how good of a Fed you are" Dean stated. "Come on, we could've at least thrown the guy a bone. He did some pretty good legwork here"

I scoffed. "Mandroid?"

"Except for the mandroid part" Dean agreed. "But I think you're just bitter because the poor sucker liked you" I glared. Dean grinned. "I liked him. He's not that different from you and me" he went on. "People think we're crazy"

"Yeah, except he's not a hunter, Dean" Sam said. "He's just a guy who stumbled onto something real. If he were to go up against this thing, he'd get torn apart. Better to stay in the dark and stay alive"

"Yeah, I guess" Dean said.

Sam put the tape in our TV and paused at Juan's eyes again. "Shape-shifter" Sam said. "Just like back in St. Louis. Same retinal reaction to video"

"Eyes flare at the camera" Dean said. He paused and then scowled. " I hate those freakin' things"

"You think we don't?" I asked, sitting on the bed.

"Yeah, well, one didn't turn into you and frame you for murder" Dean replied, smugly.

"Touché" I smirked. I flopped back on the bed, really tired. I hadn't been sleeping well again. I wondered if we had any of those sleeping pills left.

Sam sighed. _"_Look, if the shifter's anything like the one we killed in Missouri—"

"Then Ronald's right" Dean said. "All right, they like to layer up underground, preferably the sewer. Now, all the robberies have been connected so far, right?"

"Yep" I said, with a sigh.

"To the sewer main layout" Dean said, pointing at the sewer map. "There's one more bank lined up on that same sewer main"

"So we're going there now?" I asked, already wanting to go to bed. It was only dinner time.

"Yeah" Sam and Dean said together.

I sighed and got up. Dean tossed my coat at me and I took it and put it on. "Are you okay?" Dean asked, watching me as we headed back to the Impala.

"I'm good" I said, with a reassuring smile.

We drove all the way to the City Bank of Milwaukee. Everyone was milling around like normal, just going about their daily business. I couldn't do anything this time, since I really didn't look anything like a guard service worker. Sometimes I wasn't even really sure how I passed for a FBI agent.

I followed Dean and Sam into the lobby and then watched them go up to the guard. "Well, we haven't had any flags go up on our system yet" the man said.

"No, no. This is a glitch in the overall grid" Dean shrugged. "We just wanna make sure the branch monitors are kosher"

The guard nodded, buying into it. "Better to be safe than sorry, I guess"

"That's the plan" Dean smiled. The guard went to lead them to the back room with all the cameras, and Sam shot me a look that told me to stay there. I scowled at him, and then took a seat.

I sat still for about ten minutes until I got bored. I took a look at the security guard, and then smirked. I ran up to him. "Excuse me?" I asked politely. "There's a guy out front? He's making a huge scene"

He nodded and started to run off. I took this awesome opportunity and then opened the doot that said security. Both Sam and Dean jumped. "Hey boys" I smiled. "Whatcha got?"

Sam glared. "I thought we told you to stay put?"

"I got bored"

"It's only been ten minutes" Sam replied, incredulously.

"Like I said" I smiled. "I got bored"

"Okay" Dean said, not caring. "You got any popcorn?"

I smirked and took a seat. I spun around in the chair and used Sam's chair to spin off of. After awhile, he stopped me. "Sit still" he insisted.

"Sit still" I mocked, rolling my eyes. I stopped though.

"Well, it looks like Mr. Okey-Dokey is…okey-dokey" Dean said, pointing to the one screen.

"Maybe we jumped the gun on this, Dean. We don't even know it's here" Sam said. Dean was ignoring him, just zooming in on some girls ass. "Maybe we should just go back to the sewers and_…" _Sam stopped talking. He scoffed. "Dean, we're supposed to be looking for eyes"

"I'm getting there" Dean smirked, zooming out.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked. I jumped. "Wait a minute"

"What?" Dean asked.

"There" I pointed. The bank manager had bright eyes. "Hello, freak"

"Got him" Sam smiled, getting up.

"Wait" Dean said.

"What?" I asked. He pointed to another moniter. "Oh well hello, Ronald" I sighed. I looked up at Dean and Sam. We all shared a collective glance and then ran out. This was going to be trouble.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSN

"And you said we shouldn't bring guns" Dean said, after hearing shots go off from downstairs. Apparently, Ron had a gun on him. How did that man know how to shoot a gun?

"I didn't know this was gonna happen, Dean" Sam growled.

"Just let me do the talking" Dean scoffed. "I don't think he likes you very much, Agent Johnson"

"Maybe I should talk" I said, jogging to keep up with them. "He definitely likes me"

"No" They both said together, and I put my hands up in surrender. Fine, I wouldn't say anything. "You stay up here until we have him under control" Dean added

"But—"

"Lexis" he said, sternly. I reluctantly nodded. "Good" he said, and then Sam and Dean both headed out into the open.

"Now, there's only one way in or out of here, and I chained it up" Ron said, pointing to the doors that he chained. "So nobody's leaving, you understand?"

I watched Sam and Dean walk in. Dean smiled. "Hey, buddy? Calm down. Just calm down" he said.

"What? _You_?" he asked, in shock. "Get on the floor, now!"

"Okay, we're doing that" Dean said, kneeling on the floor. Sam followed his lead. "Just don't shoot anybody, especially us"

"I knew it. As soon as you two left" he said. "You ain't FBI. Who are you? Who you working for, huh? The Men in Black? You workin' for the mandroid?"

"We're not working for the mandroid!" Sam scoffed loudly.

"You, shut up! I ain't talking to you, I don't like you!" Ron said, and Dean smirked

"Fair enough" Sam said, glaring at Dean.

"Get over there" Ron said. "Frisk them down, make sure they've got no weapons. Go!"

The employee nervously patted down Sam, who tensed and looked extremely uncomfortable. I walked out, fed up with this nonsense. The man patting them down pulled a knife out of Dean's shoe. "Now, what have we here?" Ron asked as the man handed it to him.

Sam glared at him, "I'm not just gonna walk in here naked!" Dean whispered urgently.

"Get back down" Ron said. I watched him put the knife in the trash.

"Ron" I said, my hands up. "You need to calm down. We know you don't wanna hurt anybody. But that's exactly what's gonna happen if you keep waving that cannon around"

"Where did you come from?" he asked, pointing the gun at me. "Where?"

"Ron" I said, in my best flirty voice. "Now, why don't you let these people go?"

"No!" He shouted. "I already told you, if nobody's gonna stop this thing, then I've gotta do it myself!"

"Hey, we believe you!" Dean said. "That's why we're here!"

"You don't believe me! Nobody believes me!" Ron shouted, waving the gun a little too much for my liking. "How could they?" He looked to me. "Now I don't care if you have a nice butt or not, get on the ground. Now!"

"You think I have a nice butt?" I asked, sincerely. No one had ever complimented me on it before.

"GET DOWN!"

I got down on the floor. "Come here" I said, motioning towards me.

"What? No!" Ron said.

"You're holding the gun, boss, you're calling the shots" Dean said. "We just wanna tell you something. Come here"

I looked at him, and he gave me a look to just keep my mouth shut. "It's the bank manager" Dean whispered.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Why do you think we got these get-ups, huh?" Dean asked. "We've been monitoring the cameras in the back. We saw the bank manager. We saw his eyes"

"His laser eyes?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Yes –- no, no!" I said, rolling my eyes. "Look, we're running out of time, okay? We've gotta find him before he changes into someone else"

"Like I'm gonna listen to you!" Ron scoffed. "You're a damn liar!" Dean slowly started to get up. "I'll shoot you, get down!" Ron said, aiming the gun.

"Take me. Take me with you, take me as a hostage" Dean said. "Hell, take Lexie too if you want. But we've gotta act fast. 'Cause the longer we just sit here, the more time he has to change" Ron looked unsure, his grip still on the trigger. "Look at me, man. I believe you. You're not crazy. There really is something inside this bank"

Ron stared for a moment, slowly lowering the gun. "All right" he said. "You come with me. But everyone else gets in the vault!"

We were forced to the vault. "Come on, move! Move, move!" He said. I went to stay out, but Dean pushed me inside. I glared at him. I really didn't want to be stuck in here. "Now, you lock it up" Ron said to Dean.

"It's okay, everyone. Just stay cool" Dean said, as he shut the door. I looked to Sam, scoffed and then slid down the wall to the floor.

"Who is that man?" An employee asked, staring dreamily at the door.

"He's my brother" Sam stated.

She sighed. "He is _so_ brave"

"He sure is" I snorted, bringing my knees up to my chest. Sam sat down next to me after pacing for awhile. "What the hell is Dean's plan?" I asked, "We know who it is!"

"What do you want us to kill it with?" Sam asked. "We're empty handed!"

I pulled the knife out of my boot. "They didn't pat me down"

"I thought I told you to put that back in the trunk!" Sam said, glaring at me.

I smirked. "Aren't you glad I didn't listen?" I put it back, just in case, and then we went back to silence, until the annoying woman who apparently now had the hots for Dean started babbling. I covered my ears in irritation.

"You're brother is just so great" she remarked, pacing back and forth.

"No" I replied, giving Sam a please help me look. I did not want to talk about this anymore. I was getting sick of talking about Dean. "I hate this plan" I stated to Sam. Out of nowhere, the power went out, leaving all of us in the dark. "Okay" I said loudly. "Now I really hate this plan"

"Has your brother always been so…wonderful?" Sherri went out. "I mean…staring down that gun. And, you know, the way he played right into that psycho's crazy head, telling him what he wanted to hear. He's like a real hero or something"

I groaned. "Yeah…yeah" Sam said.

The vault opened, and Dean peered in. "Oh my God! You saved us! You saved us!" Sherri shrieked happily.

"I'm going to kill her"

Dean held out his gun. "Actually, I just found a few more" he said. He motioned for more hostages to come inside the already cramped vault. "Come on, everybody, let's go!"

Sherri's smile faded. "What are you doing?"

"Sam, Ronald and I need to talk to you" Dean said. "You too, Lex" Sam and I shared a glance and exited the vault. Dean locked it behind me and sighed. "It shed its skin again. We don't know when. Could be in the halls, could be in the vault"

"Great" I said, rolling my eyes. "That's freaking awesome"

"You know, Dean, you _are_ wanted by the police" Sam said. Dean just chuckled. "So, even if we do find this damn thing, how the hell are we gonna get out of here?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, one problem at a time" Dean stated. "All right, I'm gonna do a sweep of the whole place to see if I can find any stragglers. Once we get everyone together, we've gotta play a little game of "Find the Freak" He pulled something out of his pocket. "So, here –- I found another one of these for you"

He looked to me and I pulled out the knife in my boot. "I'm always prepared" I stated, with a smile.

"Right" Dean smirked. "Now, stay here. Make sure Ronald doesn't hurt anybody. Help him manage the situation"

"Help him _manage_?" I asked. "Are you insane?"

Dean glanced back to where Ron was listening and gave him a thumbs-up. _"_Look, I know this isn't going the way we wanted it to—" Dean said.

Sam cut him off. "Understatement!"

"But if we invite the cops in right now, Ronald gets arrested, we get arrested, the shifter gets away. We'll probably never find it again, okay?" Dean said, ignoring him.

Sam pointed to the front door, where Ron was standing in the light. "Ron! Out of the light!" Dean shouted. Ronald looked around, and then moved.

"Seriously?" I asked,

"Yeah, Ron's gameplay was a bad plan" Dean admitted. "I mean, it was a bit of a crazy plan, but right now, crazy's the only game in town, okay?" Dean walked off to go search, and I went with him.

"Hi, Ronald" Sam said gruffly as we left. I shot him a smile, which he did not return and then snorted.

Dean and I ducked below the windows as we made our way through the halls. I made sure that no one outside would see me. I kept to the shadows, following Dean through the halls. He went into the monitor room again. "See anyone?" I asked, keeping an eye on the door.

"Nope" he said, "C'mon, let's keep going"

We went back to the hallway, and opened the door to an office. It was empty, and no one around. I looked around. "Hey" Dean said, happily.

"What?" I asked.

He turned around and held up a piece of candy. "Dude's got candy on his desk" he stated. I smacked the candy out of his hand and rolled my eyes.

I looked up to see the ceiling caving in slightly. I pointed up, and Dean nodded. He grabbed the coat rack, and poked at it. At that exact moment, the ceiling broke and a dead guy fell through, landing on the carpet in front of me. "Oh, dead guy" I remarked. "Nice"

"Was he in the vault?" Dean asked.

I scanned my memory. "Yeah" I stated. "He should still be down there"

"We gotta get to Sam" he said, and we ran back downstairs.

We came back to the vault, seeing the shapeshifter holding up an old guy. Dean whispered what was going on into Sam's ear. "You know what, Ronald?" Sam said, after hearing it. "He's right. We've gotta get this man outside" He went to help the man. "Come on, I've got you"

The shapeshifter nodded. "Yeah, I'll help you"

"No, I've got him" Sam said, coolly. "It's cool. Thanks"

The security guard was breathing heavily. "Thank you"

Sam nodded. Dean was glaring at the shapeshifter. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

The shapeshifter walked towards us. "You've got the gun, man. Whatever" He stopped in front of Dean and then punched him, knocking Dean off his feet. I kneeled to help Dean up, while Ron went after the shapeshifter.

"Stop! Come back here!" Ron screamed, running away.

"Oh crap" I said, and followed. "Ron, stop!"

I stopped with Sam, as Ron was shot down by a sniper from outside the bank. The bullet pierced through him and he fell to the ground. I watched in shock as he lay crumpled on the ground, dead.

"Here, take care of the guard" Sam said, after a moment. "I'm going after the shifter"

"Wait" I said, following. "I'll help you" I casted Ron one last sad glance, and then ran away with Sam, avoiding the windows. Sam stopped and kicked in a closet. There was nothing inside.

"This is really creepy" I remarked, and then turned the corner. My heart jumped when a saw a person.

"Oh! Oh my God! Please don't hurt us!" Sherri yelled.

"You shouldn't be back here right now! You're in danger!" I whispered. "Now, go back to the vault! Now!" They all turned and left and I shook my head. This was turning out to be the stupidest most needlessly complicated case I think we ever did ever.

I walked backwards and then stopped. "Ew" I remarked. "Sam, look!" I pointed to the fresh pile of skin on the ground.

Sam grimaced. "We gotta tell Dean" he said, and pulled me into the stairwell. He dialed him and it ran twice before Dean answered. "Slipped its skin" Sam said.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, bastard shifts fast" Sam stated. "A lot faster than the one in St. Louis"

"God, it's like playing the Shell Game. It could be anybody, again!" Dean said.

"I think most of the employees are out of the vault by now" I said. "I ran into a bunch"

"All right, you search every inch of this place" Dean said. "I'm gonna go round everybody up"

Sam and I shared a look, and then went back to searching. After opening the tenth door and getting nothing, and I sighed. "I'm going to head back to the vault, see if Dean's okay"

"Watch your back" Sam said seriously. I nodded and carefully made my way all the way back to where I started. I kept to the shadows, listening for any signs of movement.

As I came back, Dean was closing the vault off again. "And I thought you were one of the good guys" Sherri scoffed.

Dean stopped. "What's your name?"

Sherri grimaced. "Why would you care?" she demanded, angrily.

Dean shrugged. "My name's Dean"

Sherri said nothing for a moment. "I'm Sherri" she said.

"Hi, Sherri" Dean said, and then the phone started to ring. I stared at it, waiting for a signal from Dean as to what to do. It had to be the police calling us. They wanted to assess the situation. "Everything's gonna be all right. This will all be over soon, okay?" Dean said, as he shut the vault.

He picked the phone up. I struggled to make him put the phone so that I could hear too, and in the end I won out. "Yeah?" Dean asked.

"This is Special Agent Victor Henricksen" the voice said.

"Yeah, listen, I'm not really in a negotiating mood right now, so—"

"Good, me neither" Hendricksen said, cutting Dean off. "It's my job to bring you in. Alive's a bonus but not necessary"

"Whoa" Dean said, looking uneasy. "That's kind of harsh for a Federal Agent, don't you think?"

"Well, you're not the typical suspect, are you, Dean?" Hendricksen asked. I jumped as I heard Dean's name. "I want you and Sam and Lexie out here, unarmed, or we come in. And yes, I know about Sam, too –- Bonnie to your Clyde and the little sister you look after"

"Yeah, well, that part's true, but how'd you even know we were here?" Dean asked. "And my sister ain't in the building" I glanced at him and rolled my eyes. Yeah Dean, protect me, that's what we really need to worry about right now

"Go screw yourself, that's how I knew" Hendricksen remarked. "It's become my job to know about you, Dean. I've been looking for you for weeks now. I know about the murder in St. Louis, I know about the Houdini act you pulled in Baltimore. I know about the desecrations and the thefts. I know about your dad"

Dean tensed. "You don't know crap about my dad"

"Ex-Marine, raised his kids on the road –- cheap motels, backwood cabins, real paramilitary survivalist type" Hendricksen listed. "I just can't get a handle on what type of wacko he was. White supremacist, Timmy McVeigh, tomato, to-mah-to"

"You've got no right talking about my dad like that" Dean argued. "He was a hero"

"Yeah, right. Sure sounds like it" he replied. "You have one hour to make a decision or we come through those doors, full automatic" The line went dead.

Sam came up behind me, making me jump slightly. "Hey" he said, ignoring my jumpiness.

"Hey" Dean said. "We've got a bit of a problem outside"

Sam pointed to the vault. "We've got a problem in here" He said. "Sherri's the shapeshifter"

"Dean's adoring fan?" I asked. "Really? It couldn't have been anyone else?"

Dean sighed and opened the vault. "Sherri? We're gonna let you go" he said.

"What?" she asked. "Why me?"

"Uh, it's a show of good faith to the Feds" Dean replied, thinking on his feet. "Come on"

"Uh…I think I'd rather stay here with the others" she replied, stepping backwards.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist" Dean said. She didn't move for a long time, and then slowly followed us. We took her to the room where a dead her was lying on the carpet, it's throat slit. "I thought you were letting me go" she said, and then spotted the corpse. She started to scream and thrash about, freaking out.

"Is that community theatre, or are you just naturally that good?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"This is the last time you become anybody, ever" Sam said, raising the weapon.

"No! Oh, God!" she cried, and then collapsed onto the floor.

"The hell?" I asked, looking from the one motionless body to the other. Dean shrugged and then went for the one that just collapsed, and readied to stab her. "Dean, wait" I said. "This doesn't make sense"

"Yeah" Sam asked. "What's the advantage of this plan? I mean, fainting now wouldn't help it survive"

Dean stopped and then looked from one body to the other again, as confused as ever. "Huh" he said. Glass shattering made me look away, and by the time I looked back, the Sherri that we had thought to be dead had Dean by the throat.

"Oh, God! Oh, God!" other Sherri said, waking up. Sam helped her to her feet and started to run out.

I kicked at the shapeshifter, getting it off of Dean. I lunged at me, smacking me into the wall. All the air in my lungs was forced out, making me choke on air. It ran out, and Dean went after it. I ran to go after them, and found that there were SWAT members now roaming the halls.

"Damn it" I swore, and ducked into a staircase.

I walked around aimlessly, trying to find some way to get out of here. I had no idea where Sam and Dean were, and was trapped. I heard a thud and went in that direction.

I saw Dean fighting off Sherri. I grabbed for her arm to pull her off and make her fall, but skin came off. "Oh, ew" I said, and she pushed me back.

She turned and kicked Dean in the groin. He doubled over and groaned. It had Dean against the wall, choking him. I knocked her sideways, until she was against the wall. Dean took the knife I held and plunged it deep into her.

A SWAT member came down the hall. Dean and I exchanged a glance. My heart was pounding. We were so screwed. We were caught, next to another dead girl.

"It's me" Sam whispered. "Here"

"Jesus, Sammy" I laughed, taking the SWAT uniform he held. "Don't do that"

We quickly pulled the black material over our clothes, and then ran out the back doors undetected. No one gave us a second glance. By the time we got to the parking garage, I was out of breath. I hadn't realized I had been holding it.

We got into the Impala and took the headgear off. I couldn't help it, I leaned into Dean, exhausted. "We are so screwed" Dean remarked.

He turned on the car, and started to drive off without another word. We eventually pulled over to go to the bathroom and get food and such about seven hours later. We just had to get out of there fast. Sam and Dean were both arguing over Sam's food choices, when my phone started to ring. "Get me—"

"Chicken tenders" Dean replied, waving me away.

I rolled my eyes, but walked away to answer. "Hello?"

"Lexie, what's up?" Logan asked.

I tensed, and contemplated just hanging up on him. "Nothing" I replied. "Not to sound rude, but why are you calling me?"

"Uh," he said, sounding anxious. "To tell you the truth, I don't know"

"Okay" I said, understanding. He was checking up on me.

"I guess…uh…" he stuttered. "I wanted to apologize?"

"Oh"

"Yeah" he sighed. "I know we ended badly, but I just…I couldn't let you hate me"

"It's okay" I said, "I…I don't hate you"

"Good" He said, sounding relieved. "Good" He cleared his throat, "So, uh, I'm with Hannah"

"That's nice" I said. "I'm sorry I busted in there like that it was just…"

"Unexpected?" He asked. "Yeah, it's okay. I should have at least warned you"

"Well it's not like we were talking"

"True" he said.

My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see Ash's name lighting up the screen. "Hey, I got another call" I said. "Want me to call you back?"

"That's okay" he said. "But, uh…we can talk again, right?"

"Yeah" I said, a little confused. "Anytime, Lo" He hung up, and then I pressed the button and switched to Ash. "What's going on, Ash?" I asked.

"I got another hit" he said, "It's a little more prominent that the last, but still under the radar. Thought you might want to know"

"Where?" I asked curiously.

"Right over Milwaukee" he replied. "Mean anything to you?"

My heart dropped into my stomach. "Uh…." I looked back to where Dean and Sam were exiting. "Nope. I don't think so"

"Okay, well I'll let you know if there's another"

"Thanks, Ash" I said, and clicked my phone shut. I headed to the car with them, and Dean handed me the chicken. "Thanks" I said, picking at it.

"I thought you said you were starving" Dean stated, narrowing his eyes.

"Suddenly I'm not very hungry anymore" I replied, but choked the food down anyway. I threw it out and then leaned back. "I'm going to sleep" I stated, and then went to staring at the ceiling at the car. I could still feel my heart pound in my chest.

My whole world could end at any moment, and there would be nothing I could do about it.

**A/N: Hey guys, so i'm just curious... Do you like or hate Logan? Just want to know all your opinions... Please leave your reply when you comment if you remember! I'd appreciate it! And feel free to request things that you want to see!**


	42. Season 2, Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all your reviews and input! I love hearing all the suggestions, so don't be afraid to drop me a line! Enjoy!**

**I don't own anything, it belongs to Kripke and Co. I only own my characters!**

**Chapter Forty Two**

We had to keep moving for about a week. I swear we didn't stop driving that entire time. Dean and Sam took shifts driving, and I even drove for awhile here and there. We ditched all our old credit cards, our phones, and anything else could think of that they could link to us. Even IDs that we had used recently ended up in the trash. We all but disappeared off the map.

By the time we actually stopped at a place with a bed to sleep we were all crabby and deprived of sleep. Not only had I spent the last seven days in the backseat of a car all cramped up, but every single time I closed my eyes, all I saw were yellow ones staring back at me. I would wake up with a start and then just give up on sleep for the night all together. It was really starting to drive me crazy. Neither Sam nor Dean even really bothered to ask me anymore about what they were about. I think they could figure it out for themselves.

We went in and I plopped myself on the bed. I glanced at the pad of paper that read Providence, Rhode Island on it. Somehow we had ended up back towards Milwaukee in the end. Dean smacked my foot. "I'm going to get food, what do you want?"

"Guess" I stated, and rolled over.

"Dude, you can't go out" Sam said, shaking his head. "You're on FBIs website man; they got you all over the place"

"So what, I'm on lockdown now?" Dean asked. "I can't stay cooped up forever, Sammy"

"Yeah" Sam agreed. "But still for right now, okay?" Dean grumbled but sat down on the bed. "I'll go and get the food"

"Fine" he said, and turned on the TV. I shrugged at Sam, and went to watch television with him. It wasn't like I had anything better to do.

Sam came back later, holding up a newspaper. "Guys, check this out" he said, putting the food on the table. I came over and read the article he was pointing at. "This lady stabbed this man in the heart, claiming that an angel told her to do it"

"Huh" I said, and grabbed my fries. "Crazy"

"Yeah" he agreed. "Think we should check it out?"

Dean looked at him with a mouth full of food. He swallowed, glaring like Sam was nuts himself. "Why?" he asked. "This lady goes off the deep end, hears voices and then stabs someone. Sounds like your run of the mill psychopath on the loose"

"Maybe" Sam said, "But I think there might be more to it"

"But, why?" I asked.

"Because this is the second person in the town to kill someone because an angel told them to" Sam replied. "That's weird, right?"

"Alright" Dean said, "We'll check it out"

"No" Sam said, shaking his head. "I'll check it out"

"What?" Dean and I asked, annoyed.

"You two are staying behind" Sam stated. "Dean, you can't go out yet, and Lex, someone needs to watch him. He'll sneak out" I glared at Dean, who gave me a sheepish smile. It was true; he would pull something like that. "I'll go" he said, taking his food with him.

I finished off my food and then watched Dean pace back and forth. He went from one end of the room to the other, he took a shower, he watched TV in five minute intervals, and pretty much anything else he could think of to do. "Could you just like sit still?" I asked, looking up from my homework in annoyance.

"There's nothing to do in here" he complained.

"Okay, seriously?" I asked. "We were stuck in motel rooms for longer periods of times when we were kids and you were fine"

"I had things to do" he said, "And I couldn't hunt. I didn't know what I was missing"

I just rolled my eyes and gave up. I was never going to win anyway. In the end, he settled on the bed with my iPod in his ears. He played with the magic fingers, which pretty much made the entire room shake. I looked down at my homework and then just shut the laptop. This was a lost cause. "I'll be back!" I called, and he just waved me away.

I went to the pop machine, and put in a dollar. I grabbed my coke and saw Sam pull up in the impala. "Hey" I said, taking a sip. "What you'd find out? Is she psycho?"

"Not so much" Sam replied "Where's Dean?"

I pointed to the room. "He's having way too much fun with those magic fingers on the bed" I shuddered and Sam just laughed, pulling me in. Dean looked like he was in ecstasy as he lay there and the bed vibrated.

"Hey" Sam said, but Dean ignored our presence. He smacked Dean on the boot. "Hey!"

"Hey" Dean said, happily. "Man, you gotta try this; I mean there really is magic in the Magic Fingers"

Sam grimaced and looked to me. "Told you" I said, shaking my head. "It's creepy"

"Dean, you're enjoying that way too much, it's kind of making me uncomfortable" Sam admitted.

"What am I supposed to do?" Dean asked, "I mean, you've got me on lockdown here, I'm bored out of my skull"

"Hey, you were the bank robber on the eleven o'clock news, not me. We can't risk you just walking into a government facility" Sam replied. Dean just hummed in response, going back to his magic fingers. Sam just waved a dismissive hand at him.

"Aw, dammit!" Dean said. "That was my last quarter" He looked around, and I shook my head. Even if I seriously had a quarter, I would not be giving it to him. "Hey! You got any quarters?" he asked, getting up and going over to Sam.

Sam looked up from washing his face. "No" he said.

"So did you get in to see that crazy hooker?" Dean asked, now interested.

"Yeah. Gloria Sitnick" Sam replied "And I'm not so sure she's crazy"

"But she seriously believes she was touched by an angel?" I asked. "Like a light shined down and a voice came from the heavens?"

"Yeah" Sam said, with a nod. "Blinding light, feelings of spiritual ecstasy, and the works. I mean, she's living in a locked ward and she's totally at peace"

"Oh yeah, you're right, that sounds completely sane" Dean scoffed. "What about the dude she stabbed?"

"Uh, Carl Gully" Sam replied. "She said she killed him because he was evil"

"Was he?" I asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I couldn't find any dirt on him" Sam said. "I mean, he didn't have a criminal record, he worked over at the campus library, had lots of friends, he was a churchgoer"

"Hm. So then Gloria's just your standard-issue wacko" Dean said. "I mean, she wouldn't be the first nut-job in history to kill in the name of religion, know what I mean?"

"No, but she's the second in town to murder because an angel told them to" Sam argued. "Little odd, don't you think?"

"Well, odd yes, supernatural maybe. But angels?" Dean asked. "I don't think so"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because there's no such thing, Lex" He stated matter-of-factly.

"Dean, there's ten times as much lore about angels as there is about anything else we've ever hunted" Sam said, a little taken aback. I had to admit, I kind of was too. I mean, there were demons.

"Yeah, you know what?" Dean said. "There's a ton of lore on unicorns too. In fact, I hear that they, they ride on silver moonbeams, and they shoot rainbows out of their ass"

Sam sat down, looking destroyed. "Wait, there's no such thing as unicorns?"

Dean stared at him. "That's cute" he said, rolling his eyed. "I'm just saying, man, there are just some legends that you just, you file under "bullcrap""

"And you've got angels on the bullcrap list?" Sam said, confused. . Dean just nodded. "Why?"

"Because I've never seen one" Dean shrugged, like this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So what?" I asked.

"So, I believe in what I can see"

Sam glared at him. "Dean! We've have seen things that most people couldn't even dream about"

"Exactly. With our own eyes, that's hard proof, okay?" he said. "But in all this time I have never seen anything that looks like an angel. And don't you think that if they existed that we would have crossed paths with them? Or at least know someone that crossed paths with them? No. This is a, a demon or a spirit, you know, they find people a few fries short of a happy meal, and they trick them into killing these randoms"

"Maybe" I shrugged.

Dean rolled his eyes at me. "Can we just—I'm going stir-crazy man. Hey, let's go by Gloria's apartment, huh?"

"I was just there" Sam said. "Nothing. No sulfur, no EMF—"

"You didn't see any fluffy white wing feathers?"Dean asked, sounding surprised.

"Shut up" I scoffed.

"But Gloria did say the angel gave her a sign, right beside Carl Gully's doorway" Sam finished, shooting Dean a look.

"Could be something at his house, worth checking out" he said eagerly. "Can we go?"

"I guess" Sam said. "But let's stay under the radar"

"Deal" Dean said, already halfway out the door. Sam and I exchanged a glance and then ran after him.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSPN

We pulled up to the house and hopped out. There was apparently no one there since the lady stabbed him. **"**Oh hey, Sam. I think I found it" Dean said, pointing to the angel statue. "It's a sign from up above" Sam just scoffed. I peered in the window. "Well, I think I learned a valuable lesson: Always take down your Christmas decorations after New Year's, or you might get filleted by a hooker from God. Ha." Dean smiled.

"I'm laughing on the inside" Sam said, and wandered towards the back of the house. I shot Dean a glance and then followed after Sam. Sam had stopped at the cellar door. "You know, Gloria said the guy was guilty to his deepest foundations" Sam said.

"You think she literally meant the foundation?" Dean asked, looking iffy.

I shrugged and opened the door, lifting it and then pushing it over. "Only one way to find out" I said, and then went inside. Sam quick ran and grabbed a flashlight for each of us.

I walked in, shining the light around, looking for some sort of sign. Sam picked at the wall in the back. "Hey" he whispered.

"You got something?" Dean asked, walking over.

Sam dug at the wall a little and pulled something out, looking at it. "What is it?" I asked

"It's a fingernail" he replied, looking up.

Dean grabbed two shovels we found down in the cellar and started digging. I held the flashlight, watching. We got only a few feet down, and suddenly I saw something. "Stop" I said, and kneeled down. I wiped some dirt off of the ground. "Ew" I said, jumping up. There were a bunch of dead people.

"So much for the innocent churchgoing librarian" Sam said, staring down at the pile of skeletons.

"Yeah, well, whatever spoke to Gloria about this knew what it was talking about, I'll give you that" Dean said, with a sigh.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

The next day, Sam and I went to the police station and left Dean behind. We got the info we needed on the missing people. Three had disappeared from the library where Carl Gully worked, which solved the whole skeleton business.

I unlocked the motel room and walked in. "Did you bring quarters?" Dean asked as I walked in.

"Hello to you to" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Dude, we're not enabling your sick habit" Sam said, tossing a sandwich at Dean. "You're like one of those lab rats that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies"

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, opening the sandwich. "I eat!" He looked up at us with a smile. "And I got news"

"Me too" Sam said.

"All right, you go first" Dean replied.

"Three students have disappeared off the college campus in the last year. All of them were last seen at the library" Sam stated.

"Where Carl Gully worked" I added, with a smirk.

"Sick bastard" Dean remarked.

Sam cleared his throat. "So Gloria's angel—"

"Angel?" Dean asked.

"Okay" Sam sighed. "Whatever this thing is..."

"Okay, well, whatever it is, it's struck again" Dean stated.

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"I was listening to the police radio before you got here; there was this guy, uh, Zach Smith, some local drunk; he went up to a stranger's front door last night, stabbed him in the heart" Dean said.

"And then I'm guessing he went to the police and confessed?" Sam asked.

"Yep. Roma Downey made him do it" Dean smirked. He stood up and pulled a Post-it off the mirror. "Now, I, uh... I got the victim's address"

"Well then we should go" Sam said, getting up. "We need to get to the bottom of this"

"Right" Dean said, and looked back at the bed. "And get quarters"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "C'mon" I said, grabbing his arm.

We made it to Frank's house in only about ten minutes. I hopped on top of the fence and then used that to open the window and go inside. Dean was right behind me. Sam and I settled at the computer, trying to crack the password.

"Hey" Dean said, "Search the kitchen"

I walked into the kitchen and looked around for some sign of anything supernatural. I got nothing. I opened the pantry and fridge and every stupid cabinet. Everything was normal.

"Hey" Dean said, smacking me on the shoulder. "You've been weird since we stopped at that food place after Milwaukee. Something up?"

"Nope" I sighed.

"Who was on the phone?"

"Uh…" I really wasn't in the mood to discuss what Ash had told me. All I was going to get out of Dean was that it was going to be fine. Everything was always goddamn fine. "Logan" I said, remembering that I had talked to him too.

"What did that douche want?" he scoffed, glaring at me.

"To apologize" I said, "For what happened between us"

"You're not going back to him are you?" he asked, glowering at me like I had just committed some hideous crime.

"No" I said, rolling my eyes. "We're just friends, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever" He said. "I know teenage boys. He just wants to get in your pants again"

"Dean" I said, turning to glare at him. "I already felt like crap when we broke up, I really don't need you to tell me what a loser I am for still caring for him, okay?" I stalked out and went back by Sam. Why did Dean always have to make me feel worse sometimes? Couldn't he just trust me to make my own decisions?

"Find anything?" Sam asked.

"No" I snapped, and he shot me a confused look.

"Well, Frank liked his catalogue shopping, but that's about all I got" Dean sighed, shooting me a look as well.

"Not much here" Sam said. "Except he's got this one locked file on his computer, I can't... hold on" He clicked around, and then smiled. "Not anymore" He looked back at the screen and frowned. "God"

"What?" Dean asked.

"Well, he's got all these emails. Dozens, to this lady named Jennifer" He looked up with a grimace. "This lady who's thirteen years old"

"Ew" I stated, disgusting.

"Oh, I don't want to hear this" Dean said, looking at me. "That's just nasty"

"Looks like they met in a chat room. These emails are pretty personal" He gasped. "Look at that. Setting up a time and place to meet"

"Great" I said. "I'm kind of glad this perv got stabbed"

"They were supposed to meet today" Sam went on,

"Huh. Well, I guess if you're gonna stab someone, good timing" Dean said. "I don't know, man, this is weird, you know? I mean, sure, some spirits are out for vengeance, but this one's almost like a do-gooder, you know? Like a—"

"Avenging angel?" Sam smirked, happily. Dean looked away from him. "Well, how else do you explain it, Dean? Three guys, not connected to each other, all stabbed through the heart? At least two were world-class pervs, and I bet if you dug deep enough on the other guy—"

"Hey" Dean said, suddenly picking up a paper.

"What?" I asked.

"You said Carl Gully was a churchgoer, right?" Dean asked. Sam and I nodded. "What was the name of his church?"

"Uh, Our Lady of the Angels?" Sam said, thinking back.

"Of course that'd be the name" Dean mumbled. He turned and held up a flyer. "Looks like Frank went to the same church"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Of course, our first stop was the church. We went inside, and started to talk to one of the reverends there, to get some information. He was friendly and old. **"**So you're interested in joining the parish?" he asked, happily.

"Yeah, well, you know, we just don't feel right unless we hit church every Sunday" Dean admitted. I stifled my laughter. Us in church every Sunday would be like a sign of the apocalypse.

"Where'd you say you lived before?" Father Reynolds asked curiously.

"Uh…" Sam thought, at a loss.

"Fremont, Texas" Dean said, jumping in.

"Really? That's a nice town" Father Reynolds said. "St. Teresa's parish, you must know the priest there"

"Sure, yeah, no it's uh, Father O'Malley" Dean replied, nodding. I could tell he just pulled that out of thin air.

"Hmm, I know a Father Shaughnessy…" Father Reynolds said, frowning.

"Shaughnessy, exactly. What'd I say?" Dean asked, with a shrug.

"You know, we're just happy to be here now, Father" I jumped, in shutting Dean up before he made more of a mess.

"And we're happy to have you, we could use some young blood around here" he smiled.

"Hey, listen, I gotta ask no offense, but uh, the neighborhood?" Dean asked.

"Well, it's gone to seed a little, there's no denying that, but that's why what the church does here is so important" Father responded. "Like I always say, you can expect a miracle, but in the meantime you work your butt off"

"Huh" Dean said. "Yeah, we heard about the murders"

"Yes" Father Reynolds frowned. "The victims were parishioners of mine; I'd known them for years"

"And the killers said that an angel made them do that?" I asked, wanting to know what a reverend would say about that happening.

"Yes. Misguided souls, to think that God's messenger would appear and incite people to murder. It's tragic" The father said, hanging his head.

"So you don't believe in those angel yarns?" Dean asked, glancing at Sam out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, no, I absolutely believe" Father Reynolds chuckled. "Kind of goes with the job description"

Sam pointed to a picture on the wall of the church. "Father, that's Michael, right?" he asked.

"That's right. The archangel Michael, with the flaming sword" Father replied. "The fighter of demons, holy force against evil"

"So they're not really the Hallmark card version that everybody thinks?" Sam asked. "They're fierce, right? Vigilant?"

Father Reynolds looked thoughtful "Well, I like to think of them as more loving than wrathful; but yes, a lot of Scripture paints angels as God's warriors."An angel of the Lord appeared to them, the glory of the Lord shone down upon them, and they were terrified."" He recited. Sam and I nodded. "Luke. Two nine" he stated, and then smiled. "I'm so happy you want to join up"

He led us back to the doors. "Well, thank you for speaking with us, Father" I said, with a smile.

"Oh, it's my pleasure. Hope to see you again" he said.

Dean pointed to the collection of random things on the steps. "Hey, Father, what's, what is all that for?" he asked.

"Oh, that's for Father Gregory. He was a priest here" Father Reynolds said with a sad smile.

"Was?" I asked, curiously.

"He passed away right on these steps. He's interred in the church crypt" Father replied.

"When did this happen?" Dean asked.

"Two months ago. He was shot for his car keys"

"I'm sorry" Sam and I said together.

"Yeah, me too. He was a good friend" Father said. "I didn't even have time to administer his last rites. But like I said, it's a tough neighborhood. Ever since he died I've been praying my heart out"

"For what?" I asked.

"For deliverance, from the violence and the bloodshed around here" he replied. "We could use a little divine intervention, I suppose."

"Well, Padre Thanks" Dean smiled. "We'll see you again"

I walked up to the shrine and stared at it for a second. "Huh" I said, picking up his picture. "He wasn't bad looking"

"What?" Sam demanded.

"I'm just saying" I said, handing him the picture. "Geez, take a chill pill"

"Well, it's all starting to make sense" Dean said, shooting me a look. "Devoted priest dies a violent death? That's vengeful spirit material right there" Sam said nothing, just shifting around uncomfortably. "And he knew all the other stiffs, because they went to church here, in fact I'm willing to bet that because he was their priest, he knew things about them that nobody else knew"

"Then again, Father Reynolds started praying for God's help about two months ago, right? Right about the time all this started happening?" Sam asked, still on the angel idea.

"Aw, come on, man, what's your deal?" Dean asked.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Look, I'll admit I'm a bit of a skeptic, but since when are you all Mr. 700 Club?" Dean asked. "No, seriously. From the get-go you've been willing to buy this angel crap, man. I mean, what's next, are you going to start praying every day?"

"I do" Sam said, staring, taken aback.

"What?" I asked.

"I do pray every day" Sam repeated. "I have for a long time"

"The things you learn about a guy" Dean said, clearly startled. I had to admit; even I hadn't known that about Sammy. "Huh. Come on let's go check out Father Gregory's grave"

We went into the crypt, which I had to admit, sincerely creeped me out. I didn't like to be surrounded by dead people. I know I'm in cemeteries all the time, but something about being underground and completely surrounded just freaks me out. All that was down here was a maze of long stone hallways. I kept right behind Dean.

We made it all the way to Father Gregory's grave, but then my head started pulsing. I looked to see Dean Look fine. I glanced behind me. "Where's Sammy?" I demanded, holding my head.

"He was right—"Dean stopped, when I booked it. I knew what this headache meant.

"Sammy? Sammy!" I yelled, retracing my steps. Sam was passed out cold on the floor. "Hey!" I yelled back at Dean. He came running, and kneeled next to Sam.

"Sam!" he yelled, grabbing him. Sam jerked away, with a loud groan. "You okay?" Dean asked.

Sam looked around, eyes settling on the stone angel statue. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay" he said, looking stunned.

"Come on" Dean said, hauling Sam to his feet. He pulled us him into the sanctuary, and made him sit in the pew. "You saw it, didn't you? Didn't you?" Dean asked, when Sam said nothing.

"Yeah" he said. "Yeah. Dean, I saw an angel"

"You..." Dean trailed off. Dean pulled out a flask and handed it to Sam. "All right. Here" he said.

Sam rolled his eyes. "I don't want a drink"

Dean shrugged and took a swig himself before turning back to Sam. "So. What makes you think you saw a, uh, angel?" he asked.

"It just, it appeared before me and I just, this feeling washed over me, you know?" Sam asked. "Like, like peace. Like grace"

"Okay, Ecstasy Boy, maybe we'll get you some glow sticks and a nice Dr. Seuss hat, huh?" Dean snorted.

"Dean, I'm serious" Sam pleaded. "It spoke to me, it knew who I was"

"It's just a spirit, Sam. Okay?" Dean said. "And it's not the first one to be able to read people's minds" He sat down on the opposite pew. "Okay, let me guess. You were personally chosen to smite some sinner, you've just got to wait for some divine bat signal, is that it?"

"Yeah, actually" Sam said.

"Great" Dean scoffed. "I don't suppose you asked what this alleged bad guy did?"

"Actually I did, Dean" Sam said, a little annoyed. "And the angel told me. He hasn't done anything. Yet. But he will"

Dean got up and started pacing. 'Oh, this is, this is... I don't believe this"

"Dean, lay off" I said, shooting him a look. "We don't know what's going on, okay? This could be real"

"Oh not you too" he scoffed.

"Dean, the angel hasn't been wrong yet!" Sam said. "Someone's going to do something awful, and I can stop it!"

"You know, you're supposed to be bad too, maybe, maybe I should just stop you right now" Dean said, throwing his hands up in annoyance.

"You know what, Dean? I don't understand!" Sam said. "Why can't you even consider the possibility—"

"What, that this is an angel?" Dean asked.

"Yes! Maybe we're hunting an angel here, and we should stop! Maybe this is God's will!" Sam shouted.

"Okay, all right. You know what?" Dean asked. "I get it. You've got faith. That's hey, good for you. I'm sure it makes things easier" He sat back down, looking solemn for a moment. "I'll tell you who else had faith like that mom. She used to tell me when she tucked me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me"

_Dean scampered into his room, after flicking Sam on the forehead. "Gotcha Sammy" he said with a laugh. _

_Sam ran after him as fast as his legs could carry him. "Dean, you cheated!" _

"_Did not!" Dean said back. _

_Mary rolled her eyes, and walked in, carrying Lexie. "C'mon boys, time for bed" She put her hand out and Sam grabbed it. Dean stood up and kissed Lexie on the forehead. She cooed softly, barely opening her eyes. She was only six months and barely did anything. (According to Dean, anyway)_

_Dean got into bed, as Mary came back in after laying the baby down. "Goodnight, Dean" she smiled, "Angels are watching over you" She kissed him on the forehead and gave him one last smile before walking out and turning the light off. _

"You never told me that" Sam said, staring at him.

"Well, what's to tell? She was wrong" Dean shrugged. "There was nothing protecting her. There's no higher power, there's no God. I mean, there's just chaos, and violence, and random unpredictable evil that comes out of nowhere and rips you to shreds" I hung my head, staring at my feet. "You want me to believe in this stuff? I'm going to need to see some hard proof. You got any?" Sam said nothing, just staring back at him. "Well, I do. Proof that we're dealing with a spirit"

Sam just got up and closed his eyes. "Gimme a minute"

I put my head in my hands. "What?" Dean asked, looking at me.

"Just one hell of a hallmark moment there, De" I said, shaking my head. "Way to make it better" I stood up. He said nothing, looking at his boots. Sam sighed and came back over.

"Okay" He said "Show me"

Dean led us back down the crypt. He dragged us all the way back to Father Gregory's grave. It was covered in creeping vines. "That looks like—"

"It's wormwood" Dean said. "Plant associated with the dead; specifically the ones that are not at rest. I don't see it growing anywhere else, except over the murdered priest's marker" Dean paused, making his point. "It's him, Sam"

"Maybe" Sam said, standing up straight.

"Maybe?" Dean asked, incredulously.

"Dean, I don't know what to think" Sam said.

"And you?" Dean asked, looking to me. I looked up uneasily. I was still undecided. "Okay. You two want some more proof?" Dean asked. "I'll give you more proof"

"How?" I asked.

"We'll summon Gregory's spirit" Dean said.

"What? Here? In the church?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, we just need a few odds and ends, and that séance ritual in Dad's journal" Dean said, like this was the easiest solution.

"Oh, a séance, great. Hope Whoopi's available" Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"That's funny, actually" Dean smirked. "Seriously. If Father Gregory's spirit is around, a séance will bring him right to us. If it's him, then we'll put him to rest"

"But if it's an angel, it won't show. Nothing will happen" I said, with a nod.

"Exactly. That's one of the perks of the job, Sam: we don't have to operate on faith" Dean said, with a smile. "We can know for sure. Don't you want to know for sure?"

Sam slowly nodded. "Yeah"

"Good" Dean said. "Then let's go. We're doing this tonight"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNPNSPN

We walked into the store on the corner. Dean pulled out the journal and started to yank things off shelves and put it in our basket. He mumbled to himself and moved around. Sam and I barely helped, just watching him get all the necessary supplies. As we rang up the stuff, I started to laugh. "Dude, a SpongeBob placemat?"

"They didn't have any clothes" he remarked, with a smile.

"Dude" Sam laughed. "I'll admit we've gone pretty ghetto with spell work before, but this takes the cake. I mean, a SpongeBob placemat instead of an altar cloth?"

"We'll just put it SpongeBob side down" Dean shrugged. "It'll work"

Sam laughed again, and then stopped. "What?" I asked, and looked to my left to see a bright light, making the street glow. "That's it, isn't it?" I asked, looking up at Sam.

"What?" Dean asked, looking around.

"That's the sign!" Sam shouted, pointing to the area behind the guy.

"Where?" Dean asked, confused.

"Right there, right behind that guy!" Sam said, handing me the bag of crap for the séance. "That's him, Dean. We have to stop him"

Sam started to go towards him. **"**Wait a minute" Dean said, pulling him back.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, trying to pull away. "Let me go"

"You're not going to go kill somebody because a ghost told you to, are you insane?" Dean asked, shaking his head.

"Dean, I'm not insane, I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to stop him" Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Define "stop", huh? I mean, what are you going to do?" Dean asked, glaring.

"Dean, I'm not crazy, Lex saw it too" Sam said, pointing to me. "She can vouch for me here man, there was something there"

"Was there?" Dean asked.

I squirmed. "Well yeah—"

"Dean, please, he's going to hurt someone, you know it" Sam said, ignoring the rest of my response.

"All right, come on" Dean said, going to the car. He got in and I tried to get in, but Dean had the car doors locked. Nice.

"Dean" Sam glowered. "Unlock my door"

"You're not killing anyone, Sam" Dean said, starting the car. "I got this guy, you go do the séance"

"Dean!" I shouted, smacking the window. He said nothing, and pulled away. Sam stared after him, looking hurt. "C'mon" I said, taking his arm. "Let's go"

We went back down the street to the church. The crypt was even creepier now that it was night. Sam put the SpongeBob mat down, and I positioned the candles. He put the herbs in the middle bowl, which had a dog on the side. "Is this a dog bowl?" I snorted.

"Yeah" Sam said, rolling his eyes. He put the rest of the herbs in and lit the candles. "Okay, ready?" I nodded, and we joined hands.

"Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus, te oramusno biscum colloquere aput nos circita" Sam recited from the journal He sprinkled the frankincense and other things over the black candle and it flared.

"What are you doing?" demanded Father Reynolds, coming in. "What is this?"

"Uh, Father, please. We can explain" I said, then looked down. "Um... actually, maybe I can't. This is a, a séance"

"A séance?" he asked, taken aback. "Young lady, you are in the House of God"

"It's based on early Christian rites, if that helps any" Sam said, uneasily.

"Enough. You're coming with me" he said, motioning for us to get up.

"Father, please, you, just wait a second!" Sam said, but Father Reynolds just grabbed my arm and started to pull me out.

I felt a light behind me and turned around. There was a bright white light, with the outline of a person in the middle. "Oh my god! Is that, is that an angel?" Father Reynolds asked, in shock.

"No, it's not. It's just Father Gregory" Sam said, clearly disappointed.

The light dimmed to nothing and Father Gregory was left in its place. "Thomas?" Father Reynolds asked, stunned.

"I've come in answer to your prayers" Father Gregory smiled. "Sam. I thought I sent you on your path. You should hurry" he said, looking to Sam.

"Father, I'm sorry. But you're not an angel" I said, as Sam stood still, barely able to talk.

"Of course I am" Father Gregory said, matter-of-factly. "You're just a child, you don't understand yet"

"No. You're a man" Sam said, jumping in. "You're a spirit. And you need to rest."

"I was a man. But now I'm an angel" he said, shaking his head. "I was on the steps of the church. And I felt that bullet pierce right through me. But there was no pain. And suddenly I could see...everything. Father Reynolds, I saw you, praying and crying here. I came to help you"

"Help me how?" Father Reynolds asked, confused. **"**Those murders- that was because of you?" he asked, when Father Gregory said nothing.

"I received the Word of God" Father Gregory said. "He spoke to me told me to smite the wicked. I'm carrying out his will"

"You're driving innocent people to kill" I stated, glaring.

"Those innocent people are being offered redemption" Father Gregory replied. "Some people need redemption" He looked at Sam. "Don't they, Sam?"

Sam tensed, and I stepped forward to argue, but Sam put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. There was nothing wrong with my brother. He had done nothing wrong.

"How can you call this redemption?" Father Reynolds asked.

"You can't understand it now. But the rules of man and the rules of God are two very different things" he said.

"Those people" Sam said. "They're locked up"

"No, they're happy" Father Gregory countered. "They've found peace, beaten their demons. And I've given them the keys to heaven"

"No. No, this is vengeance, its wrong" Father Reynolds said. "Thomas, this goes against everything you believe. You're lost, misguided"

"Father. No, I'm not misguided" he responded.

"You are not an angel, Thomas" Father Reynolds said. "Men cannot be angels"

Father Gregory frowned. "But... but I don't understand. You prayed for me to come"

"I prayed for God's help. Not this. What you're doing is not God's will. "Thou shalt not kill". That's the word of God" Father Reynolds argued.

Father Gregory looked bewildered at his headstone. He looked a lot like how I felt. **"**Let us help you" Sam said, as he slowly turned back around.

"No" he said, looking terrified.

"It's time to rest, Thomas, to be at peace." Father Reynolds said. "Please, let me give you Last Rites" he pleaded.

Father Gregory slowly nodded. Father Reynolds lifted his hands in prayer. "Oh Holy Host, I call upon thee as a servant of Christ to sanctify our actions this day, in fulfillment of the will of God"

Father Gregory started blinking in and out. "Father Reynolds?" he asked worriedly.

"Rest" he said calmly.

Gregory kneeled, and Father Reynolds put a hand on his fore head "I call upon the archangel Gabriel, Master of the Air, to make open the way. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit now descend; that this being might be awakened to the world beyond" Father Gregory started to glow again, and then vanished into nothing.

Father Reynolds slowly walked out, leaving me and Sam alone in the crypt once again. I gathered the séance stuff, and we ditched it on the way out of the church. "Thank you" Father Reynolds said, seeing us out. "For putting my friend to rest"

"It was all you" I smiled, and we left.

Sam was silent as we walked back to the motel. We walked side by side, as it started to drizzle rain. "Sam, I'm sorry" I said,

"Just don't say anything, okay?" he snapped, and then looked up at the clouds.

"Okay" I said, putting my hands up. The walk took awhile, and the silence was deafening, but I stayed silent. I knew what it was like to just not want to talk.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSN

"How was your day?" Dean asked, walking in the motel room with a sigh.

"You were right. It wasn't an angel, it was Gregory" Sam said, putting his head in his hands. He had been sitting silent from the moment we walked in. It was good he could at least admit what happened. Dean pulled the flask out again, and this time Sam took it. "I don't know, Dean, I just..." Sam sat on the bed. "I wanted to believe, so badly. It's so damn hard to do this, what we do. All alone, you know? There's so much evil out there in the world, Dean, I feel like I could drown in it. And when I think about my destiny, when I think about how I could end up—"

"Yeah, well, don't worry about that. All right? I'm watching out for you" Dean replied.

"Yeah, I know you are. But you're just one person, Dean" Sam said. "And I needed to think that there was something else watching too, you know? Some higher power. Some greater good. And that maybe..." Sam trailed off.

"Maybe what?" I asked, sitting next to him.

"Maybe I could be saved" he said, with a nervous laugh. "But, uh, you know, that just clouded my judgment, and you're right. I mean, we've gotta go with what we know, with what we can see, with what's right there in front of our own two eyes"

"Yeah, well, it's funny you say that" Dean said.

"Why?" Sam asked, curiously.

"Gregory's spirit gave you some pretty good information. That guy in the car was bad news. I barely got there in time" Dean sighed.

"What happened?" I asked.

"He's dead" Dean stated.

Sam looked up at him, concerned. "Did... you?"

"No. But I'll tell you one, thing. If...the way he died, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I never would have believed it. I mean, I don't know what to call it" he said, shaking his head.

"What? Dean, what did you see?" Sam asked.

"Maybe... God's will" Dean replied, taking a swig from the flask. "Either way, hell of a day"

The phone rang. Dean reached for his, but I pulled out mine. "It's me" I said, and hit the talk button. "Hello?"

"How's it goin Lexis?" Ash said, happily. "You doin okay?"

"Fine" I said, my heart automatically sinking. "You got something for me I take it?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I do" I heard him shuffle papers around. "I got a hit in Rhode Island, pretty nasty this time too" He cleared his throat. "Thunderstorms galore it seems, out of nowhere. The alarm on the machine even went off this time"

"Huh" I said, grimacing. "What do you think it is?"

"If I didn't know any better I would say it was the demon your daddy was tracking itself" He replied. "Either that or something around the same strength"

"Oh" I said, feeling my heart now in my stomach. "Okay, thanks a lot Ash"

"Are you ever going to tell me what I'm doing this for?" he asked, with a slight chuckle.

"No" I smiled. "You get my appreciation" He just laughed. "Talk to you later Ash" I clicked the phone shut, and Dean was immediately on my case.

"Why are you talking to Ash?" he asked. "Is this about that thing back at the Inn? Is there something else?"

"What thing back at the Inn?" Sam asked curiously. "What's going on?"

"Nothing" I said. "It's nothing, just relax okay?'

"Tell me" Dean said, standing up to make himself seem taller. I sighed, and he only stared harder. "I need to know, Alexis"

"Okay, just breath" I said, rolling my eyes. "It's the same thing as before, okay?" Sam still looked confused. "I had Ash look into some things for me and he found that there were miniscule demon signs following us, okay? Nothing huge, it could just be a fluke"

"That's not what you told me" Dean said, glaring.

"I was drunk" I replied, shaking my head. "It doesn't count"

"It does too" he said, not wavering. "And I don't think this is a fluke"

"This could be real" Sam said, standing up and looking frantic. "It could be _him_! We can kill him!"

"With what, Sam?" I asked, "Colt's gone, remember? We got nothing. He's coming after me, and we got nothing"

"You have me" Dean said. "And Sam, and Bobby and we're not going to let him get to you. You can keep some charms on you, you can stay on the DL" I said nothing, sharing a look with Sam. "Okay?" Dean asked. I hung my head. "Okay?" he demanded.

"Yeah" I agreed. "Okay"

"Good, now let's stay here—"

"No!" I said, "I want to move, please?"

Dean stared at me for a moment. "Okay sure" he said. "We'll go" He grabbed his bag, and his coat.

I followed him to the car, and then got in the middle seat, with Sam and Dean on each side. "Where are we headed?" Sam asked.

"Who cares" I stated. "Just away from here"

Dean nodded, and then hit the gas. I felt like eyes were watching me from all around. The only thing was, I had two giant brothers on each side. I was safe, for now.

And as long as I kept telling myself that, maybe, just maybe, I would be okay.


	43. Season 2, Chapter Eighteen

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate the support you guys give me. It means the world to me that you guys like my writing so much and like the story! You are what keeps me going! **

**By the way, my bestest friend Brittpage21 helped write a scene in here again. It's marked so you can all read her awseomeness and know the credit goes to her! Your great girl!**

**I do not own Supernatural, no matter how much I really wish I did. I only own Alexis. **

**Chapter Forty Three**

"C'mon guys, I'm starving" Dean complained for the millionth time. "Can we just go now?" He looked to me and Sam who were staring at the TV in confusion.

"Shh" we both said, watching the movie. The girl opened the closet, and closed the door behind her. She was panting heavily, and the evil thing turned up behind her. Dean stepped in front of the TV as the screams echoed through the room. "Move!" I yelled, flailing my arms.

"Guys, I'm going to starve to death. You can get this movie at the store, okay?" Dean asked, desperately. Neither Sam nor I moved an inch from the TV. Dean shut it off, and Sam and I protested. "Get up or I'll kick your ass!" Dean yelled, already halfway out the door.

Sam and I grumbled, but went out the door anyway. I wasn't very hungry, but Dean was apparently starving, so I just rolled my eyes and would eat the stupid food. We went into the burger joint and Dean refused to go inside. "I had to wait for you two so the least you could do is go inside and get the food" He stated.

Sam and I shared another look. "You just don't want to go out because it's raining" I said, glaring.

"Just go" he said, "And if you run fast enough, you won't get as wet"

"Shut up" Sam said, and opened the door. We ran towards the place's door, and I shoved him. "Dude!" he yelled, pointing to his pants. "You got me soaking wet!"

I just laughed and ran through the door before he could get me back. We entered and he shook his hair at me. "Ew" I said, glaring. "I don't want your hair water on me"

"Hair water?" he laughed, and shook his head. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard"

"Shut up" I smiled, and walked up to the counter. "I need two bacon cheeseburgers extra onions, one chicken tender meal, and—"I looked to Sam. "What do you want, Gigantor?" I smiled. He elbowed me out of the way. "I gotta pee" I said, and walked back to the restroom.

I washed my hands, and nearly had to laugh at all of our good moods lately. We hadn't done a hunt in a week almost, and had been constantly travelling to make me feel better. We weren't even at each other's throats or anything like we usually were when we had nothing to do. It was like we were just forgetting the problems and being together. I had to admit, it felt good to be happy for once. Now I was just waiting for something to come along to mess it up.

I walked out of the bathroom, and didn't see Sam anywhere. Wow, what a gentlemen, he didn't even wait for me. Nice. I went up to the counter and saw our food sitting there. "Here" the cashier said. "I thought you guys left!"

"No" I said, confused. "Did you see where the guy I was with went?"

"No" she said, and went back to her job. I went by the bathrooms, and stood outside the boys' door.

"Sam!" I yelled, and got no answer. I really didn't want to open the door, but he left me no choice. I cracked it open. "Sammy? You in there?" No answer again. I was starting to panic slightly. A guy went to walk into the bathroom. "Hey" I said, stopping him. "Can you tell me if my brother is in there? He's tall, shaggy hair?"

He went in and then walked right back out. "There's no one in here"

"Thanks" I said. I glanced outside to the car, and Dean gave me a look. I shrugged, and took our food. I ran to the Impala, and got in the front seat. "I don't know where Sam went" I stated, and Dean was already halfway out of the car.

I followed him inside. He desperately searched around, going into the bathroom, and searching behind everything. "Where the hell is he?" he asked, looking frantic. "Where were you?"

"Bathroom" I said, equally freaked out. "I came back and he was just gone"

"Excuse me" Dean said, walking towards the cashier. "Did you see where the guy she was with went?"

"Uh, no" she said, a little annoyed. "It's like I told her. He just walked away"

"In what direction?" Dean asked, and she gave him a weird look. "Just humor me" he stated, clearly annoyed. She pointed to the left. Dean immediately went to the left.

"Dean" I said, catching up to him.

"What?" he asked, scouring the area for a sign of anything.

"What do you thinks going on?" I asked. I wasn't sure why I was asking him that, but I needed some sort on confirmation that I wasn't crazy, and that my brother had in fact just disappeared into thin air. He turned to look at me.

"Search for sulfur" he said, and went back to looking.

We spent the next forty five minutes scouring the windows and doors and anywhere else we could get to for sulfur or anything else that would give a clue to where Sam went. Needless to say, we found absolutely nothing. People were staring to look at us like we were crazy, so we went back outside. "Let's search around back!" Dean shouted over the torrential downpour.

"Sure!" I yelled back. Neither of us cared that we were soaked to the bone, or that it was freezing outside. Sam was top priority. We searched around the back entrance and found nothing there as well. Although, even if there had been something, I think the rain might have washed it away.

We got back into the car, and shared a look. Dean was silent for a moment, and I sort of wanted to cry. "Damn it" Dean said, smacking the steering wheel.

When I said that I was just waiting for something bad to happen, I hadn't thought it would be so soon.

This had been the longest week of my life. I seriously thought that I was going to go nuts. Sam was still missing, and we had no clue where he was. We called every contact we knew, begging them for answers they didn't have. We were making our daily rounds of calls with the car parked under the overpass. I leaned on the car, listening to Dean talk to Ellen. **"**Ellen, it's me again. Any chance you've heard from him?" Dean asked hopefully. "I swear, it's like looking for my dad all over again. I'm losing my mind here" there was a short pause. "No, I've called him a thousand times, there's nothing but voicemail. I don't know where he went, or why. Sam's just gone"

My cell phone beeped in my pocket. I looked down. My heart skipped a beat. I kicked Dean, just giving him a glance. "Hang on" Dean said to Ellen.

"Sam's calling me" I said, and he abruptly hung up. I hit the talk button. "Sammy? Where the hell are you? Are you okay?" I asked.

"Lex" he breathed, sounding frantic. "What happened? Where are you? Where's Dean? I tried his cell but it was busy"

"Hey, hey, hey!" I yelled, "Calm down" Dean was standing next to me having a heart attack. "You wanna talk to Dean?" I asked.

"Yeah" He said, sounding like he was about to cry.

Dean picked up the phone. "Where are you?" he asked. "Okay, breathe, Sammy" He sighed. "All right, don't move, I'm on my way" I was already in the car as he said that, barely even registering what was going on. I just did as I was told, like a robot.

Dean drove continually, not even stopping to use the restroom once for seven hours. His eyes had huge bags under them, and he was blinking a lot.

"Dean" I said, "You're exhausted. Let me drive"

"No" he said, pressing the gas harder to make his point.

"Look, we're not going to get there faster if you kill us on the way" I said, with a sigh. "I promise, I'll speed, okay? But you're going to fall asleep"

He gave me glance and pulled over after a moment. We switched seats, and I hit the gas. "Gonna sleep" Dean said, closing his eyes.

"Sure" I said, with a nod. "I'll wake you up when we're close"

He put his head back, but I could tell he wasn't really sleeping. He was too freaked out, as was I. Sam had sounded terrified on the phone, and I had no idea what was going on. Apparently he hadn't disappeared on person. I passed a sign that read Twin Lakes, and pulled off the exit. I slapped Dean's leg and he looked over at me.

"We're here" I stated, and pulled into the motel. I stopped the car, and we got out in record time. Dean went right up to room 109, where Sam said he would be.

"Sam, it's me. Sam!" Dean yelled. There was no answer. I checked the door knob. It was open. Dean rushed in, and Sam was sitting on the bed, staring numbly at the ground.

"Sam?" I asked, walking slowly up to him. "Hey. You okay?"

"Hey, Lexie" He said, looking up. "Dean"

Dean kneeled beside him. "Are you bleeding?" he demanded, grabbing at his hand.

"I tried to wash it off" Sam said, looking at his hand.

His shirt was covered in blood. Dean started groping at his chest, searching for the wound. "Oh my god" he said, looking.

"I don't think it's my blood" Sam choked out.

"Whose is it?" I asked, sitting on the bed next to him.

Sam shook his head, at a loss for words. He still stared at the carpet. "I don't know"

"Sam, what the hell happened?" Dean asked, staring at him and demanding some answers.

"Dean" Sam said, horrified, "I don't remember anything"

"Okay" Dean said, standing up. "Like nothing?"

"Nothing, Dean" Sam said, frowning. "I can't remember what I've done. What if I—What if—"

"Alright" Dean sighed. "I'm going to get some info, okay? I'm going to go talk to the worker at the desk and see what I can find out" Sam just nodded, and Dean nodded for me to do something.

I stood up and went over to the bathroom. I grabbed a wash cloth, and wetted it down. I also grabbed a new shirt for Sam, and handed everything to him. "Here" I smiled. "Clean up a little"

"Aren't you freaking out?" he asked, holding the things like they were foreign objects. He stood up. He stared at me, waiting for me to answer and suddenly I was a little more than freaking out. There was something weird about Sam. His body language was…off. He was too stiff.

I chalked it up to that he was scared. "Not really" I said, watching him change into his new shirt. "Are you?"

"A little" he said. "I don't know what happened, Lexie. I can't remember anything at all"

"Yeah" I said, sitting at the table. "You said that"

"I'm serious" he pleaded. "What if I did something horrible?"

"Then we'll deal with it" I said, with a shrug. "We always do"

The door opened and Dean walked back in, looking a little less than happy. **"**What'd you find out?" Sam asked.

Dean sighed. "You checked in two days ago under the name Richard Sambora" Dean stated. "Of course, I think the scariest part about this whole thing is the fact that you're a Bon Jovi fan—"

"Dean" Sam said, shooting him a glance.

"Your room's been quiet, nobody's noticed anything unusual" Dean replied.

"You mean no one saw me walking around covered in blood?" Sam asked.

"Yeah" Dean said. "That's what I mean"

"Then how the hell did I get here, Dean? What happened to me?" Sam asked, putting his head in his hands.

"I don't know. But you're, you're okay, and that's what matters. Everything else we can deal with" Dean said, sounding like what I had said just moments ago.

"Oh really?" Sam asked, "'Cause what if I hurt someone? Or worse?"

"Sam..." I sighed.

"What if this is what Dad warned you about?" Sam asked, not even listening anymore.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, come on man, let's not jump the gun here" Dean said. "We don't know what happened. We've just got to treat this like, like any other job. What's the last thing you remember?"

Sam sat back down. "Just me and you, just, in that motel room in West Texas, you were hungry and we went out to grab some burgers, and..."

"West Texas?" I asked. "That was, that was almost a week ago"

"That's it" Sam shrugged. Dean and I shared a shocked look. "Next thing I knew I was sitting here. Bloody. Felt like I'd been asleep for a month"

"Okay. Retrace your steps" Dean said, clearing his throat. "The manager said you left yesterday afternoon and he never saw you come back, so—"Dean pulled back the curtain at the window, and frowned. "Hey" he pointed.

There was a bloody fingerprint on the window.

We went outside, and it was raining again. It seemed to be doing that a lot lately. **"**Recognize anything?" I asked, as we walked towards the parking garage.

"Not really" Sam said. We walked farther away from the motel, and Sam stopped. "Wait" he frowned.

"What?" I asked.

"I think I was here" Sam replied.

"You remember?" Dean asked.

"Not really, it just feels familiar, you know?" Sam said, looking around. Dean shrugged and started to open one of the garages. "Try that one" Sam said, pointing to the second one. "Yeah"

Dean looked to the padlock on it. "Okay?"

"Wait" Sam said. He went in his pocket and moments later pulled out a key. He held it up, looking slightly shocked. Dean unlocked the padlock, letting it fall to the ground. We all shared a look, and then Dean opened the door.

"Oh, please tell me you didn't steal this" Dean said, as we stared at an old beat up VW Beetle. Sam fidgeted.

We opened the doors and Sam wiped his finger on the wheel. "More blood" he stated.

I looked in the backseat. "Sam. Back seat" I pointed. Sam picked up a bloody knife.

"You think I used this on someone?" Sam asked, scared.

"I'm not thinking anything" Dean said uneasily.

Sam looked to me. "I don't know, Sammy" I said, shaking my head.

"Okay now, this is disturbing" Dean said, holding up a pack of cigarettes. "Come on, man, this couldn't have been you. Had to have been someone else, someone who—"He sniffed the pack. "Smokes menthols"

"Here" Sam said, picking up a crumpled receipt. "Gas receipt. Few towns over"

"Well let's go" Dean said, already leaving. Sam watched him leave, and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"You're okay" I said, with a small smile. "C'mon" He sighed, and followed Dean and I followed him. I stared at his back, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Something was still off.

We pulled up to the gas station. There was nothing special about it. **"**Alright. Receipt's for ten gallons at pump number two" Dean said, pulling up to the same pump. "You get any, uh, any goose bumps yet? God, this looks familiar, déjà vu vibes?" Sam said nothing, just looking around.

"Maybe someone inside will remember you" I said, getting out. "Come on" I walked into the store, Sam and Dean on my heels.

"You" the clerk said as we entered. At first, I thought he was talking to me, but then I realized he was looking at Sam. "Outta here now, I'm calling the cops"

"You talking to him?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I'm talking to him" the clerk said angrily. "Jerk comes in yesterday, stinking drunk, grabs a forty from the fridge, starts chugging it"

"This guy?" I asked, nodding at Sam.

"You're drinking malt liquor?" Dean asked.

"Not after he whipped the friggen' bottle at my head" the clerk said, flailing his arms a little.

"_This_ guy?" I asked, now prodding Sam in the arm. I didn't really understand this. That sounded like Dean maybe, but definitely not Sam.

"What, am I speaking Urdu?" the clerk said.

Sam sighed desperately. "Look, I'm really sorry if I did anything—"

"Tell your story walking', pal. Po-po will be here in five" The clerk said, picking up the phone to dial the police.

"Wait, wait, put the phone down" Dean said, stopping him. "Sam, go wait in the car, Lex go with him"

"But Dean—"Sam and I said together.

"Go wait in the car!" Dean shouted.

Sam and I turned around and went out the door together. I sat up on the hood of the car, and he leaned against it. I stared at him for a moment. Now I was determined to figure out what was wrong with Sam. He just wasn't like himself. It was like an alien. "Would you stop staring at me?" he said, after a long moment. "You're freaking me out"

"Sorry" I apologized. "Just trying to figure this out"

"Well don't stare at me while you do it" He replied. I put my head back on the car in defeat. "I'm going to the restroom" he said after a moment, and I watched him go inside.

Dean came out. "Where's he now?"

"Bathroom" I said, pointing. "Something's wrong here, De. He's…odd…wrong"

"Well, what?" he asked, shrugging.

"I don't know" I replied, as Sam came back out. I got into the car without another word, and stared at the back of Sam's head again.

Soon the sun was going down, and we headed back to the motel. "What's going on with you, Sam? Hmm?" Dean asked, as we went down the dark road. "'Cause smoking, throwing bottles at people, I mean, that sounds more like me than you"

"Dean, wait, right here" Sam said, suddenly pointing out the window. "Turn down that road"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know how I know, I just do" Sam said, desperate.

Dean pulled down the road, which turned out to be some back road. It winded down into a private property. There was a large house with tons of emergency lighting that lit up the street. There was even a security camera pointed at the driveway.

"Whoever lives here, I'd say they don't like surprises" Sam said, as we exited the car and headed up the porch.

"Should we knock?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I guess" Sam sighed. Dean knocked on the front door, and I peeked around the corner of the house. "Hey Dean" Sam said shining his flashlight on the window.

"I'm surprised the cops didn't show" Dean said. "Place like this you'd think it'd have an alarm"

I pointed to the disabled alarm on the house wall. "Yeah, you would" I said. "Looks like someone wanted in really badly"

We went inside, stepping over glass and other broken items. I almost tripped over a lamp that had been knocked over. It looked like a tornado passed through and ripped the place apart. We walked through the house and I opened a door to see a dead body on the floor. "Dean" I said, stepping aside.

Dean came over and stared for a second. "Get the lights" he said, and I flipped the switch. Dean kneeled next to the body. He turned it over, and revealed his slit throat. I grimaced.

"Guys, I did this" Sam said, looking horrified.

"We don't know that" Dean said, standing straight.

"What else do you need?" Sam asked. "I mean, how else you explain the car, the knife, the blood—"

"I don't know, man, why don't you tell me?" Dena asked. There was a pause and I looked over to the computer. "Look, even if you did do this I'm sure you had a good reason; you know, self-defense, uh, he was, he was a bad son of a bitch, something" He patted down the body. "He doesn't have any ID"

I sat down at the computer and turned it on.

"I need your lock pick" Sam said.

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

"I need your lock pick" Sam repeated, and opened the closet. The wall was covered in firearms, rivaling even the contents of the trunk. There was even a wall of charts that looked like patterns and such.

"Either this guy's a Unabomber—"Dean sighed.

"Or a hunter" Sam finished. "Dean, I think I killed a hunter"

I looked at the little icon on the computer and then up at the security camera on the ceiling. "Let's find out" I said, and clicked on it. It was blocked by a password. I opened the desk drawer, and pulled out a file. There was nothing in it but a few words. I took a long shot, and typed it in. It opened the file. "People are stupid" I scoffed. I hit play. "Here we go"

It started already on Sam. He knocked the dead man to the ground. The guy tried to crawl away, but Sam pulled him right back. He pinned him down, and slit his throat. I tried my hardest not to gasp or freak out. Sam had just killed someone, and so far we had no good reason. And I just watched it happen.

"How do you erase this? Huh?" Dean asked, staring at me. "Lex?" I didn't really say anything, but went to work on it.

"I killed him, Dean" Sam said, in shock. "I just broke in and killed him"

"Listen to me" Dean said grabbing his shoulders. "Whoever this guy is, he's a hunter. Which means that other hunters are going to come looking for his killer, which means we've got to cover our tracks, okay?"

"His name was Steve Wandell" I said, pulling out that file again. I handed it to Sam, who was staring at it.

"This is a letter from his daughter" Sam said, looking down at it.

Dean looked back at the computer, and grabbed it off the desk. He lifted it up and then smashed it. He stomped on it for good measure and then threw a towel at me. "Wipe your prints, and then we go"

I started to wipe down the computer. Sam stood very still, watching me. I handed it to him and he wiped down the areas he touched.

We went back towards the motel, and were silent the entire way. Dean opened the door. **"**All right, we get a couple hours sleep and then we put this place in our rearview mirror" Dean said. I nodded, and but Sam was like a robot. "Look, I know this is bad, okay? You've gotta snap out of it. Sam, say something!"

"Just get some sleep and leave in the morning?" he asked. "Murder, Dean. That's what I did"

"Maybe" Dean stated. Sam just scoffed. "Okay? Hey, we don't know... shapeshifter!"

"Oh, come on. You know it wasn't, you saw the tape" Sam said. "There was no eye flare, no distortion—"

"Yeah, but it wasn't you! All right?" Dean said, exasperated. "I mean, yeah, it might have been you, but it wasn't you"

"Well, I think it was" Sam said, sitting on the bed. "I think maybe more than you know"

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked, confused.

"For the last few weeks I've been having... I've been having these feelings" Sam said, looking unsure of himself.

"What feelings?" Dean asked.

"Rage. Hate" Sam listed. "And I can't stop it. It just gets worse. Day by day it gets worse"

"You never told me this" Dean said.

"I didn't want to scare you" Sam admitted.

"Well, bang-up job on that" I scoffed, sitting on the opposite bed.

Sam ignored me. "Dean, the yellow-eyed demon, you know he has plans for me. And we both know that he's turned other children into killers before, too"

"No one can control you but you" Dean said, shaking his head.

"It sure doesn't seem like that, Dean, it feels like no matter what I do, slowly but surely I'm, I'm just becoming..." Sam trailed off.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Who I'm meant to be" he admitted. "I mean, you said it once yourself, Dean. I gotta face up to who I am"

"I didn't mean this!" Dean exclaimed.

"But it's still true. You know that" Sam said. "Dad knew that too, that's why he told you, if it ever came to this..."

"Shut up, Sam" Dean said.

"Dean, you promised him. Lex and you promised _me_."

"No. Listen to me" Dean said. "We're going to figure this out. Okay? I mean, there's got to be a way, right?"

"Yeah, there is" Sam said. He pulled a handgun out and tried to hand it to Dean. "I don't want to hurt anyone else. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt Lexie"

"You won't. Whatever this is, you can fight it" I said, standing up.

Sam's eyes were red with tears. "No. I can't. Not forever. Here, you gotta do it"

We all stared at each other for a long moment, barely even breathing. Sam grabbed Dean's hand and put the gun in it. "You know, I've tried too hard to keep you safe" Dean said, staring at Sam in shock.

Sam nodded. "I know"

"I can't" Dean said. He dropped the gun on the bed.

Sam picked it up, and offered it to me. I shook my head. "No, Sammy" I said, choking on the lump in my throat. He gave it to Dean, who just shook his head again and turned away.

"I'd rather die" he stated.

"No" Sam said. "You'll live…" He held the gun in his hand, and Dean turned back around. "You'll live to regret this" Sam finished.

He pistol whipped Dean to the floor. Dean fell unconscious, and I gasped. "Sam what they hell are you—"He silenced me with a blow to the gut. I choked for air, grabbing at me side. He threw me over his shoulder easily, and I cursed whoever thought of making him so damn big. He put me down in the bathroom, where he shut the door behind him.

I kicked at it, but it wouldn't open. "You don't want to do this Sam!" I yelled, but it was too late, the door closed. "Son of a—"I said, punching at the door. "Dean!" I yelled, and got no answer. He was still out cold.

I tried the window and found it was sealed shut. "What the hell's the point of a window that doesn't open?" I yelled, and sat on the toilet. There was no way out of here. He had put something in front of the door to lock me in. I wasn't going to get out until Dean woke up.

After what seemed like days but was only actually hours, I heard a faint pounding on our door. It was persistent, and Dean groaned. "Dean!" I shouted, pounding on the door.

"Open up!" A voice called from the hall.

"Hang on!" Dean called, and he swore and opened the bathroom door. "You okay?" Dean asked, checking me over. I nodded. They knocked on the door again.

Dean pulled the door open. "Hey. It's past your checkout" the manager said.

"What?" Dean asked, holding his head in pain.

"Its past checkout and I've got a couple here needs your room" the manager said, pointing behind him at the business man with a hooker.

"Yeah, I'll bet they do" I scoffed.

"What time is it?" Dean asked.

"Twelve-thirty" The manager responded.

"That guy who was with me, have you seen him?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, he left before dawn in your car, and you should have gone with him, because now I'm going to have to charge you extra" he said.

"Oh, son of a..." Dean mumbled.

"It's just policy, sir" the manager said.

"I need to use your computer" I said, stepping forward.

"Now, why would I let you use my computer?" the man asked. I went into my duffle and pulled out a wad of cash. "I suppose I can let you use it" he said, and motioned for me to follow.

Dean grabbed the bags behind me, and we went into the lobby. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"We can track his phone" I said, typing in the web address. I dialed the phone number. "Get them to turn on the GPS"

Dean took the phone. "Hi, uh, so sorry to bother you, but uh, my son snuck out of the house last night and, uh, went to a Justin Timberlake concert" he said, thinking off the top of his head. "What? Yeah. No, Justin is quite the triple threat" He scoffed and shot me a look. I smiled a little. "Uh, anyway, he's not back yet, and, and I'm just, I'm starting to worry. Right. Yeah, boys will be boys. But see, Sammy is a diabetic, and uh, if he doesn't get his insulin, I just, I have to find him. Please, I'm begging you" There was a pause. "Yeah, no, no, no, I'm on the web site right now, I just need to activate the GPS in his cell phone"

Dean wrote down the password, and I typed it in. It came up at Duluth. "Yeah, right there. Duluth, Minnesota. Yeah, that is a long way to go for a concert. I appreciate your help" Dean said, and hung up. "Nice"

"Yeah" I said, grabbing a piece of paper and writing down the exact coordinates.

"But what's in Duluth?" Dean asked, following me to a car.

"Jo" I said, and got in. I started hotwiring it, and put the cords together, making the engine turn. "We gotta go"

"What's gotten into you?" Dean asked, getting in the driver's seat.

"I don't want Sam to do something he's going to regret" I said. "And I think he's possessed"

"Yeah" Dean said, pulling away. "I thought that too. And where did that cash come from?"

"I've been saving it"

"For what?" Dean asked, confused.

I looked out the window. "Stuff"

He sighed, and shook his head, but said no more. We drove at an insane speed, taking the back roads to avoid the police. "Here" Dean said, handing me a flask. "Holy water"

"Thanks" I said, and put it in my coat. He took out his gun. "You really going to use that?" I asked, watching him check the mag.

"Probably not" he said. "Just a precaution" He paused, and pulled into Duluth. "Where is Jo at?"

"She bartends at some bar called The Sandpiper" I said. I pointed to the sign. "Right there"

We jumped out of the car and ran inside. "Sam!" Dean shouted, pointing the gun. Jo was tied to a pole in the middle of a room and looking freaked out.

Sam grabbed a knife that was plunged in the wall. He put it on Jo's throat. "I begged you to stop me, Dean" Sam said. "Lex, you two had your chance" He sounded desperate.

"Put the knife down, dammit!" I yelled.

"I told you I can't fight it! My head feels like it's on fire, all right?" he asked. "Kill me, or I'm going to kill her. Please. You've be doing me a favor! Shoot me" He faced us, his arms spread out in surrender. "Shoot me!" he begged.

"No, Sammy, come on" Dean said, lowering the gun.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Dean? Are you that scared of being alone that you'd rather let Jo die? Sam asked, walking closer to us.

I pulled out the holy water and flung it towards Sam before he could get any closer. It hissed as it hit his skin, telling me that we had been right. "That's holy water, you demonic son of a bitch!" I yelled.

Sam raised his head, a smile on his face. His eyes were black. I flung some more at him, and he turned and ran out the window after growling at me. "Did Sam just growl?" Dean asked, and I nodded.

I ran over to help Jo. I pulled the knife up off the ground and started to cut the gag away. "He was possessed?" she asked, in shock.

"Get her out of here" Dean said, jumping out the window after Sam.

"Dean!" I yelled, but he was already gone. I cut the ropes off her arms and ankles and she rubbed them. "You okay?" I asked, looking at the knot on her head. "Looks like he hit you"

"He did" she said. "Should we go after them?"

"Yeah" I said, and looked outside. "I'll go right you go left?" She nodded.

"Why didn't you kill me?" I heard Dean ask. "You had a dozen chances"

"No, that would have been too easy. Where's the fun in that?" Sam asked, moving around the warehouse. I saw his shadow moving to the left. I followed. "See, this was a test. Wanted to see if I could push you far enough to waste Sam. Should have known you wouldn't have the sac. Anyway. Fun's over now"

"Well, I hope you got your kicks" Dean said. "Because you're gonna pay hell for this, I'm gonna make sure of that"

"How?" Sam laughed. "You can't hurt me. Not without hurting your little brother. See, I think you're gonna die, Dean. You and every other hunter I can find. One look as Sam's dewy, sensitive eyes? They'll let me right in their door"

I moved towards the door, where Dean met me. "Where is he?" he asked. I motioned outside. "Okay" he said. "Go flank"

I nodded, and waited ten seconds before I went out as well. I saw Dean looking around down by the docks, and hung back. Out of nowhere, Sam was moving in. He took one look at Dean and put his finger on the trigger.

"No!"I yelled as the gunshot went off. Dean looked at me, his eyes pleading, and then fell backwards into the water. I heard the splash, and ran over not really caring if Sam shot me. "You bastard!" I growled. He was smiling.

"Say goodnight" he stated, and I was out.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I woke up, my head throbbing, in the backseat of the impala. My arms were tied together and then handcuffed to the door handle. I jiggled the lock, and it made a noise. "Oh good" Sam said from the front seat. "You're awake!"

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, trying to free my hands.

"Oh we're just going to pay Bobby a little visit" he said. "See what happens, you know?"

"Let me go" I replied, struggling. "Dean's going to come and kick your ass you know!"

He tsked at me. "Such a big promise"

"_Exorcizamus te, omnes in mundus spiritusomnes satanica potestas, omnes incursion" _I recited and the car pulled over. He came back, and started to wrap a piece of cloth over my mouth.

"You know" he said. "You really are annoying" I glared at him as he got back into the car and kept driving.

He was humming happily as he pulled into Bobby's driveway hours later. "Well" he said, untying me. "What are we going to do with you while I'm in there?" He paused, pretending to think. My hands and legs were still bound, and the gag was still on, so there was nothing to do but sit and glare at him. He smiled and picked me up.

He put me back down in the trunk and gave me a grin. "I hope you can hear the screams" he remarked, and closed the lid.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN BRITTPAGE21**!** SPNSPNSPNSPN

I struggled to get out of the handcuffs so I could move around. I tried my best but had nothing to pick the locks with so I tried to move over to the side to get to the top of the trunk. I tried to bang with my feet up against the hood of the trunk but was having no luck only hurting my feet. I wanted so badly to get out of there so I could warn Bobby, but I had a feeling he already knew if Sam was already in the house with him. I tried jamming the trunk more with my hands but was only hurting my hands more than getting the trunk open. I then gave up on trying to get it open and tried screaming the best I could. I screamed as loud as I could but feared no one could hear me since I was cramped in the trunk of the Impala and it was dark out.

I heard a car come to a stop and feet approaching and I then screamed with all my might. "Help, Help, somebody help me please!" I screamed. The footsteps stopped, and I heard them turn around. "Help please anybody please help me!" I called out again.

"Alexis, where are you?" Dean said, and I heard him running towards me.

"Dean, Dean is that you? Help me please?" I cried terrified yet relieved.

"Yeah baby it's me where are you?" Dean asked.

"I'm...in...the...trunk...of...the...car." I said as I cried.

"Which car?" He asked.

"The...impala...Dean, please hurry." I cried.

I heard running, and then it stopped. "Lexie, I'm here baby, hang on I'm gonna get ya out." He told me from the outside.

"Ok...just hurry...I'm scared." I told him as I cried. I didn't want to be a baby, but I hated small spaces. This was freaking me out.

"I know baby but hang on and try to be brave." He told me encouragingly.

He tried to jam the trunk open with his hands but was having no luck. He stopped and I waited while he looked around. "I'm sorry about this baby" he said as he took off his jacket wrapped it around his hand and smashed the window. I was shocked that he hurt his car for me.

"I'm coming for ya Lexie. I've got a crowbar, so won't be long." He told me

Dean then began to force open the trunk with the crowbar. "I'm so sorry once again baby I'll fix ya as soon as this is all over" He told his beloved car.

"Dean please hurry up and get me out and stop thinking about your beloved car." I told him still crying but getting annoyed.

"Hey, hey, hey, you know how much this will cost me, but okay hold on almost got it." He told me. He then with one more push got the trunk open. Dean then dropped the crowbar and picked me up out of the trunk.

"Dean, oh Dean thank god your ok." I said to my big brother as I hugged him. He returned the hug and then started to look me over.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked as he began to check me over for injuries.

"I might have a few bruises but I'm fine, I thought you had drowned" I said. "Oh I'm so glad you're ok." I said as I hugged him once more. He returned the hug and noted he could wait on the injury healing up.

"Come on we gotta get inside." He told me and we took off toward Bobby's house.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN **ME AGAIN!** SPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean and I entered Bobby's house to see Sam was tied to a chair in the middle of the room under a devil's trap. "Nice" I said to Bobby, who smiled. "How'd you know?"

"Holy watered his beer" Bobby said.

I smacked Sam in the face. "Hey" I said. "Wake up"

"Lexie" Sam said, with a smile. "I see you escaped the trunk"

"Shut up" I said. He only smiled more. He looked up and saw the devil's trap.

"Dean!" he said, happily. "Back from the dead. Getting to be a regular thing for you, isn't it? Like a cockroach"

"How about I smack that smartass right out of your mouth?" Dean asked, with a smirk.

"Oh, careful, now" Sam said. "Wouldn't want to bruise this fine packaging" He looked up and down at himself happily, like he had us defeated.

"Oh don't worry, this isn't gonna hurt Sam much" Dean said, looking to me. I handed him the bucket. "You, on the other hand—"he sighed, and then tossed it on him. The holy water burned and sizzled. Sam screamed.

"Feel like talking now?" I asked.

"Sam's still my meat puppet" Sam said. "I'll make him bite off his tongue"

"No, you won't be in him long enough" Dean smiled. "Bobby?"

"_Exorcizamus te, omnes in mundus spiritusomnes satanica potestas, omnes incursion" _Bobby started. He went on, but I stopped listening.

"See, whatever bitch-boy master plan you demons are cooking up? You're not getting Sam. You understand me?" Dean asked. "Because I'm gonna kill every one of you first"

Sam struggled looking like he was in pain, and then suddenly threw his head back and laughed. Bobby stopped, confused. The exorcism wasn't really doing anything. "You really think that's what this is about? The master plan?" Sam asked. "I don't give a rat's ass about the master plan"

Bobby went on again. "Humiliares sub potente magnu dei..."

"Oops" Sam said. "Doesn't seem to be working" He smiled. "See, I learned a few new tricks" He hung his head, and closed his eyes slightly. "S_piritus in mundus un glorum suarum umitite palatum iram domine..." _

The fire that we got going started to crackle and flare. The room shook, and Dean grabbed onto me as Sam kept reciting whatever the hell he was saying. "This isn't going like I pictured!" I shouted.

"What's going on, Bobby?" Dean yelled, pulling me aside to get me out of the way.

"It's a binding link! It's like a lock!" Bobby shouted, pointing to Sam's forearm. There was a burn on his forearm in the shape of a circle with a line through it. "He's locked himself inside Sam's body!"

"What the hell do we do?" Dean asked.

"I don't know!" Bobby yelled back.

Sam threw his head back and screamed, making the ceiling crack. It went through the devil's trap. He was free. His eyes were black as he looked back at me. "There. That's better" he smiled. He jerked his head, and Bobby went flying. So did I when he did it again. I went flying into the bookshelf, and could barely breathe. Blood trickled down my head.

"You know when people want to describe the worst possible thing?" Sam asked, walking over to Dean. "They say it's like hell" He gripped Dean by his shirt, and hit him hard. "You know there's a reason for that. Hell is like, um—"He hit Dean again, making his face bleed. "Well, it's like hell. Even for demons"

"It's a prison, made of bone and flesh and blood and fear" Another hit. He held him steady, and I struggled to my feet to help him out. "And you sent me back there"

"Meg" I sneered jumping on Sam. He threw me off over his head, hitting me hard. I could taste the blood in my mouth.

"No. Not anymore" Sam smiled. "Now I'm Sam"

He hit Dean again. Dean tried to reach for me and Sam grabbed his shoulder, digging his thumb into Dean's bullet wound. Dean groaned. "By the way. I saw your Dad there - he says "howdy"" Sam laughed. "All that I had to hold onto was that I would climb out one day, and that I was going to torture you, nice and slow. Like pulling the wings off an insect" Sam shoved Dean back. "And to finish off sissy poo over here I'll be calling my daddy. He'll like that I think"

He let go of Dean, who couldn't get up the strength to move. Sam pulled out a cup and grabbed my arm. I tried to pull away, but he was nearly on top of me. He cut across it, letting blood run in. I gasped in pain, and grabbed my arm as soon as he let go.

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching him play with the minimal amount of blood.

"Calling him" Sam smiled. He put it down. "But not yet" he said, shooting me a smile. "I want to have some fun first" He came over and punched Dean again. "Dean…" he trailed off. "You know, whatever I do to you, it's nothing compared to what you'll do to yourself, is it?" Sam said, looking back at Dean. "I can see it in your eyes, Dean. You're worthless. You couldn't save your Dad, and deep down you know that you can't save your brother. And now your sis is gonna die too. They'd have been better off without you"

Sam reared back to hit Dean again, but Bobby caught his arm. He pressed the hot poker from the fire on his forearm, marring the mark. Sam screamed, and then demon smoke billowed out of his mouth, and he fell still. Sam had a confused look on his face. He grabbed at his arm in pain.

I helped Dean up, and then looked at Sam. "Sammy?" I asked, hopefully.

"Did I miss anything?" Sam asked.

Dean sat up, and right hooked Sam on the face. He fell down to the floor in exhaustion, and sighed. Sam just grabbed his face in confusion. I patted Sam on the shoulder, and shook my head. "Sorry, but you deserved that"

"Lex?"

"Huh?" I asked, getting up and grimacing.

"What happened?" he asked, looking around.

I couldn't help but laugh nervously. "Long story"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Bobby recited a ritual that would keep the Yellow Eyed demon out and me hidden. I wasn't sure how he did it, but I was damn glad he knew how to. "There" He said, after making a sigil on the wall. "Nothing's getting in"

"You sure?" Dean asked, watching him. "This demon's powerful, Bobby"

"He's not going to be able to even come within a mile of the place" Bobby replied. "And he won't find you anyway. Sam didn't complete the ritual to summon him"

"Good" I shivered. Bobby got us all icepacks as we explained everything that had happened to Sam. I dabbed at the blood on my forehead, and sighed. "By the way, you two really look like crap" Sam said.

"Yeah, right back atcha" Dean scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Sam, I don't know what you're talking about I always look great" I gave him a small smile to show that I forgave him. (As long as he never locked me in a trunk again)

"What is it, Bobby?" Sam said, as Bobby entered the room.

"You boys ever hear of a hunter named Steve Wandell?" Bobby asked.

"Why do you ask?" Dean asked, tensing up.

"Just heard from a friend. Wandell's dead. Murdered in his own house. You wouldn't know anything about that" Bobby said, uneasily.

Dean and I shared a look. "No sir never heard of the guy" I replied.

"Lex" Sam said warningly. I ignored him.

"Good. Keep it that way" Bobby replied, knowingly. "Wandell's buddies are looking for someone or something to string up, and they're not going to slow down to listen to reason. You understand what I'm saying?"

"We'd better hit the road" Dean said, standing up. "If, uh, you can remember where we parked the car"

"Here take these" Bobby said. He tossed us charms.

"What are they?" I asked.

"Charms. They'll fend off possession" Bobby replied. "That demon's still out there; this'll stop it from getting back up in you"

"That sounds vaguely dirty, but uh, thanks" Dean said, with a smirk.

"You're welcome. You boys be careful now" bobby said as we walked towards the door.

"You too" Sam said. Dean tossed the icepack back at Bobby.

We got in the car, and I looked at the hand cuffs in the backseat and sighed. Dean picked them up and gave me a smile. "At least they were fuzzy pink ones" He smirked.

"Lucky me" I stated rolling my eyes. Sam was silent for a majority of the ride, staring moodily out the window.

"You okay?" Dean asked. Sam said nothing. "Sam? Is that you in there?"

"I was awake for some of it, Dean. I watched myself kill Wandell with my own two hands; I saw the light go out in his eyes" Sam said, struggling.

"That must have been awful" I remarked, leaning to the front.

"That's not my point" Sam said. "I almost carved up Jo too. But no matter what I did, you wouldn't shoot"

"It was the right move, Sam, it wasn't you" Dean said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, this time. What about next time?" Sam asked.

"Sam, when Dad told me that I might have to kill you, it was only if I couldn't save you" Dean said. "Now, if it's the last thing I do I'm going to save you" Dean paused, and then laughed slightly.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Nothing" Dean said, shaking his head

"Dean, what?" Sam pressed.

"Dude, you, you like, full-on had a girl inside you for like a whole week" Dean said. "That's pretty naughty" he laughed, and I couldn't help it, I started to laugh too.

After a couple hundred miles, we pulled over to rest for the night. We were going to pull an all-nighter in the car, but we were all beat up and exhausted, so we changed our minds. I went into the room and looked over to Dean, who was struggling to pull his shirt off. "Ugh" he groaned, and sat on the bed.

"Sit still" I said, pulling the bandages off his shoulder. "We need to clean it"

"Fine" Dean said, rolling his eyes. I just shot him a smile, and poured peroxide over it. "Ow" he remarked.

"Don't be a wuss" I smirked, and rebandaged it. "There" I said, "Good as new"

"Thanks, Lex" Dean said, falling back on the bed. I nodded, and ran my fingers through my hair. "Are you okay?" he asked, after a moment.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, sitting on the opposite bed.

"Well what she said about—"

"About calling her dad?" I asked, with a smirk. "Yeah, it freaked me out, but I'm okay, De. I'm not going to sleep tonight, but I'm okay"

"Here" he said, getting up and handing me a bottle. "Take some so you can sleep"

I took one, and crawled into bed. "Dean?" I said, and was about to open my mouth, but he stopped me.

"Nothing's gonna get you ankle biter" he said, "Promise"

I sighed, and gave a small nod. I already knew that, but I wanted the confirmation. "Thanks" I said, and closed my eyes.

_I couldn't see anything. I was all alone in pitch black darkness that surrounded me on all sides. All I could make out was somewhat of a person in front of me. I already knew who it was, the sinking feeling in my stomach not having to tell me. "Hello?" I questioned. _

_He leaned in close, a smile and yellow eyes blazing. _

"_Hello, Alexis" he said. "Ready to play?" _

**A/N So whatcha think? Hit me up with a review and let me know! Sorry for the cliff hanger there, and in case you're curious, the next two chapters will be originals! Yay! **


	44. Season 2, Chapter Nineteen

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! They mean a lot to me! You guys all rock! Sorry in advance if this chapter is a little confusing, but I wanted to bring in some other point of view's so that it all makes sense in the end! It's all marked so it shouldn't be too bad!**

**I do not own supernatural, only Lexie. **

**Chapter Forty Four**

_Dean's POV_

I opened my eyes to see Lexie still asleep next to me. I was usually the last one up, but I knew she had been really tired lately. Even though she pretended that everything was all fine, I knew that she was screwed up. I could feel her tossing and turning nearly all night. Sometimes she would burst awake with nightmares and silently scoot closer to me, and I would pretend I didn't notice. It was just what we did.

I carefully slid out of bed, trying to make sure that I didn't wake her up. She looked almost dead as she just lay there sleeping. I was reminded to when she was little and would sleep all curled up in a ball on the edge of the bed. I smirked and headed for the shower. I had only started the water when someone pounded on the door. "Dude, I'm going to get coffee!" Sam shouted.

"Whatever!" I shouted back, hopping into the water. I avoided my hurt shoulder and tried to wash up the best I could. I got out, gelled my hair up, and brushed my teeth. By the time I was out, Sam was sitting at the table sipping at his coffee and eating his breakfast. I grabbed mine, and looked over to where Lexie was still sleeping. Usually she was up by now.

"She's sleeping in I guess," Sam said, knowing what I was thinking. "She hasn't even moved."

"Well you know she hasn't been sleeping lately," I said, sitting down. I took a sip of the coffee. "Maybe this means she won't be so crabby."

"Doubt it," Sammy laughed. He picked up the paper, and started scanning for a new case. I swear he was always searching for something to do. It was one case after another. I watched him read, and ate the breakfast sandwich. After I was done, I turned the TV on low, and we fell into our comfortable silence.

After awhile, I glanced over at Lexie. She was still in the same position on her side. "Hey, Lexie!" I called, seeing if that would make her wake up. She didn't even flinch. I looked to Sam, who shrugged, and got up. I walked over and nudged her. "Lexie, c'mon it's almost eleven."

She still didn't move and I was getting worried. "Ankle biter, wakey wakey," I said, pulled the blankets off. She moved with the blankets, but other than that fell flat. I frowned, and sat next to her. "Alexis!" I shouted, shaking her. I quick let go. Her skin was as cold as ice.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, as I looked over at him in shock.

"She isn't waking up and her skin is like ice, man," I said, brushing the bangs out of her hair. I checked for a pulse. "She's alive," I breathed, confused. "Alexis!" I shouted, shaking her again, now panicking. "Alexis!"

_Lexie's POV_

_He leaned in close, a smile and yellow eyes blazing. _

"_Hello, Alexis" he said. "Ready to play?" _

I shot awake, and opened my eyes, noting how the sunlight was pouring in from the window. The last thing I remembered was those eyes staring deep into mine. I shuddered and looked around the room. Dean and Sam were nowhere to be found. I looked to the other bed. It was made, crisp and clean. No one had slept in it.

I got out of bed, and saw that none of our stuff was there. The duffels were gone the laptop wasn't on the table like it was last night. I went to the window, and peered out. All I saw was brick. It was bricked shut. I ran to the bathroom window and found it the same way. I ran to the door, and pulled it open. It wasn't bricked shut so I ran right out.

Out of nowhere, I was somehow still in the motel room, coming out of the bathroom. I frowned, and tried again. I came out of the bathroom once again. "What the hell?" I asked, going for my cell. I had no service. I went to the land line. It had a dial tone, so I dialed Dean.

_We're sorry. The number you have dialed had either been disconnected or does not exist. Please hang up and dial again._

I dialed again, got the same message, and slammed the phone down back on the hook in annoyance. "You know, you really shouldn't damage property that isn't yours," said a voice behind me. I turned around to see those familiar yellow eyes. "And all that anger! Let me guess, you take after Dean?"

"What do you want?" I demanded, angry.

"Good to see you too, Lexie!" He smiled, sitting at the table.

"Where the hell am I? Where are Sam and Dean?" I asked frantically. I just wanted answers.

"They're not here right now, leave them a message at the beep," He smiled. "Beep."

"Cute," I remarked, just glaring at him.

"So it seems I finally caught up with you, huh?" he asked, getting up and standing in front of me. "And you even knew I was looking for you…"

"Congrats," I stated, rolling my eyes.

"I wouldn't use that tone with me," he said, his smile falling.

"So are you going to actually end me this time, or are we just going to talk again?" I asked, ignoring him. I knew this attitude was asking for it, but it was making me feel better.

"Well it won't be the _end," _he said, with a nonchalant shrug. "There's hell you know."

"Yeah, I know," I said, standing up. I stared at him for a moment. "What do you want from me?" I asked when he was silent.

He grinned. "I want to show you something."

_Dean's POV_

My shoulder was killing me, and I was pretty sure openly bleeding, but I didn't really care. I had picked up Alexis to get her into the bathroom. "She's freezing," I said, as I lay her as gently as I could in the tub, clothes and all. Sam turned the water on, and I splashed it over her. She still wasn't moving.

"Her lips are blue," Sam said, oh so helpfully.

"I know," I said, desperately. "I know." I splashed more of the warm water over her, but it didn't seem to be doing much.

"We should take her to a hospital," Sammy said, watching me worriedly.

"They won't be able to do anything," I said, making the water even warmer. "This isn't the flu, Sam."

"We have to try, Dean," Sammy said, giving me those stupid big eyes.

I hardened, looking back at Lexie. "No, man," I said, "We've got to get her to Bobby's."

"What's Bobby—"

"I don't know," I said, letting the water out. It wasn't doing a damn thing. "But people don't just go hypothermic in the middle of the night."

"I know, but-"

"Just help me change her into warmer clothes," I said, peeling her wet shorts off. This was awkward, but at least she wasn't awake. That would only make it worse. I put the new clothes on as quickly as possible, and let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding. It was insanely weird, but I had bathed her half the time when she was little, so too bad.

I had put her in a sweater and sweatpants. I hoped it would warm her up or something. Sam grabbed our stuff and already had it in the car. "Thanks, Sammy," I said, giving him a small smile. I wouldn't show him I was scared. I was the oldest and Dean. I was never scared.

We put her in the back seat and Sam sat back there with her. I hit the gas pedal, not even bothering with things as stupid as the speed limit. I had to get to Bobby's. He would know what was going on. He had too, because I sure didn't.

Out of nowhere, Lex started screaming. No, not screaming. She sounded like something was ripping her into a million pieces. "Dean!" Sam shouted, trying to hold her still. I glanced back in the rearview mirror, and saw Sam trying to pin her arms down. I swerved to the side of the road and jumped out. Opening the door, I pulled her out and sat down with her on the concrete.

She was thrashing and screaming. Tears poured down her cheeks. "Alexis," I said, holding her as close as I could. She was pinned against my chest her arms against so that she couldn't move. Sam sat next to me, watching worriedly. "Lexie, c'mon," I whispered, trying to get her to calm down. "You're okay, c'mon."

She slowly stopped, only twitching and shaking a little. She was breathing heavily. "Ankle biter?" I asked, thinking maybe she would answer now. Her eyes were still closed. She gave me no answer, not even an ounce of recognition. She was back to silence.

I felt her head and she was burning up. "Dean, what the hell was that?" Sammy asked, watching Lexie.

"I don't know, man," I said, letting go of her slightly. I hadn't even realized I was still holding her. My shoulder was bleeding. Sam picked her up and put her in the front seat this time, holding her head and putting her feet on my lap.

"Let's go," I said, hitting the gas and burning rubber again. We were running out of time it seemed.

_Lexie's POV_

I held my side in pain as I kneeled in front of Him. I panted, wiping the blood from my mouth. He barely had to move an inch and I was in pain. "You ready to come willingly now?" he asked, watching me struggle not to burst into tears.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I choked out, spitting blood onto the carpet. I struggled to my feet with a wince.

"You sure?" he asked, unfazed. "I can play this game all day." I was forced back to my knees, and started to choke. I doubled over, blood pooling in my mouth. The metallic taste was making me sicker than I already was. Everything hurt so badly. I thought this might be it right here, but then it stopped. I coughed up the remaining blood, and closed my eyes for a moment.

Then, I stood back up again.

"You know, you're a lot tougher than your daddy and bros give you credit for," Yellow eyes smiled. I said nothing, barely able to keep myself standing straight. My breaths were ragged. I could barely even keep myself from wanting to cry. "Look," he said, staring right at me with those yellow eyes. I inwardly flinched. "I promise that you'll make it back to right here," he pointed to where I was standing. "Trust me, you want to see this."

I looked around, and couldn't help but be curious about this. I mean, if he wanted me to go that bad. Plus, he was going to kill me anyway, so what did I really have to lose? I gave a slow nod. He smiled, and snapped his fingers.

It was a dark room. The walls were a light pasty blue, and there was a small crib in the middle of the room. I inched forward, already knowing what I was going to see. It was me, or a tiny baby version of me. "When are we?" I asked, turning around.

"The night mommy died," he smiled, and leaned on the wall. There was a bright flash. I looked away, and then looked back to yellow eyes.

"I don't want to watch this," I said.

"Hang on," he said, putting a hand up. "This is the good part."

I turned back around to see a shape of a man that wasn't there before. I didn't even have to wonder, I knew it was Yellow eyes. "What are you doing?" I asked, as he leaned over the crib.

"Trying to get rid of you" he said. "Those stupid—"he cut off, and sighed. "And well I was interrupted," he sighed, as the door creaked open. Yellow eyes stopped leaning over, and my mother stared.

"You," she said, and then was pushed against the wall. She slowly slid up the wall, wincing in pain as she went. I was crying in the crib.

"Stop," I said, wanting to close my eyes, but not able to. "Stop, I don't want to see this."

"You already have," he said, pointing to baby me. "Technically, anyway."

She ended up on the ceiling, where her abdomen was bleeding. It dripped down. My father ran in. "Mary?" he questioned. I could feel the hot tears running down my face. He frowned, and looked to me in the crib. "Alexis," he smiled, and moved the slight amount of hair out of my face. I just looked at him.

He frowned as a drop of blood landed next to me. "What—"He looked up to see my mother. "Mary, god, Mary, no!" he said, and grabbed me. Dean came running in.

"Dad—"

"Take your sister and your brother outside," my father said, without a second glance. "Now, Dean, go!"

Dean took me out of the house. As the fire erupted, I kept my eyes closed. I couldn't watch this anymore. I couldn't watch my mom become nothing but ashes. I could almost feel the heat on my face, and then we were gone, back to the motel room. "Why did you show me that?" I asked, choking on the tears in my throat.

"I wanted you to understand why you have to die," he said, matter-of-factly. "I wanted you to know that I didn't take time out of my very busy schedule to come all the way here for nothing," He sighed. "Should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance."

"Why didn't you?" I asked, "And what was that flash? And what did you mean back there by you were interrupted?"

"You ask too many questions," he said, pinning me to the wall. He smiled. "We'll take care of that"

_Sam's POV_

Dean's foot hadn't come off the gas pedal in nearly 100 miles. I just kept staring ahead, my eyes on the road. Every then again I looked back down at Lex to make sure she was still okay. She was still really warm. "Dean," I said, and Dean rolled my eyes. I looked down at Lexie. He thought I was just going to urge him to get to a hospital again. I frowned. Was that blood?

"Dean," I said again, more urgent. He glanced over, and his eyes fell to Lex as well. Her nose was bleeding.

"Shit," he swore, and handed me the napkins from the glove compartment. She started coughing, spewing blood. He handed me more, and swerved to the side of the road for the second time that day. I wiped the blood off, but more just came out. Dean came around, and she started choking since she was on her back. I tried to keep her upright, but it was too hard in the car.

I pushed her towards Dean, who propped her up. "Lexis," I breathed, getting out. My shirt was bloody, and we probably looked like we were killing her from passersby. "Dean, what the hell is going on?" I asked, as Lex coughed up another round of blood. I handed him more napkins.

"Dunno, Sammy," he said, worriedly trying to keep her from choking on the blood. "She's losing a lot of blood."

"Yeah" I agreed, helpless. "I don't know what to do"

"You think I do?" he said, shaking his head. She seemed to have calmed down. We waited a few more minutes in silence, both covered in blood, before we breathed again. "I think we're good for now." Dean said, picking her up.

"I'll get her man," I said, noting his wince as he tried to carry her to the car. Dean gratefully let me have her, and then we got back in the car. "Dean, I really think we should hit the hospital."

"No, man," Dean said. "We take her to a hospital, we're stuck there. They can't help her; they won't know what's wrong. _I _don't know what's wrong."

"Well what is Bobby going to do?" I asked, annoyed. "He's not a doctor!"

"Well she's not sick," Dean replied, eyes on the road. "Doctors aren't going to be able to do anything either!"

"We have to do something or she's going to die!" I shouted, angrily. I adjusted Lexie so she was even more on my lap.

"Shut up, Sam," Dean said, snarling. "I'm not going to let her die."

I glared at him, looking down at how sickly Lexie looked. Her face was flushed. "I'm her brother too, Dean," I stated, quietly.

"What?" he asked, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I said I'm her brother too," I repeated, this time more confidently. "And I think we should get her to a doctor."

Dean looked slightly hurt. "I've taken care of her for her entire life, Sam," he argued.

I rolled my eyes. "Who do you think took care of her when you were out hunting with dad?" I asked, remembering all those nights in the motel rooms of Lex and me just watching TV and waiting anxiously for the door to open. "I had to wait there with her and tell her that you'd be fine," I went on, as his face went from hardened to slightly sad.

"Okay," he said. "I get it. You don't have to make me feel like an ass." I said nothing to that, just watching him mull over my request in his mind. "Okay," he said again. "If she freaks out again, we'll get to the nearest hospital, deal?"

"Deal," I said, with a nod. I looked back down. "What do you think is going on?"

Dean sighed. "I think something's attacking her somehow."

"In her head?" I asked, "You think it's THE demon?"

"Could be," he admitted, and looked anxiously at the sky. "It's getting dark."

"We better hurry then," I stated, and Dean sped up slightly.

_Lexie's POV_

I was on my knees again. This seemed to be a thing with him. I coughed and spit more blood onto the carpet. I had been pinned to the wall, but had fallen quickly, and now I was granted a moment to catch my breath. "This is becoming a pain in my ass," I said, through clenched teeth. I struggled to catch my breath, and took a ragged breath in. I crumpled to my hands. My entire body was shaking from this pain.

"Such strong language for a small girl," Yellow eyes mused.

I pushed myself to my knees and finally used the bed to help myself to my feet. I wasn't going to stay down. Everything in me told me to just give up. I just wanted the pain to end, but I couldn't give in. My father hadn't done everything he could to keep me from this to just have me give in. "Thanks," I said, smirking. "I'm flattered."

He pinned me back on the wall. "You've got a smart mouth," he remarked. "We should fix that." He made a fist, and I couldn't breathe.

I choked on gasps. My chest was squeezing shut. I would have grabbed at it, but my arms were pinned to the wall. I groaned, trying my best to breath, but it was cut off. I started to panic when he only smiled. I thrashed, trying to tell him that I needed to _breathe_ dammit. My lungs were going to explode. My head was pounding, telling me that I had to breathe or I was going to die. White spots appeared in my vision.

He let go, and I fell to the ground. I coughed and gasped for air. It hurt to breath, like I had run a marathon. I held my chest, wheezing and panted. I stayed on my back, as he watched me. He seemed satisfied with himself. "Tired already?" he asked, "We're just starting to have fun."

He flung me across the room, and I clattered against the wall. I stuck against it like I was stuck by glue. "You call this fun?" I asked, wincing as he smacked me across the face.

"Shut up," he said. He drew a finger down my arm, which split open. I screamed in pain. He did it again on the other arm.

I moaned, and fought against him still. He went to my stomach. "This was how I cut mommy," he said, dragging a finger across my abdomen, tearing the flesh like it was tissue paper.

I screamed. "Son of a bitch!" I yelled glaring with all the strength I had left. Blood was dripping down the carpet. It covered my legs and my sides. It was warm. I flinched as he brought his hand to my face.

He snapped his fingers, and all the cuts were gone. I looked down, in surprise. What the hell was he doing? "Remember when I told you I wanted to break you?" he asked, turning around walking away. He stopped. "I told you I want to hear you beg for it. I want you on your knees groveling for me to end it"

"Yeah," I said, not able to come up with a sarcastic remark. Everything hurt too much.

"I'll tell you what," he smiled, turning back to face me. "You tell me when you want to give up, and I'll let you go. Give you a one way ticket to hell, and we can all go about eternity." He smiled, like this was the best plan. "What do you say?"

"Go to hell," I stated.

"No, that would be you," he said, with a dramatic sigh. "I guess we'll have to continue."

He drew a finger against my cheek. I could taste the blood. This continues with my legs. I screamed every time, blood mixing with tears. "Please," I panted. "Please, god—"

"God's not here," he said, and grabbed my arm.

I heard the snap before it registered in my mind. I screamed until my voice was hoarse and I felt nothing but the pain. It radiated all around my body like fire. I couldn't do this. The pain was unbearable. I gulped in air, starting to feel nauseous. "Please," I pleaded with no one. I was alone here.

"You can make it stop," Yellow eyes whispered. "Just give in."

"I never will," I said, feeling the tears in my eyes.

"I've got all the time in the world," He smiled. He broke a finger, snapping it like a twig. I screamed again, groaning and shaking my head.

"You know," he said, breaking another one. "You know, you're stronger than a lot of the demons in hell," He broke another, and I just whimpered. I couldn't even scream anymore. "Too bad about your death and all."

"I'm not going to give in," I stated.

"Well," he said, and all the sudden the pain was gone. He let me off the wall, and I just fell to the floor. I didn't get up at first, just making sure I was all intact. I seemed to be. "I guess I'll have to take a different approach with you."

"What does that mean?" I asked, getting to my feet.

"Let's give your bro's a visit," He smiled, and snapped his fingers. All went black.

_Dean's POV_

We pulled into the junkyard, and Sam pulled Lexie out of the car. Bobby was already waiting for us at the door. We had called him a few miles out to tell him everything that had gone down in the last day. We ran inside, Bobby on our heels. "Put her in the back room," he instructed. "You know which one."

Sam nodded and took her back. I stayed towards the front with Bobby for a moment. "Thanks, Bobby," I said, with a heavy sigh. I hadn't realized how tired I was. I probably looked like shit.

"No problem, boy," Bobby replied, slapping me on the shoulder. "How's she doing now?"

"She coughed up blood a few miles back," I said, cringing at the memory. "I mean what the hell Bobby? She was fine when she went to sleep yesterday."

"She's really hot, Dean," Sam said, coming back. "She's burning up."

"We can put her in ice," Bobby nodded. "Got it all set up in the bathroom."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. Bobby just rolled his eyes.

"I am some good, you know," he scoffed, and went towards his bathroom. I went into the back bedroom and looked at Lexie on the bed. She looked like she was already dead, especially with all the blood on her. I grimaced. I couldn't let her die. I had to protect her like I had my entire life and I wasn't going to let that all go to waste now.

"Sammy could you—"

"Yeah," he said, and picked her up again. "She weighs like nothing," he remarked and carried her to the tub. He gently placed her in it and she tensed. At least she was responding a little.

"Can't leave her in too long," Bobby said from the doorway. "You'll send her into shock."

"Right," I said, and after only five minutes, we pulled her out. I sighed, as I watched her skin go from cool right back to scorching. "It's not working," I stated. "We gotta figure out how to fix this."

Sam looked to Bobby. "We think something's in her head."

"Like a Freddy Krueger," I added.

Bobby shrugged. "We can test that," he said, grabbing a flask out of his pants pocket. He walked over to Lex. "I need someone to hold her down."

I went over and held her arms down. "What is that?" I asked, watching him add some powder to the flask.

"Holy water and salt," he stated. "If it's demonic, it'll feel it. She won't be able to swallow it"

"But she's not possessed," Sam said, confused.

"Doesn't matter," Bobby said. "It's influencing her mind. Nearly the same thing."

"What if you hurt her, Bobby?" I asked, slightly worried.

"Look if something's in her head, then we'll know and we can get it out," he replied, the flask at the ready. "Ready?"

I nodded, and tightened my grip on her arms. Bobby lowered the flask and poured some inside. She immediately started to thrash and cough it up. She screamed in pain. I held her as still as I could, until she stopped moving. "Well," Bobby said, standing up straight. "Something's in her."

"So now what?" I asked, pacing around her bed. "How do we get it out of her?"

"Some sort of ritual I guess," Bobby said, and nodded at Lexie's still form. "I'll get to work on it, and we can take shifts watching her."

"I got the first one," I said, and sat next to her on the bed. Sam and Bobby exchanged a glance and left the room. I just stared at her, willing her to wake up. Just to wake up for a minute to tell us how to fix her, that was all I needed. "C'mon, ankle biter," I said, shaking my head. "You gotta pull through this I can't deal with this without you."

The reality of that statement hit me like ton of bricks. I really couldn't. She was innocent and young and just _got it_. Even though I never showed it, I needed her just as much as she needed me. We were dependent on each other like that. I needed her to remind me that this world wasn't just one big shithole that it always seemed to be.

I could hear Sam and Bobby talking downstairs. "We got to find something, right?" Sam said, ruffling papers. "We can't let her die."

"Yeah," Bobby said, but I could hear the fault in his voice. He had no freaking clue what to do. None of us did. He sighed. "All these will kill her or wipe her mind clean," he said, slamming another book shut. "You got anything, boy?"

"No," Sam said, sounding defeated.

Out of nowhere, Lexie started wheezing. She sounded like she could barely breathe. She choked and gasped for air. I picked her up so that she was upright. "Sam!" I shouted, and looked back at Alexis, unsure what to do. "Okay," I said, coaching her through it. "You're okay. You're fine, just breathe dammit!"

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, running in the room. "Is she okay?"

"She started breathing funny," I said, watching her. "I think she stopped." I lay her back down, making sure she was okay. "We've got to do something now. What have you guys got?"

"Nothing that won't damage her yet," Bobby said.

"Well, try harder," I growled, getting annoyed.

"Excuse me boy," Bobby snarled back. "You're not the only one who cares about her you know. I aint just gonna let her kick it."

"Good," I said, glaring. "So what's the least damaging one you have?"

Sam shook his head. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Dean."

"Sammy, we don't have anything else and she's getting worse," I pleaded. "Unless you have a better plan, I got nothing else."

Sam stared at Lexie for a moment, but then slowly nodded. He looked to Bobby. "There was that one, with the deersbane and snake root," he said. "That one said that it shouldn't be damaging other than-"

"Other than possibly killing her!" Bobby said. "You two idgits really think this is a good idea?" Sam and I exchanged a glance, and couldn't even respond before Bobby was walking out the door. "I'll get it ready," he said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Thanks," I called after him.

"She's going to be pissed when we tell her we almost killed her," Sam said, smiling weakly at Lex. I smirked myself. "I wonder what's going on in her head."

"Nothing good," I stated, as Bobby came back carrying a bowl and bags of some herbs.

"We need blood," Bobby said, holding a knife up. Sam took it from him casting me a glance. I watched him carefully let the knife bite into her arm, being careful not to cut too deep. The blood ran into the bowl, and Bobby took it back. He mixed in the herbs. "Ready?" he asked. We nodded. "I don't really know what's going to happen, so, uh…" Sam and I took spots on opposite sides of the bed.

"Okay," I said. "Hit it."

"O spiritus mentem nobis prodeunt" Bobby read. "Deus omen hoc producti videamus faciem suus. Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Deus caeli, Deus terrae, humiliter majestati gloriae Tuae supplicamus ut ab omni infernalium potestatem spirituum laqueo, deceptione et nequitia, omnis fallaciae, libera Alexis Domine"

Nothing happened, and then wind started to come from nowhere. "Bobby?" I asked, "What the hell?"

"I don't know!" he shouted. I had a feeling that this was not going to be good.

_Lexie's POV_

I opened my eyes to see that I was in Bobby's back bedroom. I frowned. What the hell was going on? Last time I checked my brothers were in that motel room with me. Why the hell would we be at Bobby's? All our stuff was piled in the corner.

"Dean!" I yelled, getting off the bed. "Sammy?"

I got no response. I made my way into the hall. "Dean!" I yelled again. "Bobby? Sam?" Why was no one answering me?

I went slowly down the steps, until I came to the living area. There was blood everywhere. The floor was more like a red river, and right in the middle was all three of them, dead. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even see straight.

Sam was dismembered to the point I could barely make out that it was him. His face was cut up and swollen. Bobby was just splattered everywhere. Dean was lying in the middle, blood pooled around him. I whimpered and kneeled next to him. His eyes just stared ahead, completely empty. I looked up to the wall, where words were written in blood.

_You're next_

I couldn't help it, I started screaming and crying. I choked on sobs that racked my body. Why did he have to hurt them? This was all my fault. I should've just let him send me to hell. Now we were all going to end up there. We were all dead.

Tears poured down my cheeks, mixing blood and tears. I went to the side and hurled. I think I wanted to actually die right now. They were dead, so what did I really have to live for? I was broken into a million pieces.

"Have I finally broken you?" Yellow eyes asked, standing over me.

I was rocking back and forth and crying still, my heart aching in my chest. I wanted to give in. I wanted to tell him to just kill me, just end it. I stood up, still shaking and covered in my blood and everyone else's as well. I hardened my expression. He wasn't going to see me like this. I would die, but not by him. He didn't deserve it.

Tears still welling in my eyes, and turned to him. "Is that all you got?"

He growled at me, walking forward. "This is only the beginning," he smiled, and clenched his fist. I gasped for air again, except this time it was accompanied by the most immense pain in my life. I would have screamed if air could get in my lungs. I was burning, fire in my stomach bubbling to the surface.

Blood poured out of my mouth, and I choked on it. My head was pounding, white lights exploded in my eyes. It hurt, everything hurt. I couldn't even see straight.

And then it stopped.

I heaved on the ground, trying to not burst into tears again. "Something's going on," Yellow eyes frowned. "Guess we have to cut this short." He pulled me up to my feet, and landed one swift punch. I spit out more blood and wondered how much blood was even left in my body. "Goodbye Alexis," he smiled.

All I saw was black.

The next time my eyes opened, I saw red and blue lights. They were going around and around and there was this high pitched beeping. I wanted to tell the people to shut the stupid thing off. What the hell was going on? The last thing I remembered was…what was the last thing that happened?

My head hurt too much to think. I felt people poke a prod me and I could feel warm blood on my face. I knew I was hurt, but I couldn't remember what had all gone down. I just remembered those yellow eyes, glaring into mine and pain. The unbearable pain.

Then I was out again, and this time, I didn't wake up for a really long time. At least, it felt like a really long time. When I tried to open my eyes, they felt like they had been glued shut. I blinked it away, and then felt someone holding my hand. They squeezed and so I squeezed back.

"Lexie?" they asked, and I just groaned. It was too freaking bright in here. A slight beeping noise was going on next to my head, and all I could move was my head. "Lexie, its Sammy, you in there?"

"Sammy," I repeated my mouth dry. "Where am I?" I mumbled, confused.

"Dean," he said, looking ecstatic. His shaggy hair was in his face. "Get the doc, she's up!"

"Where am I?" I asked again, trying to get up. Some guy in a white lab coat pushed me back down.

"Take it easy," he said, softly. "You're in the hospital"

"Why?" I asked, as he shined a light in my eyes. I flinched, looking away. "What's going on? Why can't I remember what happened?"

"Lexie," Sammy said. "Are you okay?'

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, looking back and forth between anyone. "But who are you?"

**A/N: Did anyone think Dean and Sam were really dead? Haha They never really stay dead so they? (Thank god!) And to answer the many questions I get about a new guy, don't worry, it's totally coming! In the episode Heart if you really want to know! Please hit me up with a review! I really appreciate it! **


	45. Season 2, Chapter Twenty

**A/N: Sorry this took so darn long, but I was having trouble with the site and it wouldn't let me update. Thanks to some creative awesome people who helped me out, i was finally able to get this up! Please review!**

**Brittpage21 wrote part of this and as usual it is marked! You're awesome girl! **

**I do not own Sam or Dean or anything other than Alexis!**

**Chapter Forty Five**

"_Lexie," Sammy said. "Are you okay?' _

"_Yeah, I'm fine," I said, looking back and forth between everyone. "But who are you?"_

Everyone in the room continued to stare at me like I was crazy. "Lex," the other guy said. I figured he was Dean, since the guy who said he was Sam said it a few seconds ago. "You know who we are, don't be stupid."

"I'm not stupid," I said, frustrated. "I don't know who you are. I'm not even sure what's going on." I looked to the doctor. "What's wrong with me?"

"Slight memory loss is common with her injuries but I've never seen anything to this extent," the lab coat said, frowning.

"You mean you really don't remember anything?" Dean stated, dumbfounded. "You've got to be shitting me."

"Dean," Sam snapped, warningly. "Calm down."

"Calm down?" Dean asked, starting to pace. "Calm down? Really? She doesn't know who we _are_, Sammy! And you want me to calm down?"

"Dean, you're going to freak her out," Sam said, looking worriedly at me. "Just leave if you're going to do this." Dean stopped moving and shut up. He didn't want to be kicked out. He still looked really stressed out. "I'm Sam," Sam said, pointing to himself. "This is Dean. You really don't remember us? At all?"

"You've only known us your entire life," Dean scoffed. "We're your brothers."

"Oh," I said, frowning. I stared hard at each of them for a moment. I felt like I knew them, but it was like someone you knew you in your childhood that looked familiar, but that you knew nothing about. "I can't remember," I said, sadly. Dean's face fell. "I'm sorry."

"We're going to need to run some tests," the lab coat said, marking things. "Can I talk to you boys for a minute?"

"Sure," Sammy said. Both of them walked out with the doctor, casting me sideways glances. I listened intently. This was about me and I had every right to know what they were saying.

"This is really odd," the doc said. "Usually the amnesia is only of the event that caused the injury or of a traumatic experience, not a lifetime."

"I saw a general hospital episode about it once," Dean said.

"You watch general hospital?" Sam asked, sounding like he was about to laugh. "Never knew that about you Dean."

"Shut up, Sam," Dean growled. "I'm just saying, it can happen right?"

"It can, it's just…" The doctor trailed off. "In the medical field we call it TV amnesia. It usually only happens on TV and in fiction. There are only a few known cases around the world" He paused. "We aren't even sure how it can happen without loss of motor control or even some kind of impediment."

"So she's a rare case," Sam said. "How can we help her?"

"Talk to her," the doctor said. "Tell her about major events in her life. Tell her about her friends, about school, anything that she could remember."

"Right," Dean said, sounding funny. I scanned my mind for what that infliction in his voice meant. My mind clicked. He sounded like he was worried. I wondered how I knew that.

"It'll take time," the lab coat said. "I'm going to order an MRI scan, so it'll take about an hour. Don't press her too hard, she's probably scared. And remember she doesn't know you, so if she acts differently that's why."

"Thanks, doc," Dean said, and both Sam and Dean rounded back around the corner. I pretended I hadn't heard a word they just said. "So, uh…"

"I'm sorry I can't remember anything," I said, wanting to cry. I choked on the lump in my throat. "What happened to me?"

"To tell the truth," Sam said, sitting in a chair. "We aren't really sure."

I nodded. "And you two are my brothers," I stated, and they both nodded. "Who's older?"

"I'm the oldest," Dean said, sitting on the end of the bed. "Can't you tell? What with my stunning good looks?"

"Right," I said, confused. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a joke or not.

"No really," Dean scoffed, pointing to Sam. "Look at him. He's a giant with too much hair. Who the hell would want that?"

"Is he always this self-centered?" I asked Sam with a smile.

Sam laughed. "Only on days that end in Y." Dean scowled.

"And I'm the youngest," I stated, somehow just knowing that. "Sixteen," I said, as the number popped into my head.

"Yeah," Sam said, looking surprised. "We share a birthday."

"That's weird," I stated, and Sam shrugged. I was silent after that. I wasn't sure what else to ask. They said nothing either, but I felt like I needed to keep talking. "So, do we…uh… get along?" I asked, feeling stupid.

"We're close," Dean said, shooting me a smile. "We've spent our entire lives together. We're not like normal siblings."

"Why?" I asked, confused. Sam shot Dean a look. "What?" I asked.

"Well our parents weren't around a lot when we were young," Sam replied, glaring at Dean to keep his mouth shut. "So we took care of each other."

"More like I took care of both of you," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Why weren't they around?" I asked, confused. My mind wasn't surprised by this, but something was telling me that parents were supposed to be around, so why hadn't mine been?

"I'm sorry I need to take you to your tests now," a nurse said, entering the room. "She'll be back soon, I promise."

"We'll wait here," Dean said, plopping himself down in a chair.

"Wait," I said, stopping the lady as she pushed the wheel chair. "I, uh…" I looked back to my brothers, who I had just met. I didn't want to go alone, but I wasn't sure how to ask them for that. I mean, I had only met them an hour ago. And I didn't want to seem like a baby… "Can one of you—"

Dean didn't move, and Sam looked slightly uneasy. "Yeah," Sam said, standing up, and I relaxed. He walked along side me. "You okay?" he asked, as we went down the hall. "There's nothing to be worried about."

"Yeah," I laughed, nervously. "Sorry if this bothers you."

"Nah," He said, with a smile. "I'm your brother. It's what we do for each other." I gave him a slight nod, but couldn't help but notice that he was staring at me like I was breakable or something. I looked away, and he did too.

I looked back up when I caught him staring at me. Now he was staring like I was an alien and wasn't his sister. I supposed I wasn't right now. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, "It's just…I'm not used to you being this clingy. You're usually Miss Independent."

"Isn't that a song?" I asked, as it popped into my mind. He shrugged and then nodded. "Why can I remember that, but not you?" He smirked.

"Okay sweetie," the nurse said, stopping. "You're brother can't go in with you, but he can wait right out here."

"I'll be waiting," Sam said, and sat on the chair in the hall.

"Thanks, Sammy," I said, with a smile, and then the nurse took me in. She moved me from the wheel chair to the table. My legs were a little wobbly, like I hadn't used them for awhile. I quickly maneuvered myself onto the bed and lay flat on my back.

"You're going to have to keep really still, okay?" the nurse said, putting some colored liquid into my IV. I nodded. "Are you claustrophobic?"

I thought hard about that. "I don't think so," I stated, trying to remember. My head hurt, so I stopped. "No," I replied. "I'm fine."

"Okay," she said, putting this cage like thing around my head. "This is just to keep you still. We're going to start now, are you ready?"

"Yeah," I said, and she pressed a button. I slowly headed into the large metal tube. I closed my eyes, and tried to remember who I was. I flinched when out of nowhere I saw this huge creature. It looked like a monster of sorts. Its skin was like an elephants, and teeth protruded from its mouth. The thing was huge, and it was coming right towards me.

Wendigo.

That word popped into my head. I kept my eyes open from there on out. What was in my head made no sense whatsoever. I wished I could just remember who I was and move on with this life that I had woken up in this morning. "Okay, Alexis, we're done!" called the nurse and I was slowly pulled back out of the tube. "You okay?"

"Fine," I said anxiously. Monsters popped up in my head, but hey, I was just fine and dandy. "Can I go back to my brothers now?"

"Sure," she said, as I got back in the wheel chair. She wheeled me to the hall, where Sam was waiting. He looked relieved to see me.

"Hey," he said with a small smile. "How did it go?"

"She did fine," The nurse said, with a smile. "We'll know the results in an hour or so."

"Great," Sam said, and took my wheel chair. He wheeled me back to my room without another word. I got back into the bed and stared at them for awhile. Sam seemed like he was in deep thought, and Dean was bouncing his leg up and down like he was trying not to explode.

"I'm hungry," Dean announced, after a long silence. "You want anything?" Sam shook his head, and he almost ran out of the room.

As soon as he was gone, I looked to Sam. "Why is he avoiding me?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Sam said, shaking his head. He looked annoyed. "He's just…dealing with all of this." He paused, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "This is how he deals."

"Oh," I said, and leaned back. This was all my stupid head's fault. "What's a Wendigo?" I asked.

He tensed, although he clearly tried to hide his discomfort. He shifted in his seat. "A what?"

"A Wendigo," I stated, confused. "The name popped into my head. What is it?" He said nothing, and I watched him expectantly.

"I think it's some kind of monster," he shrugged. I knew he was lying. "Don't know why that would pop in your head."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Me neither." I laid back and felt exhausted. I could barely hold my head up long enough to even say another word.

"Just go to sleep," Sam said, with a small smile. "I'll wake you up when the results come."

"Thanks," I said, and closed my eyes. I was out two seconds later, without even a moment to try to think about memories some more. I wasn't aware that I was dreaming until it happened.

_I felt a force deliver a huge blow to my stomach, and then I was knocked backward, flying into the crates. I groaned and felt a long slash on my leg bleeding down my calf. I couldn't see these damn things. I could feel the wind of the claw as it came towards me. I squirmed away, but I could feel them coming closer. They inched towards me, nothing more than shadows. I could defend myself if I couldn't see them. Something in my head was telling me to fight .It was telling me that I had to deal with this now. None of this surprised me, and then it occurred to me that this was a memory. _

"_Dean" I yelped in pain, and then another blow to my head sent me falling into a black pit of nothingness._

_I was now in a bed, kissing some guy. I knew his name. It was on the tip of my tongue. He smiled, and leaned in for another kiss. I went in with him, and happily let his hands wander down my thighs. "Logan," I breathed, as he kissed my neck. _

_Then I was in some kid's bedroom. There was a scary looking…thing in a black tattered robe lying on the ground. I didn't know what it was, but it was scary looking. Sam was holding a gun to it. __My muscles were aching like no one's business. Dean and Sam walked over to where the shtriga (I somehow figured out what it was without even thinking), was lying on the floor motionless. Sam lowered his gun a little. The thing suddenly shot up and flung Dean into the closet doors_.

_I jumped backwards, and dodged out of the way. The shtriga went after the kid, so I shot at it, trying to distract it. That's right, I had a gun. What the hell? It turned around and took a swipe at me, hitting my gun out of my hands. I glanced up only to be pushed backwards into Dean. _

I woke up, but didn't move. I just tried to steady my breathing to a normal rate. My heart beat in my chest, and I didn't realize that people were talking around me until I was calmer. I stayed very still.

"Are we going to tell her?" Dean asked. He apparently had come back in the time that I had been asleep.

"I don't know," Sam said, and I could feel them looking at me. "She's not going to get any better if we don't right? I mean, it's her past"

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "But I just…what if she never really remembers, Sammy? What if what we did really wiped her memory and now we have to start over?"

"What are you suggesting?" Sam asked. "That we just pretend that this isn't our life? That none of it happened and we play house until she somehow magically remembers everything?"

"No," Dean shot back. "Yes, I don't know. I just think we should wait it out."

"I think you just don't want to have to be the one to explain to her what we are," Sam stated, sounding defeated.

"I'm thinking it's not going to be easy on her and I don't want to have to put her through it," Dean said. "And this is my fault in the first place, so it's my decision."

"Why is it always your decision?" Sam scoffed. "We already talked about this, I'm her brother too."

"Because I'm the oldest," Dean said. He paused for a second. "The doc said we could take her home once they're done testing."

"To Bobby's," Sam said. "How do we explain why we're there?"

"It's the closest thing we have to a home, Sam," Dean said. "Maybe it'll trigger memories."

"Yeah," Sam sighed, and I stirred. I was done listening to this. I was already more confused than before. "Lexie, you up?"

"Yeah," I said, yawning. "What's up? Did the scans come?"

"Yeah," Dean stated. "You're fine, but they want to run one more test and then we're out of here."

"Okay," I said. Dean watched me curiously for a moment, and then sat down without a word. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, staring at me. "It's just, you usually hate hospitals. You usually gun out of them."

"Well I want to get out of here," I admitted, uneasily. "But I don't exactly know where we're going." I looked to both of them, hoping to get an explanation for what I heard them talking about.

"We're going to go to our family friend's house, his name is Bobby," Dean said. "You've known him since you we're little." He paused. "We stay there a lot, so it might be slightly déjà vu."

"Maybe it will help," Sam added, too cheerfully.

"Can I come in?" the doc said, entering. "I take it you told her about the scans?" They nodded. "Good, so we're just going to do a blood test, and take a urine sample, run them in the lab and as long as they're normal you're free to go."

"Thanks," I said, and we went back to doing nothing. He handed me cup to pee in, and I took it in the bathroom with me. I stared at myself in the mirror as I washed my hands. I hadn't even seen myself yet. My hair was long and blonde, and I had hazel eyes. I was pretty.

I sighed, and went back to the bed. Both Sam and Dean were shooting each other glares, and I was slightly annoyed. I was the one who had no clue who I was, and these two were arguing. Something told me that this happened a lot.

"I want to do a couple other tests that should only take a few minutes," The doctor said after taking my blood. He got out a piece of paper and a pen. "Can you write your name for me?"

I took the pen, and spelled out Alexis. "There," I said, and looked up. "Why did I have to do that?"

"I'll tell you when you're done," he stated, and handed me this kid's toy. It was one of those ones where you put shapes into holes. I put all the shapes through in two seconds, and then stared that the doctor like he was nuts. What was I? Four?

"Huh," he remarked, and looked at me. "All your motor skills are intact."

"Doc?" Dean asked, looking as confused as I was.

"It seems that whatever happened to her, it's only affecting a very specific location in her brain. Almost seems self-inflicted," the doctor stated. I was slightly annoyed at that. I didn't just decide to forget everything. That was the stupidest thing I ever heard. "It could be that you are suffering from PTSD."

"Post traumatic stress disorder?" Sam asked, "Really?"

"We'll have to help her along," the doctor said. "Try to force her to access her memories somehow."

"We can do that," Dean said, nodding at me.

"I'm sure you can," the doctor said. "But since there's no real treatment…you'll have to do everything."

"I hope you remember soon," the nurse said, as she wheeled me out to the car.

"Yeah," I said, feeling weird in the clothes that my brothers gave me. It was a hoodie and jeans, and I knew they were mine, but somehow I just felt wrong. Maybe it was because all I knew about myself was in that hospital gown. Now I was confronted with the real world.

Dean and Sam were waiting for me right outside the doors with a black Impala. Sam had already informed me that this car was Dean's baby. I smiled slightly, my stomach churning. "Can I get out of this stupid chair now?" I asked. The nurse laughed and nodded. I hadn't wanted to use it, but it was hospital policy.

The hospital could suck it.

I stood up before we were out of the hospital and walked out the double doors. "You ready?" Dean asked, opening the door. I nodded and climbed in. I noted the pile of stuff at my feet. I knew it belonged to me. I picked up a red shirt, and noted the blood stain. "Uh, why is this shirt bloody?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, uh," Dean said. "Well—"

"You had a bloody nose in the car the other day," Sam stated, a little too quickly. "C'mon. Bobby's waiting."

Dean started up the car and started to drive away. I went through some more of the things, pulling out an IPod. I started going through it, just to see what music I liked. Most of it I could actually sing along too, even though I couldn't remember knowing the songs. I thought it was weird that I could remember songs and dates and other weird things, but not who people were. Why did I know certain things and forget others?

"We're here," Sam said, as the car stopped. "Look familiar?"

I looked at the broken junkyard around me. Car parts were scattered and other cars were piled on top of each other. Singer's Auto was on a sign. I tried my hardest to remember this place. Nothing came to mind. "Not really," I replied, to Sam. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Dean said, and got out of the car. I stared after him. He had said before that this was his fault. What had he meant by that? It wasn't like he had wiped my memory somehow.

I got out of the car, Dean handing me a bag, and walked up to the door. I went slow, unsure of where I was going. A man exited as I walked up. "Hey, darling," He said, with a smile. "How you doin?"

"Okay," I said, assuming this was Bobby. "How are you?"

"Fine, just fine," he said, looking slightly worried. "You want me to show you the bedroom?"

"Yeah," I said, "That'd be great. Thanks." He nodded, and held the door open for me as I walked inside. He led me through the house to a staircase. I glanced to my right, noting the living room area.

_Sam was dismembered to the point I could barely make out that it was him. His face was cut up and swollen. Bobby was just splattered everywhere. Dean was lying in the middle, blood pooled around him._

I gasped, and blinked. It was gone. I frowned and stared again.

_You're next_

"You coming?" Bobby asked, watching me nervously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied, especially freaked out. I let him lead me up the stairs and to a back bedroom. He opened the door and pointed to the two beds.

"You can stay in here," he said. "I got the boys cots set up in the other room."

"They could have this one and I can sleep on a cot," I stated, feeling guilty. "I don't want to take away their bedroom."

"Nonsense," Bobby barked, happily. "The lady gets the room."

"Thanks," I said, and he smiled and closed the door behind him. I sat on the bed, and frowned. None of this was even ringing a bell. Except for that episode in the hall. What was that? Why did I keep seeing freaking monsters and blood baths everywhere? What was wrong with me?

I put my head in my hands and leaned back. I lay on my side, and sighed. I couldn't deal with this anymore. I wanted to remember everything before I went crazy. Dean opened the door a little later. "You hungry?" he asked. "We got food."

I looked over and lightly shook my head. He stared for a second and then left. He came back moments later, carrying a plate of pizza. "You okay?" he asked, sitting down. All I could picture was him lying in that pool of blood. It was making me sick.

"I'm fine," I stated, picking at the pizza.

"You sure?" he asked, watching me with worry written all over his face. "You, uh…remember anything?"

"No," I said, not bothering to tell him about what I saw in the hallway. I don't think seeing my fully alive brother dead in a pool of blood was "remembering."I put the pizza down. "Where are our parents?" I asked, wondering why the only mention of them was that they weren't around.

Dean blinked and looked down at the floor. "Both passed away," he said, and then quickly stood up. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

I nodded, and he left. I sat silently, tears threatening to pour down my face. I choked them back and then flopped back on the bed. I couldn't stop the tears anymore. I bit my lip, and let the tears fall. I felt like I was torturing everyone around me by not knowing anything. Why didn't I know anything, and how did I make it come back?

It was late by the time that I stopped crying. The sun had gone down, and Sam had peeked in the room awhile ago. I had pretended to be asleep. He left right after, and I heard both him and Dean go back down the steps and go to the cots. I sniffled and stared out the window at the moon.

I closed my eyes, and forced myself to scan my memory for something, anything that might actually tell me something. I thought about the boy that had been in my dream. Apparently I was really close to him. Logan. Who the hell was Logan? And what about those scary monsters? What was I in a cult or something?

It seemed that the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't remember. I sighed and opened my eyes after awhile. I went to bed after. I had no dreams.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

The next two days, I stayed in the house in my back room. I came out to eat and things, but I wasn't really in the mood to talk, and apparently no one else was either. Dean had been working on his car out in the junkyard. The window had been broken. Sam was studying books, pretty much ignoring the world. Bobby was around, but I didn't really want to talk to him. I had even less to say to him than I did to my brothers.

I went downstairs to sit in the living room and sat on the couch. I watched Sam study this huge book. "Hey" he smiled. Sam was way too cheerful for me. He seemed like he was continually trying to make me feel comfortable, which was actually just making me more uncomfortable. "How you doin?" he asked.

"Fine," I stated, pulling my knees up to my chest. "What are you reading?"

"What, this?" he asked. He shrugged. "Just some weird book Bobby had on stuff."

"Why are you reading it then?" I asked, confused. "Are you really that bored?"

He chuckled. "Yeah," he sighed. "Hey, why don't you go see how Dean's doing with the car?" I nodded and went out of the house. Dean had been ignoring me still, ever since I asked about our parents. I think I made him recall some bad memories. I wouldn't know since no one wanted to tell me anything lately.

"Hi," I said, walking up to the car. I said nothing more. He was doing something to the back window that had been broken in. I sat on the work table. He turned to look at me after a moment, grabbing a towel.

"Hi," he replied. "What's up?" I shrugged. "You, uh…" he pointed to his head. I shook my head and he sighed.

"I'm sorry," I said, and he said nothing. "So, um…." I thought aloud. "Where do we go from here?'

"What do you mean?" he asked, going back to the car.

"I mean, like, do we have a home?" I asked, feeling really stupid. I was already in this life for nearly three days, and I still didn't know my home address.

Dean paused, and turned around. "Uh, not…really," he said, struggling with the words. "We…don't really have a home."

"Why?" I asked, and he shrugged. I took that as I don't want to talk anymore and walked away. The third night in the room, I couldn't sleep. My stomach grumbled. I looked to the door, and bit my lip. I was sure that it was okay for me to just go and get something. I mean, it seemed that Bobby and I were close. I felt comfortable around him anyway.

I opened the door, and went out. I could see Dean and Sam asleep on cots in the living room. I went past them opening the sliding door to the kitchen. I turned around and closed it behind me. I didn't want to wake them up. "Hey," a voice said, making me jump. I had instinctually made a fist and jump around.

"Sorry," Bobby said, with a smile. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," I said, and stared at him. Well this was awkward. Here I was about to raid his kitchen and now he was staring at me.

"What are you doing up?" he asked, taking a swig of beer.

"Uh…" I stammered, and glanced at the fridge.

"You hungry?" he asked, immediately getting it without me having to tell him. He stood up. "Grilled cheese?"

"Yeah," I said, sitting at the chair he pulled out for me. "Thanks."

"No problem," he said, with a smile. He got out the bread and cheese and such and started the stove. "Dean's nearly cleaned me out of food already. That boy eats like it's going out of style." I smiled slightly. I watched him and squirmed a little in my seat. "You know," he started. "When I saw you looking at the living room earlier, I could have sworn that you saw a ghost."

"Yeah," I laughed slightly. "Just déjà vu. Freaked me out a little."

"So you remember anything yet?" he asked, the grilled cheese sizzling on the stove. "Anything at all?"

I said nothing for a moment. "I keep…" I trailed off. "I had some dreams about…I don't even know. Monsters? Some boy named Logan? Just snippets of weird things. I think it's all getting jumbled in my head or something, because none of it makes much sense. I mean, in one I was shooting a gun at a cloaked thing." I paused, letting out a breath. "That's just nuts, right?" I asked.

Bobby had been silent through my whole confession. "Well I don't know about the monsters, but you had a boyfriend named Logan," He turned around, and handed me the sandwich. "You broke up about a month or so ago."

"Oh," I said, taking a bite. "Why?"

"No idea," he shrugged, eating a bite of the sandwich he made himself. "Something happened I guess." He swallowed. "If you remember tell me because I would love an explanation."

I giggled slightly. "Will do."

"So have your brothers told you much of anything?" he asked, watching me eat. "Seems like you're just as confused as you were when you started."

"Not really," I stated. "I don't blame them though. How do you explain to someone their entire life?" He nodded slightly in agreement, but I could tell he was holding something back. "I think they're purposely not telling me things," I admitted. I didn't know why, but something about Bobby made me trust him. Maybe it was just that I actually did know him.

"Why you think that?" he asked.

"I heard them talking," I replied. "They were just saying things like we shouldn't tell her and things like that." I watched his expression. It didn't change. "I think it's not fair," I went on. "Its' the only way I'll remember."

"I think you're right," he said, taking my now empty plate and putting it in the sink. "I also think you need to get some sleep."

"Okay," I said, standing up. He smiled and took another swig of beer. He was hiding things too. I knew it. "Thanks for the sandwich," I smiled, and went back up the steps.

I closed the door behind me, and started going through my bag for some answers. This wasn't funny anymore. I wanted to remember, and I was going to search until I figured it out. I pulled out everything, dumping it on the bed. Half the clothes were dirty. Apparently we didn't do much laundry.

Dirt was on a majority of them. I found blood on a few more. Unless I had constant bloody noses of epic proportions, I think Sam had been lying. I tossed the clothes aside. There was a small dagger type knife in the side pocket. Why the hell I had it I had no idea. I looked at the side. JW. Who was JW?

I put it down and pulled out a bracelet. It had weird charms on it. Things like pentagrams and crosses and just…odd things. I put it down. Was I in a cult or something? I put the stuff back in the bag. And what was up with my brothers and Bobby telling me virtually nothing? I felt like I knew nothing.

I intended to get answers tomorrow.

I lay down, and stared at the ceiling until I fell asleep.

_****Brittpage21****_

_I was in a motel room, Dean sitting across from me and we were talking. "Dean, I think we should go look for dad." I told him. _

_"No, we can't right now!" He told me. _

_"Why not? We're not on case right now and we don't have anything better to do." I told him._

_"First off, dad's a big boy he can look after himself and second, dad told us to wait here. He said he would call us." He said. __Him saying that just made me even madder._

_I then asked him, "Dean why do you treat me like I'm a little kid? Because I'm not anymore." _

_"Because you are only fifteen you still are a little kid to me." He said. _

_"I think if I'm old enough to hunt then I'm old enough to go search for him on my own." I tell him._

_"I think not, Alexis Marie! I'm the oldest and in charge and what I say goes. Understood?" He says angrily. _

_"Yes sir" I scoffed. "But why can't I go on my own?" I ask him. _

_"Because you're still too young and because I said so! And what I say goes because I'm the oldest." He tells me. _

_"Ok, but this is still so unfair." I tell him giving up and letting him get his way. _

_****Me!****_

_I was suddenly in a broken down house. __"Shut up!" I yelled, pulling on the invisible restraints. _

"_Oh, daddy's little girl is upset" he scoffed. His eyes were yellow, but it was my father, I was sure of it. Something told me that it was true. This was dad, but something was wrong. He walked over and tore off the bracelet that I had found in the bag. He tossed in on the ground, and smiled. "Oops" He turned on his heel back to Dean. "Your dad? He's in here with me—trapped inside his own meat suit" he said. He smiled. "He says "hi", by the way" He paused, leaning closer to Dean. "He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood"_

_Out of nowhere, I was in some warehouse. Dean stabbed the some guy with a lot of teeth with the knife I tossed him when he motioned, and then shoved him under the chopping machine. He slowly lowered the lever, blood spraying. I closed my eyes. The look on his face sent my heart pounding. _

_Then I was in the living room of Bobby's house. The yellow eyed man was there, except he was not my father, he was someone else. He growled at me, walking forward. "This is only the beginning," he smiled, and clenched his fist. I gasped for and it was accompanied by the most immense pain in my life. I would have screamed if air could get in my lungs. I was burning, fire in my stomach bubbling to the surface. _

_Blood poured out of my mouth and I choked on it. My head was pounding, white lights exploded in my eyes. It hurt, everything hurt. I couldn't even see straight. _

I burst awake, breathing heavily. What the hell was that all about? I looked to the window. The sun was up. I got up, dressed in jeans and a t shirt and went down stairs. Dean and Sam were sitting on the couch talking. "I'm just saying why can't she have some innocence for awhile?" Dean whispered. I was almost scared to look at him.

"_Why?"_ Sam asked, sounding annoyed. "Because she's _not innocent_ Dean."

I was fed up with this. "What do you mean I'm not innocent?" I asked, walking in. "Why are you two keeping secrets from me? I think I deserve to know everything about me."

They exchanged a glance. "What do you mean?" Sam asked, pretending to be innocent.

"I've heard you guys talking. I'm not deaf," I said, walking in. "You've said things like 'we can't tell her who she is' and 'who she is' and stuff. I'm never going to remember if you don't tell me," I glared at them. "So tell me."

Dean cleared his throat. "I think it would be easier to just show you."

SPNSPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

He led me out to the car, and went into the trunk. "Don't freak out," Dean stated, and lifted it up. At first, it looked like a normal trunk. He reached in and opened a latch that made the bottom of the trunk lift up. Weapons of every kind were inside. Knives, guns, stakes, and tons more things that I couldn't name were inside. I was in shock.

"What the hell is all this?" I asked. "Why do you have a weapons cache in the trunk?" He closed it and looked at me.

"We're hunters," he stated, as though that was supposed to just tell me everything.

"Hunters of what?" I asked, and he handed me a journal.

"Monsters," he stated. I started to flip through the journal. It was filled with chicken scratch about demons and ghosts and monsters. Newspaper clippings and other things. I was in shock. "All of its real," Dean went on. "Vampires, ghosts…."

"You okay?" Sam asked, watching my face. I said nothing, and he waved his hand in front of my face. "Hello?"

"It…you…what?" I asked, confused. "I mean, the dreams they're…real." I looked up and started backing away. "You've _killed _people."

"We kill monsters," Dean replied, defensively. "Not people."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I saw it you killed someone. You chopped their head off with a wood cutter in a ware house."

"That was a vampire," Sam said. "She's talking about that time with Gordon, remember?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "What else do you remember?"

I shook my head. "I don't know," I said. "Dean and I were talking about dad missing, and dad had yellow eyes, and something about a Wendigo, lots of things." I sighed. "I thought I was going crazy."

"Well you're not," Dean said, with a pat on the back. "Congrats."

I gave him an incredulous look. "Why didn't you two tell me this?" I asked. "I might've remembered sooner!"

"We didn't want to scare you," Sam replied, looking at Dean. "We hoped you would remember."

I was silent for a moment. "What else haven't you told me?" I asked, curiously.

"Nothing," Dean said, shaking his head. "I mean, this is practically our life, so…nothing." He shrugged.

"Okay," I said, actually believing him. "So we live on the road, hunting monsters." I paused, taking that in for a moment. "But how did I lose my memory in the first place? Was it something to do with all this?"

Sam and Dean exchanged another look. "To tell the truth, we don't really know," Sam said. "You wouldn't wake up for almost two days, you were coughing up blood…"

"It was… horrible," Dean added. "We performed a ritual and got whatever was hurting you out, but when you woke up—"

"I had amnesia," I finished. "But I don't get it."

"The ritual was supposed to put up a block in your head to get what was in your head out," Sam explained. "I guess we blocked too much."

"Oh" I said. I looked at Dean. "Is that why you said it was your fault?"

Dean looked at me like I was crazy. "You heard me say that?" I just nodded. He sighed. "I…I pushed to do the stupid ritual. It's my fault, okay? I'm sorry."

"It wasn't—"

"Just don't," He said, putting hand up to stop me. "It was my fault, okay?" I said nothing. He just turned and walked back to the house, leaving Sam and I alone.

"He's just dealing with this," Sam said, with a sigh. "So, uh…" he looked to me. "Any questions or—"

"No," I said, and walked back to the house as well, leaving Sam in the dust.

I went in the house, and Dean looked at me curiously. "You don't get to just walk away," I said, standing in front of him. I choked back the tears. "I can't remember anything, okay? Nothing. My entire life just went out the window, and now I find out that I'm a monster hunter, and you want to be upset because I lost my memory when you were saving my life?" I asked. I walked right up to him. "You may be my brother, but you're an idiot."

His jaw dropped open a little, and he stuttered for words. "What?" he asked. I just glared at him. He knew what I said. He cracked a smile, and looked almost happy.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing, it's just…" he trailed off. "You sound like yourself," He laughed slightly.

"Myself?" I asked, with a small smile.

"You're attitude," he chuckled. "I never thought I'd say it, but I missed that." He paused for a moment. "So, uh…" he trailed off. "You remember hunting?"

"Some memories," I said, a little uneasily. "I had a gun in one of them."

"Yeah," he said. "I wonder if…"

"What?" I asked.

"You wanna test what you know?" He asked me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, and he just smiled slightly.

He swung his arm at me, and I immediately blocked it without a thought, and even swung right back at him. He caught my arm, stopping me from hitting him. "That's what I mean," he said. He let go. "You still remember how to fight. All of it is apparently still stuck in your head."

"Like the doctor said," I stated. "Muscle memory stayed. Like how I can talk and walk and stuff like that." I paused. "Dean, what if you hit me?" I asked, annoyed.

He snorted. "I was pretty sure."

"Dean!" I said.

"Wonder if you can shoot," he frowned, ignoring me now.

"Shoot?" I asked, confused. "You mean a gun?" He chuckled. "No seriously, a _real _gun?" I asked, as he walked away. I followed. Sam was coming to the house.

"Now where are you going?" he demanded, following after us.

"We're going to see if she can shoot a gun!" Dean called, and I nodded vigorously. He sighed and followed. Dean grabbed a gun out of the car and a box of bullets. He also grabbed some empty bottles from the trash and we headed back into the woods a little ways. He set the bottles up on a ridge and then handed me the gun and ammo.

"You know what to do?" Dean asked, watching me stare at the gun.

I thought as hard as I could, and then looked back at the gun. I put the safety on, and turned it upside down. I opened the barrels and put bullets into the magazine tube. I pushed and held the action bar so that it was loaded and then put the gun right side up. "Yeah," I replied, after staring up at him in shock. "I guess I do."

Sam's jaw dropped. "How did you—"

"Cuz she's a Winchester," Dean said happily. "Okay, now let's try and shoot."

I put the shotgun against my shoulder. My feet firmly planted, I closed one eye and aimed for the left most bottles. I gently squeezed the trigger and braced for the recoil. The gun shot the bullet, and the shotgun hit me in the shoulder. I staggered slightly, but I had hit the bottle dead on, sending it flying. I looked up excitedly at Dean. "Got it," I said.

"I can't believe she hit it," Sam said, in shock.

"I knew she could," Dean said, with a smile. "See if you can get the rest."

I aimed again and hit the other three bottles just as easily. "There," I said, handing him the gun. "What else you got?"

He smiled, taking the gun out of my hands. "Wanna spar?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean, you're turning this into a game," he stated. "And it's not funny."

"Don't be such a party pooper, Sammy," Dean scoffed. "This is the most we've found out about each other in days, so let's just have some fun, okay?"

Sam said nothing as we walked away. He still followed us to the empty field. "Okay," I said, noting how muddy it was. This was going to get messy. "What do I do?"

"Follow your instincts" Dean said, and then crouched. I had no clue what he was about to do. He smirked, and then ran at me. He tried to pick me up, but I dodged to the left to avoid him. He pulled my arm, but I used my legs to knock out his knees. He wavered and I used the advantage to take him down. I sat on his back, panting and a little shocked with myself. I had some freaking _skills. _

"That was impressive," Dean said, in the mud. "But get off of me."

"Sorry," I said and hopped off his back. We were both covered in mud. I smiled. "So why do I know all of this? Because we hunt monsters?"

"Dad trained us like soldiers," Sam replied, "He worked us to the bone."

"Why?" I asked, "I mean, how did he even know about monsters and stuff?"

"It killed our mom," Dean stated.

_I was standing in a nursery, confused and disoriented. To my right was that same yellow eyed man that kept showing up in my memories. "The night mommy died," yellow eyes smiled, and leaned on the wall. There was a bright flash. I looked away, and then looked back to yellow eyes. _

_The door creaked open. Yellow eyes stopped leaning over, and my mother stared. "You," she said, and then was pushed against the wall. She slowly slid up the wall, wincing in pain as she went. I was crying in the crib. _

"_Stop," I said, wanting to close my eyes, but not able to. "Stop, I don't want to see this." _

"_You already have," he said, pointing to baby me. "Technically, anyway." _

_She ended up on the ceiling, where her abdomen was bleeding. It dripped down. My father ran in. "Mary?" he questioned. I could feel the hot tears running down my face. He frowned, and looked to me in the crib. "Alexis," he smiled, and moved the slight amount of hair out of my face. I just looked at him. _

_He frowned as a drop of blood landed next to me. "What—"He looked up to see my mother. "Mary, god, Mary, no!" he said, and grabbed me. Dean came running in. _

"_Dad—" _

"_Take your sister and your brother outside," my father said, without a second glance. "Now, Dean, go!" _

"Hello?" Sam said, waving a hand in front of my face. I shuddered, coming out of the memory. "You okay?" Sam asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yellow eyes," I said. "Who is that?"

"What?" Dean asked. "You remember that?"

"Yeah," I said, "But who is he? Why did he kill mom?"

"We don't really know," Sam said sadly. "We think that it has something to do with—" He stopped. "I have powers."

"Powers," I stated. "Like your superman now?"

"No, I mean," he struggled and looked at Dean. "I have visions. Of things that happen. And they're always connected to the yellow eyed demon somehow."

"So he's a demon," I stated. "And you have visions."

"You have powers too," Dean said, "You have feelings and visions."

"Feelings?" I asked. "Of what?"

"Of when one of us is in trouble," Sam stated. "Gotta admit, that's come in handy a few times."

"Okay," I said, my head starting to hurt again. I was pushing my memory too hard again. "So, uh…do you have powers De?"

"Nope," he smirked. "I'm normal."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed. "Super normal." Dean took a punch at Sam that he easily blocked. "We should head inside," he said, "Its getting dark."

We walked back to the house, and Dean nudged me. "C'mon," he said. "I'll race you." Out of nowhere, he took off at full speed.

"Cheater!" I laughed, and Sam and I raced off after him.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Now that there were no more secrets between us, things kind of took a turn for the better. We were talking, and Dean was trying to get me to remember more. I was trying, I really was, but nothing seemed to be working very well. I wasn't even having anymore dreams about it. It was like the portal to my memories was closed now.

I could still have all the skills though I guess, and Dean continually made me practice. He said he wanted to make sure that I had retained all of it. I wasn't sure what he was planning, but I kind of liked shooting things, so I didn't really care. I had just finished shooting more bottles off a fence, and went back to the house.

"How'd it go?" Sam asked, from the computer in the living room.

"She got all of them," Dean said, with a wide grin. "It's almost weird."

"Thanks," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm glad I'm so entertaining for you." I sat down on the couch. "I just wish I could remember things."

"You will in time," Bobby said, sitting next to me. He put down a file on the coffee table. "Just relax and let your mind rest."

"I don't want to let it rest," I stated. "I want to remember."

"What's this?" Dean asked, picking up the file that Bobby had put down. "A hunt?"

"Yeah," Bobby said. "About a state over. Got it from Rufus."

"We can take it," Dean said, and the room went silent. "What?" he asked. "She's ready. I just watched her take five bottles off a fence from 100 feet away."

"Yeah, but Dean," Sam said, looking uneasily at me. "She's not used to hunting. At all."

"She's got all the training, Sammy," Dean said, looking through the file. "She'll be fine. We'll be with her the entire time."

"Yeah but—"

"Does anyone want to know my opinion?" I asked, raising my hand. "Because I think I get to have one." No one said anything, so I kept talking. "I have to start hunting again sometime," I went on. "I mean, we aren't going to stay with Bobby forever. So I think we should."

No one said anything. "I hate to say it, but I think she's right," Sam relented. "But can't we start out small? A salt and burn?"

"This is a salt and burn," Dean said, reading. "Shouldn't be hard at all." He handed Sam the folder. "We just gotta find the body."

"In an entire factory, Dean?" Sam asked, incredulously. "Really? How is that easy?"

"We'll be fine," Dean smiled. "And we can leave tomorrow morning and be there by lunch time." He took a sip of beer and plopped himself in the seat across from Sam. "This might help her remember more anyway."

"Why do we have to find the body?" I asked, confused.

"To burn the bones," Sam said, "It gets rid of the ghost."

"What happens to it?" I asked.

"We…don't really know," Dean said. "But it's gone and that's all that matters."

"Right," I agreed.

"Okay, so we leave tomorrow morning," Dean repeated. "I'm gonna go pack up the car." He got up and left the room.

"You really okay with this, Lex?" Sam asked, "Don't push yourself."

"I'm fine, Sam," I smiled. I got up to go pack my stuff up, and could feel my heart pounding. No, I was not fine.

I was freaking out.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We had gotten in the car the next morning to leave, and I sat in the backseat, just watching my older brothers in the front seat. It was weird what you notice about people. For example, Sam was nearly silent the entire time, reading. Dean had the radio on low, and would hum or sing along with it. Dean would reach for something and Sam would just move out of the way naturally. Sam would out of nowhere say something from what he was reading, and Dean would nod and comment back and then go back to his music. I wondered how I fit into this weird relationship.

I leaned forward and Sam casted me a glance. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I've been thinking…" I trailed off, and Dean snorted. I shut him up with a quick glance. "If there's a ritual to close my mind, why isn't there a ritual to open it?"

Sam and Dean went automatically silent. Dean cleared his throat. "Well, there is, but—"

"Then why haven't we tried that yet?" I asked, annoyed.

"Because it could allow you to access your memories, but it could also open your mind back up to the thing that was in your head in the first place," Sam explained.

"I don't care," I said. "I want to remember. It's worth the risk."

"No," Dean shook his head. "We're not doing that."

"Why?" I demanded.

"We've messed with your brain enough, Alexis," he said, using my full name to make his point. "What if we screw something up and hurt you even worse?"

"You won't," I said, desperately. "C'mon Dean, I can't live without my memories forever."

"It's not a good idea, ankle biter," he said. "I'm not letting you do it."

I stared at him for a minute, glaring at the back of his head and then slumped in the back seat, defeated. I would convince him to let me do it. I knew I could if I tried hard enough.

"We're almost there," Dean said, pulling off an exit. "Gimme the low down."

Sam shuffled papers and pulled out some from the file that Bobby had given us. "About a year ago, a factory worker died on his shift. Now there have been a record number of deaths in the factory from weird accidents no one can explain."

"So this ghost is causing these accidents?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "That's our best guess." He pulled out another paper. "The first one to die in the factory was a Richard Hart. He was a stations manager."

"And what does this factory make?" Dean asked, as we pulled up to it.

Sam looked down and grimaced. "Dolls."

"Oh good," Dean remarked, going in the glove compartment. "That's not creepy at all." He pulled out a box and when he opened it, there was a whole pile of IDs. "Here."

He handed me an ID, and I just stared at it. "FBI?" I asked. "Is there something that you two didn't tell me?"

"We find that people are more readily to talk to fake authorities than three people who claim to be monster hunters," Dean smirked. "C'mon."

We walked up to the front of the building, and were greeted by a giant doll. This thing was taller than a house. I stared at it for a moment, and then Sam pulled me along. We went all the way to the head director's office, and knocked. "What is it?" the man inside screeched.

"FBI," Dean called, rolling his eyes. The door swung open. Sam and Dean pulled their badges out, so I did the same, dropping it in the process. "Rookies," Dean chuckled and I glared at him. "We're here to talk to you about the recent string of deaths?"

"We'll c'mon I don't have all day," he said, letting us into his office. "What do you need to know?"

"Um, well," Sam said, a little taken aback by all the scary dolls in here. "It says in the file that your employees think that this place is haunted?"

"A bunch of wackos they are," the director said, pacing around the other side of the desk. "Haunted," he snorted. "Look, there might have been some weird stuff going on, but there's no ghost in here."

"What kind of weird stuff?" Dean asked.

"Things like the machines turning on after hours," the director said, waving his hand. "People say the dolls move, silly things like that."

"Right," I said, eying the doll next to me. This thing was freaking me out. I think it was looking at me.

"But the deaths were all after hours, right?" Sam asked, "When all these strange things seemed to be happening?"

"Look buddy," he scoffed. "I'm not responsible for anything that happens after hours here. It's in their contracts and everything." The phone rang, and he waved us out. We walked out of the office back through the factory.

"Looks like we might have to interview some of the workers," Dean sighed. "I'll go right with Lexie, Sam you go left." Sam nodded and took off.

We made our way down the right aisle. "Hi," Dean said to on lady. "Can we talk to you for a minute?" he pulled out his badge and her eyes widened. "You're not in any trouble," he added. "We just need to ask you a few questions about a Richard Hart?"

"Sure," she said. "Rich was a nice man. He worked the hardest out of all of the stations managers around here. It's a shame he died."

"Right," Dean smiled. "And how did he die?"

"Shouldn't you know that?" she asked.

Dean nodded. "Just in your own words for the record."

She sighed. "To tell the truth, it was almost like he just…died. He was in his office working on a special doll for his granddaughter, and went someone went in there to give him the report for the day, he was dead."

"Special doll?" I asked, confused.

"He was hand crafting the face and things," she said. "He wanted it to be special."

"Oh," I said, and looked to Dean.

"Thanks for your time," Dean said, and we walked on to talk to another person. This went on until we reached the end of the row and Sam met us. "Well we got the same thing from every single person," Dean sighed. "You?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "And I have just great news. He was cremated."

"Great," Dean said. "I don't think we're going to get anything here in the day time."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We'll come back at night."

"What does him being cremated matter?" I asked. "Isn't that good?"

"No," Sam said. "That means he attached to something in the factory."

"Which means we have to figure out what it is," Dean added.

We went back to the factory that night, ready to find whatever this ghost was attached to. I didn't have a clue what I was looking for. And, to tell the truth, I was terrified. Ghosts to me just didn't seem like something you were supposed to mess with. I didn't even know what it was going to look like. I was half expecting a dude with a sheet over his head to pop out and yell "boo."

Dean took one look at the fence blocking the entrance to the factory and sighed. He backed up about ten feet, took a running leap, and threw himself over the fence with ease. Sam went to do the same, but stopped. "You want a lift?" he asked, noting my deer in headlights look.

"Yeah," I stated. He cupped his hands. I put my foot in it and grabbed the top of the fence. I jumped over, barely landing on my feet. Dean just smirked as I collected myself. "Don't you dare laugh," I warned. He cracked an innocent smile.

We walked up to the front doors. Dean pulled his lock pick out and both Sam and Dean looked to me and then sighed. "What?" I asked.

"You usually pick the locks," Dean said, already on his knees picking it himself. He threw the door open. "Let's go."

I had no shot gun. There were three, but it had been decided that it would be better if I just let Dean and Sam carry the guns. I was far too jumpy. I was sticking with them anyway. No way was I going off alone in here at night. Dean and I took the floor, while Sam went upstairs.

I stayed immediately behind Dean, trying to calm my heart rate. My stomach was churning and my palms were sweaty. I wiped my hands on my jeans. "You okay?" Dean asked, stopping. I crashed right into him, nervously. "I'll take that as a no" he added, rolling his eyes. "Try to relax, okay? You're going to make yourself sick."

I nodded vigorously. He sighed and kept going. I held my flashlight as steady as I could with my shaking hands. We rounded a corner, and something flew over my head, narrowly missing me in the process. "What the—"

"Duck," Dean said, pulling me aside. I ducked my head as a wrench or something went right where I had been before. "Angry bastard."

"What do we do?" I asked, nervously.

"Well, apparently he doesn't like us here," Dean smiled. "So that means we're on the right track." He looked up. "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know," I said, looking up with him. The conveyor belt next to me started moving, and I yelped and grabbed onto Dean. He gave me an incredulous look. I gave him a nervous smile. "Sorry," I whispered, but I didn't let go.

"C'mon," Dean scoffed, pulling me along with him. We went up the stairs at the far end, and I thought I felt something move beside me. I whimpered slightly, but Dean didn't hear me at all. I just pushed him forward.

Sam walked out of an office, closing the door behind him. "Hey," he said. "Any clue?"

"No," Dean said, "We got nothing but a few things thrown at us. Seems Rich ain't so nice."

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place," I said, looking around. "The lady said that he was working on some special doll? Could he be connected to that?"

Dean and Sam exchanged a glance. "Yeah," Sam said, "Nice work."

"Looks like you solved you first case, Lex," Dean said, with a smile. "And without peeing your pants in fear. Nice."

"Shut up," I growled. We walked back towards the office, and out of nowhere there was a tug on my ankle. I screamed, kicking at the air behind me. Dean shot the gun off, but I was already over the edge of the railing. I held on to the side. "Help!" I yelled.

Sam took my hands, but he couldn't pull me up. "Dean, help me out here," he said, and Dean came over and also took a hand. The ghost appeared behind him. He was semi translucent, with grey skin and dead eyes.

"Watch out!" I yelled, but it was too late, it had Dean. He pushed him backwards, leaving me hanging by one hand. "Sam!" I screamed. My sweaty hands were making me slowly slip.

"I'm not gonna let you go," he grunted. "I got you." He slowly pulled me back up until I could grab the bars and swing my legs up.

We both stayed on the ground for a second. "Thanks," I breathed, trying to not want to cry. I was okay, just breathe, I coached my mind. "Where's Dean?"

"Here!" he yelled from inside the office. "I got the doll, gimme your lighter!"

Sam tossed his lighter to him and Dean lit it on fire. It sizzled and then the ghost just vanished into thin air, burning out like he had exploded. I was still panting on the ground. "You okay?" Sam asked, with a smirk.

I held up an okay sign. "All good," I breathed. I didn't get up, just falling back to the ground in exhaustion.

SPSNPSNPSNPSPNSPNSPNSPN

We headed back to Bobby's the next morning, after spending the night in a motel room. "What are we going back to Bobby's for?" I asked, as we drove down the highway. "Aren't we trying to get back to normalcy here?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "But you're still not used to the whole hunting life style, we're taking it slow."

"I don't want to take it slow," I said, annoyed. "I want my memories back." I fell defeated into the back seat again. "I still don't get why we can't just try that stupid ritual, or something."

"Because we'd rather have you alive than dead," Dean replied, sounding irritated himself. "So shut up about it already."

"Fine," I scoffed. I lay down, staring at the ceiling. "But you know I'm right." Dean just mumbled under his breath. I thought I heard the phrase "stupid annoying sisters" in there, but I didn't really care. I was going to get him to do the stupid ritual if it was the last thing I did.

I fell asleep and then next time I woke up we were already at Bobby's again. I got out of the car without a word, set on giving them both the silent treatment for now. Bobby gave me a look as I charged inside the house. "What's wrong?" he asked, pulling my arm to stop me.

"Don't you think it's important that I get my memories back?" I asked, ticked off. "They won't let me do the reverse ritual."

"They only want to protect you," Bobby said, as we walking inside. "They know what they're talking about."

"Bobby I can't remember anything," I explained. "Do you know how much that hurts? I can't give two craps about you guys because I barely know you! I just want to remember, Bobby."

Dean walked in, and dropped the bags. "Okay, you know what," Dean said. "I want my sister back. I want the girl I raised since she was six months old back. I want my sister, who eats so many freaking chicken tenders I think she might turn into one, who tells me that I need to keep it in my pants, who drives me up a wall. I want her back. But I can't have her back, because it might kill her." I was silent, and he just sighed, his eyes red. "I'm sick of this, okay? It's my fault in the first place that this happened, I'm not going to let something happen again."

"Dean," I said, desperately. "Please."

Sam was standing in the doorway. "Well?" he asked Dean, folding his arms over his chest. "I'll do it if you think we should."

Dean stood silently for a moment, and then slowly let out a long breath. "Okay" He relented. "We'll do it." I silently cheered. "But we're going to be extra careful."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSN

We set everything up. There was a chair in the middle of the room that I was sitting on. Dean had insisted that we set up a devil's trap or whatever it was called just in case. We took every single precaution. Dean had every weapon he could think of in the vicinity just in case. I was wondering if he expected a mob to come out of my head and beat him to a pulp.

"Ready?" Bobby asked, coming at me with a knife. He needed my blood. I held out my arm, and winced as the knife bit into my skin. "Sorry," he said, putting a bowl under my arm. He let it drop in, and then put it back on the table. I watched as he mixed in some weird herbs.

"Okay," Dean said, picking up the book that had the words to read. "Here goes nothing."

"_Dilectissimo domino__placuerit__in__protegat__pugnam contra__mala__. __da__robur__Domine__ut__pugnarent__umbrae__. __Amen__" _Dean paused, watching me. I closed my eyes as he went on, knowing that his is where it was going to get tricky. "_Ergo draco maledicte__et omnis__legio diabolica__adjuramus te__. __Mane__patent__, satis __animos.__Alexis__Open__mentem__Deus__agat__tulit__radere__caput__muris__. __Eat__ad__praeteritum__praesens.__Eat__ad__praeteritum__adesset__!" _

That was the last thing I heard before I woke up again, yellow eyes already in my face. "How have you been these last few days?" he asked. "Well I hope? Heard you lost your memories."

"You were in my head before weren't you?" I asked, my memories leaking through. I could remember so much more now. "Yeah, I remember now. You were about to kill me."

"Wow," He said, sounding bored. "Aren't you just one amazing little girl. Too bad I'm sick of playing around." He looked up at me, and then I was in pain again.

My life was flashing before my eyes, and I wasn't sure if it was that I was suddenly remembering, or if I was just dying.

_I saw Dean in front of me, smiling like a moron. Sam was picking me up. Dean was handing me a sippy cup. Dean and I breaking into some house. Hunting that Wendigo right after Jessica died. The insane Asylum where Sam shot Dean, The yellow eyed demon as my father. My dad was burning on a pyre. Fighting with Dean. Fighting with Sam. Laughing as we drove the Impala down a long road. Sitting on the hood of the Impala staring at the stars. _

I looked up, blood dribbling down my chin, and fought back. I glared at him, my mind on fire. It felt like I was pushing against a brick wall, but I was doing it. I was fighting back. Yellow eyes glared, making me fall back to my knees. But I wasn't going to let him kill me. "No," I panted, choking on blood. "No."

"What?" he laughed. He was scared, and I knew it. I could sense it in his voice. It was written all over his face. "You can't just say no."

I got up again, making him try as hard as he can. "Get out of my head," I stated, my jaw clenched. "Now."

He said nothing, but I could feel myself waking up. "I'll kill you." He said. "Mark my words, you'll burn in hell if I have to drag your body down there myself." He was fading into nothing. "I will get rid of you somehow!"

I ignored him, and could feel the pain subsiding slightly. Then, I was actually awake. Dean was holding my head up, his bottom lip trembling. "Lex?" he asked, worriedly.

"I'm okay," I whispered. I felt like crap, my whole body still on fire. Whatever he had done to me in the dream world, it hurt like hell in the real world. It felt like my heart was pumping fire instead of blood. "I remember everything."

"Everything, everything?" Sam asked, amazed. "It worked?"

"It worked," I smiled, and then winced. "I can remember everything."

"What were we up against in Minnesota?" Dean asked. "When Sam got taken?"

"Humans," I replied.

"What's Sammy scared of?" Dean quizzed.

"Clowns," I stated. "I really remember okay?" Dean smiled. "Got some water?'

"Holy water," Dean said, looking behind him.

"Whatever," I said, grabbing it. I got up and sat on the couch, taking a long swig. "How long was I out for?"

"A few minutes," Sam replied. "Why, what did you see?"

"Our good friend yellow eyes," I replied, coughing slightly. "He was the one who was in my head before too."

"What did he do to you?" Dean asked, checking me for injuries.

I was silent for a moment. I could remember everything he did, I just wasn't sure what to tell Dean. I sighed. "Tortured me," I stated. "I thought you three were dead."

"Why?" Bobby asked.

"He…made it look real," I said. "Showed me you dead on the floor. Thought I was in hell"

"Well you're okay now, and that's what matters," Sam said, with a satisfied sigh. "How do we stop him from getting back in her head now?"

"With this," Bobby said, handing me a charm. I attached it to my bracelet. "It'll keep you safe. Just don't take it off."

"Don't worry I won't," I smiled. "Ever." I added, shaking my head. I leaned into Dean and closed my eyes slightly. "Tired," I remarked groggily.

"C'mon" Dean said, lifting me up easily. I let him carry me upstairs and throw me on the bed.

"Thanks." I said quietly.

"For what?" he asked.

"For listening to me," I replied. "For taking care of me."

"It's my job," he said.

"It doesn't have to be though," I said. "I mean, you could have just ditched us a long time ago."

"I can't," he stated. "You have too much dirt on me." I laughed slightly. "Get some rest, ankle biter" he said, sitting on the opposite bed. He wasn't going to leave. He was scared something was going to happen again. He watched me for a moment as I snuggled down.

I closed my eyes, and sighed. I liked remembering everything. It was nice to have that security. "Dean?" I questioned. "Did you really miss me?'

"Just shut up and go to sleep," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll take that as I yes," I laughed. "G'night Dean."

"Night Ankle biter."


	46. Season 2, Chapter Twenty One

**Sorry this took so long! I really don't have a good excuse, I was hanging with my boyfriend all weekend...yeah, so...haha I stayed up late to bring this to you now! Yay! Please review!**

**I only own Lexie!**

**Chapter Forty Six**

Let me just say that if life is a box of chocolates, that I must have gotten all the disgusting and gross flavors that no one else wants. I sat angrily on the bathroom floor, holding my knees to my chest in defiance. I had already been sitting in here for nearly a few hours now. I huffed in annoyance and leaned my head back on the wall. "You could just come out you know!" Dean shouted, sounding like he had food in his mouth.

"Shut up!" I yelled back, but I was starting to get hungry. I felt my stomach growl. I had to get out of here sooner or later. I wasn't going to come out by my own terms however.

"Alexis!" Sam called, pounding on the door. "I have to pee!"

"Sucks for you!" I called back, with a satisfied smirk. I knew it was going to come to this in the end. I stayed in my spot on the floor next to the toilet.

"Just let me in!" he yelled, smacking the door in irritation.

I said nothing, just happy that I was bothering him. After he banged with his fists a few more times, I stood up. "I wouldn't think about waterfalls if I were you!" I called.

"Open the door I swear to god, I'll kill you," He screamed, smacking the door again.

I gave a dramatic sigh, and threw the door open. I stalked out, glaring at him the entire time. I sat down at the table as he closed the door behind him. Dean smirked and ate another chili fry. I grimaced. Those things looked disgusting.

Sam came back out, totally ignoring me. I refused to make eye contact with either of them. They were both just idiots. I sighed dramatically again, and Dean scoffed. "Would you stop it?" he asked, "It's not the end of the world." He glared at Sam. "Now my car on the other hand—"

"Dean, I told you I didn't do that!" Sam said, throwing his hands in the air, exasperated.

"You can put more air in tires, Dean," I scoffed. "You can't fix a trampled cell phone." I waved it in the air to make my point. The screen had been smashed in.

"Whatever," Dean said, shaking his head. He started eating the fries again, slurping and making it gross. "You could help with research you know."

"You're not helping," I said, glaring at him. He just shrugged. I grabbed a book and opened it. "There, happy?"

"Ecstatic," he stated, slurping on another one.

"Dude," Sam said. "You mind not eating those on my bed?"

Dean picked up one with a smirk. "No, I don't mind," he said, and ate it. He licked the sauce off his fingers. Sam sighed frustrated, and went back to researching. "How's research going?" he asked Sam.

"You know how it's going?" Sam asked, slamming the book shut. "Slow," He glared at Dean, and then at me. "You know how it would go a heck of a lot faster? If I had my computer."

"I told you already," I said, tossing the book aside. "I didn't take the stupid thing."

Dean just smiled, "Mmm," he said, going back to his magazine.

"Can you turn that down, please?" Sam asked, pointing to the radio.

"Yeah, absolutely," Dean said, and reached over. He turned it up as loud as it could go. I rolled my eyes, and opened the fridge.

I went to grab water, and found that there was nothing but beer. "Sam!" I exclaimed. "What the hell?"

"What?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"Uh, there's no water left?" I asked. "All we have is beer!" I had to shout over the music.

"Well maybe you should've bought more!" He said.

"Well maybe you should've got it at the store like I told you to!" I shouted back. "Just like I told you not to touch my stuff!"

"You know what?" Sam asked. "Maybe uh, you two should just go somewhere for a while, huh?"

"Hey, I'd love to. That's a great idea" Dean said, turning the music down. "Unfortunately, my car is all screwed to hell."

"I told you I have –"There was a knock on the door. I didn't move when Sam looked at me. He could get it, I was not moving.

He got up after shooting me an annoyed look. He looked in the peephole and then opened it up. Bobby walked in. "Hi Bobby," Sam said.

"Boys," Bobby smiled. "Lexie."

"Hey Bobby," I said, with another sigh.

"It's good to see you again so soon," Bobby said.

"Yeah, uh, thanks for coming," Sam said. "Come on in."

"Thank god you're here," Dean said, grabbing Bobby's hand.

"Uh... What didn't you want to talk to me on the phone about?" Bobby asked, looking at all three of us like we were nuts.

"It's this job we're working, we'd..." Sam stopped and huffed. "We weren't sure you'd believe us."

Bobby laughed. "Well, I can believe a lot."

"No, yeah, yeah. I know, it's just we-we've never seen anything like it –"Sam said.

"Not even close," I added, shrugging.

"And we thought we could use some fresh eyes," Sam finished.

Bobby shrugged. "Well, why don't you begin at the beginning?"

"Yeah, ohm, alright" Sam said, motioning to the chair next to mine. "Please." Bobby moved the old plate of food out of the way, and turned the chair around to sit on it. "It all started when we caught wind of an obit. See a professor took a nosedive from a fourth story window, only there's a campus legend that the buildings haunted. So we pretended as reporters from a local paper."

_Flashback_

I had been with Sam, talking to the college students. Dean was off at the bar. I started the tape recorder, and leaned back in the chair. "So how did you know the professor?" I asked, already bored. My stupid brothers had been way over protective since the whole "amnesia" thing. I think it was because I mostly refused to tell them what had happened in my head. It was just something I needed to keep to myself.

"Yeah, we both had the professor for "ethics and morality"," the guy said.

"Yeah? So why do you think he did it?" Sam asked.

"Who knows?" the girl said. "He was tenured, wife and kids. His book was like a really big deal." She paused. "Then again who's to say it was suicide?"

"Jen, come on," the guy said with a short laugh.

"Well, what else could it be?" Sam asked, pretending to be fascinated.

"Well you know about Croft Hall," Jen said.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "We don't, actually."

"It's a bunch of crap. It's a total urban legend," The guy said.

"Yeah, well, Heather's mom went to school here and she knew the girl," Jen said defiantly.

"Wait, what girl?" Sam asked.

"Like, three years ago, this girl was having an affair with some professor," Jen said. "He broke it off. She jumped out the window and killed herself."

"You know her name?" Sam asked.

"No," Jen said. "But they say she jumped from room 669. Get it? You turn the nine upside down?" I couldn't help it I snorted. Sam stomped on my foot. I glared. "So now she haunts the plane. And anyone who sees her, they don't live to tell the tale."

"Well, if no one lives to tell the tale then how does the tale get told?" the guy said, through laughter.

"Curtis. Shut up!" Jen said, glowering at him.

"You know what, ahh," Sam picked the recorder up. "Thanks a lot guys. Excuse me." Sam and I got up. "Let's grab Dean." I followed him to the bar.

We walked over, and I watched Dean take three quick shots of some purple drink. "Dean?" I asked, staring at him as he wavered slightly. I wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to get drunk tonight. If anyone wanted to get drunk, it was me. I mean, I had been dealing still since the amnesia, not to mention both of my brothers were still on my case nearly 24/7 about what happened in my head. Dean turned, giving me a sloppy smile. "What are you, what are you drinking?" I asked, smirking

"I don't know man, I think they're called "Purple Nurples"," he laughed after burping. Yeah, he was drunk. Nice.

"Ok well, listen," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "I think maybe we should check out the professor's office."

"No no no," Dean said, shaking his head. He motioned at the blond behind him. "I-I can't right now 'cause I've got some uuh, feisty little wildcat on the hook, I'm about to reel her in." he smiled excitedly. "I'll introduce you guys."

I went to stop him, but it was too late. "Dean –"

"Starla. Starla, hey," Dean said, ignoring me. "This is my shuttle co-pilot Major Tom and our flight attendant Alexis. Guys – Starla," He said with a smile.

She smiled and put her arm around Dean's neck. He just grinned like he had won a prize. "Anchante," she grinned.

"Hi," Sam and I said together, slightly disgusted.

She smiled before letting go of Dean and gripping at her mouth like she was going to vomit. She heaved a little, but stopped and gave a small smile. "Sorry. Just trying to keep my liquor down," she giggled.

Dean laughed. "Yeah. Ain't it a job," he sighed. He grinned at Sam. "Hey, good news. She's got a sister." he said.

"Yeah," Sam said, clearly not amused. "What's Lex going to do?"

"We'll get her a movie or something," Dean scoffed, "She'll be fine."

"Really?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Dean, you can't keep it in your pants for five minutes can you?"

"If you don't like it you can leave," Dean said, narrowing his eyes. I glared at him, and then walked away.

_End of Flashback_

"Whoa, whoa," Dean said, interrupting Sam. "Hold on a minute."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Come on, dude. That's not how it happened," Dean complained.

"No?" Sam smirked. "So you never drank a "purple Nurples"?"

"Yeah, maybe that, but… I don't say things like "feisty little wild cat" and her name wasn't Starla," Dean went on, annoyed.

"Then what was it?"I asked, giving him a knowing look.

Dean thought for a moment. He sighed, defeated. "I don't know," he said. He looked to Bobby. "But she was a classy chick. She was a grad student. "Anthropology and Folklore". We were talking about local ghost stories."

_Flashback_

Sam and I walked over to Dean. Dean and some chick in a nice black dress were doing a shot of some purple stuff. "Here's to us," Dean smiled, and they took them.

"My god. You are attractive," Starla said, smiling at Dean in wonderment.

"Thanks," Dean said, giving a coy smile. "But no time for that now. You need to tell me about this urban legend. Please. Lives are at stake."

"Sorry, I just… I can't even concentrate," Starla said, amazed. "It's like staring... into the sun." She pulled him close and they started kissing.

I cleared my throat. "Dean?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Dean, what do you think you're doing?" Sam asked, in a very girly and annoying tone.

Dean turned to look at us. "Sam, Lex, please," he said. "If you wouldn't mind, just give me five minutes here."

"Really Dean?" I asked. "Seriously?"

"Dean, this is a very serious investigation" Sam said, in the same girly voice. "We don't have time for any of your b-bla-bla bla-bla. Ba bla-bla bla!"

"Dean," I said. "Bla bla bla bla bla?" Then I walked away, as he went back to kissing Starla.

"Bla bla bla bla!" Sam went on as I walked away. "Blaaa!"

_End of Flashback_

"Right," I said, rolling my eyes at Dean. "And that's how it really happened."

Dean made satisfied smirk. "I don't sound like that Dean!" Sam complained.

"That's what you sound like to me," Dean shrugged. "And don't pretend like you didn't just leave to go talk to that boy."

"What?" I asked. "He talked to me, Dean."

_Flashback_

After walking away from Dean and Sam, I walked over to the door to wait. **"**Hey," a voice said, tapping me on the shoulder. "I, uh…saw you earlier." I turned around to see an attractive college boy smiling at me. "You here alone?" he asked.

"With my brothers," I smiled, not wanting to be mean.

"Oh," he said. "My name's Trevor."

"Lexie," I said, putting my hair behind my ear. "I'm a reporter for the school paper."

"Right," he said. "Want to interview me?"

I giggled, as he took my hand. "I'm not so sure—"

"Nah, it's cool," he said, sitting me down at a booth. "You ask me a question and then I'll ask you one."

"You heard about the professor's death right?" I asked, using my first question.

"Yes," he said. "What's a girl like you interviewing people in a bar?"

"Best place to talk to the other students," I shrugged. "I heard that the professor jumped? You agree with that?"

"I like to think he was pushed," he grinned. "Wasn't a very sociable guy. You live at the college?"

"For now," I replied, telling the truth. "So if he was pushed who pushed him?"

"Probably someone who didn't like him," he said, matter-of-factly. "You like movies?"

I could feel myself blushing. "Who doesn't?" I said, trying to calm my heart rate. This was the first guy I ever even got to this point with after Logan. I was nervous.

"No one" he smirked.

"Alexis, what are you doing?" Dean asked, rolling up his sleeves. "Get away from him! He's a boy!"

"Dean, I'm trying to have a conversation," I stated, calmly. "You mind?"

"He's just trying to get in your pants." Dean said, grabbing my arm. "Now come on."

"I'm not done talking to him," I said, glaring at Dean.

"Unless you want to be in huge trouble you are," Dean replied coolly. "Now move your ass. _Now"_

_End of Flashback_

"That's not what happened," Dean scoffed. "I didn't say he was trying to get into your pants."

"It was implied," I argued, rolling my eyes. "And you completely over reacted!"

"Overreacted?" he asked. "You were on top of him!"

_Flashback_

I scooted closer to him, our eyes meeting. "Who doesn't?" I giggled, putting my hand on this thigh. He smiled and leaned in. I could feel his breath on my neck.

"No one" he breathed and our lips met.

"Alexis," Dean said, and I pulled away. "I don't think you should be behaving like this."

"Oh shut up, Dean," I said. "I can do what I want."

"I am your brother and you should listen to me," Dean stated calmly. "Now please, let's go. It's late."

_End of flashback_

"Oh yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "Because you were just super calm at the time."

"I was," Dean snapped back. "You were the one who was flirting and kissing up a storm."

"I didn't kiss him," I insisted, throwing my hands in the air in annoyance.

"Okay. What's going on with you three?" Bobby asked.

"Nothing," we all said together, glaring at each other.

"Oh come on," Bobby scoffed. "You're all bickering like an old married couple."

Dean sighed. "No see, married couples can get divorced," he said. He got up. "Me and them, we're like uh, Siamese twins."

"It's conjoined twins!" Sam corrected.

Dean gave Bobby a look. "See what I mean?"

"Look, it –"Sam sighed. "Dude, we've just been on the road for too long. Tight quarters. All that. Don't worry about it." Bobby nodded. "So, anyway, we figured it might be a haunting so we went to check out the scene of the crime."

_Flashback_

That very night after the bar we had went to Crawford hall to go to the professor's office. The janitor had let us in. "So, how long have you been working here?" Sam asked.

"I've been mopping this floor for six years," the janitor replied, as he led us up the stairs to his office. He unlocked the door and opened it up. "There you go guys," he said, flicking the lights on.

I pulled out the EMF and swept it around. "What the heck's that for?" the janitor asked, confused.

"Just finds the wires in the walls," I replied, making up an excuse that would go with our stupid electric company story.

"Huh," the janitor said, leaning on the wall. "Well, not sure why you're wiring up this office. Not gonna do the professor much good."

"Why's that?" Dean asked.

The janitor smirked. "He's dead."

"Oh," Dean said, walking towards me. I shrugged. The EMF wasn't doing much. "What happened?"

"He went out that window," he pointed. I looked over. The window was still open, wind making the curtain move around. "Right there," he sighed.

"Yeah?" I asked. "Were you working that night?"

"I'm the one who found him, sweet cakes," the janitor said, with a smile. I scoffed, and decided I wasn't going to talk anymore if he was going to keep calling me names.

"You see what happened?" Sam asked.

"Nope," the janitor said. "I just saw him come up here and... well…" He looked away.

"What?" I asked, too curious to let that one go.

"He wasn't alone," the janitor smiled suggestively.

Dean came over by me, his mouth bulging. "Who was he with?" he asked, barely coherent with all the candy in his mouth.

_End of Flashback_

Dean protested, smacking Sam on the shoulder. "Come on!"He insisted "I ate one, maybe two!"

"You could barely talk," I stated.

"Just let me tell it. Ok?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes. "Where was I?"

_Flashback_

"He was with a young lady," the janitor said, going on. "I told the cops about her but uh... I guess they never found her."

"You saw this girl go in, huh. But did you ever see her come out?" I asked. I glanced at Dean, who was now shoving more of the food into his mouth.

"Now that you mention it. No," the janitor said thoughtfully.

"You ever see her before or around?" Sam asked.

"Well not her," the janitor said.

Dean chewed loudly. "What do you mean?" I grimaced in disgust.

"I don't mean to cast dispersion on a dead guy, but uuh... Mr. Morality here, he brought a lot of girls up here," The janitor smiled. "Got more ass than a toilet seat."

Dean laughed out loud, spitting food everywhere and slapped Sam on the chest. The janitor shared Dean's huge grin, amused.

"One more thing," I said, curiously. "Ahh, this building, it only has four stories, right?" I asked. The janitor nodded. "So there wouldn't be a room 669?"

"Of course not. Why do you ask?" the janitor asked.

"Just curious," I said, looking at Sam smugly. "Thanks." We left the room and went back to the motel room that we had gotten the night before.

"Well, no traces of EMF, that's for sure," I stated, falling down on the bed. "And that room, 669, is a load of crap."

Sam gave me a glare. "I never said it wasn't," he stated. "You're the one making it into a big deal." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"So what do you think? Professor's just a jumper, legend's just a legend?" Sam asked, opening his laptop.

"I don't know," Dean shrugged, grabbing a beer. "Maybe uh...girl the janitor described, that's pretty weird."

"Yeah..." Sam agreed.

"We ought to check out the history of the building," Dean stated, gulping down beer. "See if any co-ed ganked herself there."

Sam frowned. "Dude, were you on my computer?"

"No," Dean called from the bathroom. "Maybe it was Lexie." I scoffed.

"Oh really?" Sam asked. "Cause it's frozen now, on uh, busty-asian-beauties dot com?" He looked at Dean. Dean stared at him for a moment, and then walked away. "Dean!" Sam called, indignantly. "Would you just - Don't touch my stuff anymore, ok."

"Why don't you control your OCD," Dean shot back.

"Why don't both of you shut up," I stated, grabbing my phone. I had one new message. I frowned and hit the voice mail.

_Hey Lex, it's uh, Logan, um…I just wanted to see how you were. I heard about the whole amnesia scare. Wanted to make sure you're okay. Call me, or uh, whatever and uh, yeah. Bye._

I stared at my phone in confusion. Why was he calling me about something that happened a few weeks ago now? He sounded really nervous on the phone too. Like he was freaking out on the other line. I put my phone down like it was poison.

_End of Flashback_

"But did you dig up anything about the building?" Bobby asked. "Or on the suicidal Co-Ed?"

"No," I sighed. "History's clean."

"Then it's... not a haunting," Bobby said.

"Maybe not. Tell you the truth, we're not really sure," Dean said, uneasily.

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Bobby asked.

Sam, Dean and I all exchanged a look. "Well, it's weird," Sam explained.

"What's weird?" Bobby asked, curiously.

"This next part we uh... We didn't see it happen ourselves exactly, but. Pretty freaking' weird. Even for us," Dean said.

"Would you just tell me what happened?" Bobby demanded. "Quit stalling!"

"This kid," I said, getting to the point. "He said he uh, got abducted by aliens."

"Aliens?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"_Aliens?_" Bobby asked again, in denial.

"Yeah," Dean stated.

"Look. Even if they ARE real, they're sure as hell not coming to ear and swiping people," bobby said, shaking his head.

"Hey," Dean said, "Believe me, we know."

"My whole life I have never found evidence of an honest to god abduction. It's all just cranks and pranks" Bobby scoffed.

"Yeah, that's what we thought. But..." Sam shrugged. "Figured we'd at least talk to the guy."

_Flashback_

Curtis was downing shots like there was no tomorrow. "Hey, you gotta give those "Purple Nurples" a shot," Dean laughed slightly. I shot him a look.

"So what happened Curtis?" I asked, trying to show sympathy.

"You won't believe me," he said, staring at the table. "Nobody does."

"Give us a chance," Sam shrugged.

Curtis sighed. "I just—"

"Hey," I said, with a small smile. "You can tell us, really."

He stared at me for a moment. "I do not want this in the papers," he stated.

"Off the record then," Dean said, with a wave of his hand.

Curtis sighed. "I uh, I blacked out and... I lost time and when I woke up; I don't know where I was." He started.

"Then what?" Sam asked.

"He did tests on me," Curtis said, struggling. "And uh..." He took a shot. "They uh…they probed me."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud. "They probed you?" Dean asked.

Curtis nodded. "Yeah, they probed me," he said. I snorted, and then cleared my throat to hide it. "Again, and a-again, and a-again." He took the last shot "And again, and again, and again, and then one more time." he finished. By this point, I was barely breathing to keep from laughing.

"Yikes," Dean stated, also clearly struggling.

"You know, that's not even the worst of it," Curtis said.

"How can it get any worse?" Dean laughed. "Some alien made you his bitch."

I choked on a laugh, and then shot Dean a look as Curtis frowned. "Dean, that's not…funny," I choked out biting my lip.

"They... they made me… slow dance," Curtis added, wincing. I couldn't help it; all I could picture was a small white guy slow dancing with this kid. I was tapping my foot to stop from busting out laughing right there. I looked to Dean, who was shaking his head.

The moment we were out of earshot, I busted out laughing and didn't stop until tears were pouring down my face.

_End of Flashback_

"You guys are exaggerating again, huh?" Bobby asked, giving us a knowing look.

"No," we all said together.

Bobby looked taken aback. "Then this frat boy is just nuts."

Dean shrugged uneasily. "We're not so sure."

_Flashback_

"I'm telling you Dean, this was made by some kind of Jet engine," Sam said, pointing to the burned circle in the ground. I just stared at it in shock.

"What?" Dean laughed. "You mean some saucer-shaped Jet engine?"

"Well, what else could it be?" Sam asked.

"What the hell?" I asked, saying the first words I had since Sam had pulled me over here to show me the gaping hole.

"I don't know," Sam said, shaking his head.

"No, seriously dude," Dean said, exasperated. "What the hell?"

"I don't know! I mean, first the haunting, now this?" Sam asked. "The timing alone, there's gotta be some kind of connection here."

"You mean between the angry spirit and the uh, sexed up E.T?" Dean asked. "What could the connection possibly be?"

We started to walk away, and Sam insisted that we talk to Curtis' roommate. "So, you and this guy Curtis... you're in the same house?" Sam asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"You heard what happened to him, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, he says it was aliens but… you know," he shrugged. "Whatever."

"Look man, I... I know this all has to be so hard," Sam said, sympathetically.

"Umm, not so much," the guy said, confused.

"Well, I want you to know... I'm here for you" Sam said, choking on tears. "You brave little soldier. I acknowledge your pain" The guy looked confused as Sam walked closer to him. I sniffed a tear myself. "Come here," he said, pulling him into a hug. "To precious for this world!"

_End Flashback_

"I never said that!" Sam objected.

"Well, you're always saying pansy stuff like that," Dean stated.

"I wasn't crying," I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

Dean stared at me for a second and then just grinned. "Yeah okay, that one was bullshit."

"Just…" I said, putting hand up. "Both of you shut up, I'll tell it."

_Flashback_

"Well... um... yeah... uh…" the guy said as Sam hugged him. "Thanks. Thanks for the hug."

Sam slowly let go, very emotional. "Yeah," he sighed.

"But uh, I'm ok. Really," the guy said, a little scared of Sam now. Sam backed away, clapping the kid on the shoulder a few times. "To tell you the truth. Whatever happened to Curtis, he had it coming." the guy added.

"Why's that?" Dean asked.

"He's our pledge master," the guy replied. "Put us through hell this semester. Man got off on it. So now he knows how we feel."

"Hmm," Dean hummed.

Sam grabbed my shoulder, looking like he was about to cry. I patted him on the arm. "It's ok," I said, comfortingly. I pulled Sam with me and Dean towards the car. We got back to the motel room, and I went back to staring at my phone in confusion. I wasn't sure whether to call him back or not.

"Still don't make a lick of sense," Dean said. "But hey, at least there's one connection."

"Between what?" I asked, putting my phone back down.

"Victims," Dean said. "The professor and the uh, frat guy? They're both dicks." He laughed slightly.

"That's a connection?" I asked, skeptically.

Dean glared. "You got anything better to go on, I'd love to hear it," he said. I shook my head. "Why do you keep staring at your phone like it's going to explode?" he asked.

"No reason," I said, giving an innocent smile. I really did not want to talk about this right now with Dean.

"Where's my laptop?" Sam asked, searching around. He threw clothes off the bed and sighed in frustration.

"I don't know," Dean said, and I just shrugged. He turned back to me. "Well think about it. A philandering gets a dead girl. A pledge master gets hazed…"

"I left it in here," Sam said, holding up hid bag.

"Well, you obviously didn't," Dean said. He sighed. "I mean, these punishments served, they're almost poetic. Actually, be more like a limerick, but still."

"A Limerick?" I asked, with a short laugh.

"Ok. Hilarious," Sam said, stopping and staring at us. "Which one of you took it, and where'd you hide it?" he demanded.

"What?" I asked. "Your computer?"

"Yeah. Where'd you hide it?" he asked.

"I didn't take it," I said, slightly offended.

Sam turned to stare hard at Dean. "Why would I take your computer?" Dean asked.

"Because no one else could have, Dean," Sam said. "We keep the door locked. We never let any maids in. It was either you or Alexis."

"Looks like you lost it, point-Dexter," Dean said, standing up. "Cuz it wasn't us."

"Dude! You know something?" Sam shouted, annoyed. "I put up with a lot from you two."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, glowering at him.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "I'm a joy to be around. Not saying much for Lex, but…" I smacked him on the arm.

"Yeah?" Sam asked. "Your dirty socks in the sink. Your food in the fridge"

Dean looked hurt. "What's wrong with my food?"

"It's not food anymore, Dean! It's Darwinism!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean shrugged. "I like it."

"And you!" Sam said, pointing at me. "You're such a freaking girl! You leave all your girly stuff lying around. You never take responsibility for anything!"

"Oh, bite me Sam," I stated, kind of hurt by that.

"All I ask from you two, the one thing! Is that you don't mess with my stuff!" Sam said, throwing his hands in the air.

"You done?" Dean asked calmly.

"You know, how would you feel if I screwed with the Impala?" Sam asked. "Or your phone over there?"

"Be the last thing you ever did," Dean said, glaring at him.

_End of Flashback_

"Did you take his computer?" Bobby asked, looking at Dean.

"Serves him right, but no," Dean said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Alexis," Bobby stated, narrowing his eyes.

"I didn't take it, I swear," I said, with a dramatic sigh.

"Well, I didn't lose it," Sam said, glaring at us. "Because I don't lose things."

"Oh that's right, yeah," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Cause he's mister perfect."

"Ok, ok," Bobby said, surrendering. "Why don't you just tell me what happened next?"

"There was one more victim," I said.

"Right," Sam sighed. "Now, now we didn't see this one ourselves either. We kind of put it together from the evidence. But this guy, he was uh... He was a research scientist. Animal testing."

"Yeah, you know," Dean smirked. "A dick." Dean smiled."Which fits the pattern."

"So what?" Bobby asked.

"Alligator in the sewer," I smiled. Bobby's jaw dropped. "And no, I am not kidding. We went to the morgue to check out his remains."

_Flashback_

Sam jimmied the window open with his knife and then handed me his flashlight as we jumped into the morgue. I landed right behind Dean, propping the window open with a board.

"This ought to be quick." Dean said, as he opened the cabinet with the body in it. He pulled the sheet off to see a bunch of random body parts. I looked away disgusted.

"Holy shit," I coughed, grimacing. "The guy was mauled!"

"Ok. That is just nasty," Dean agreed.

"Uh, yeah… mutilated," Sam said, shaking his head. "Looks to me like something was hungry."

"They identify him yet?" Dean asked.

Sam bent down to see the parts closer where they had a name attached to them. "Yeah, uh... Research scientist at the college. Guess where his office was, by the way." He paused. "Crawford Hall," Sam said, with a nod. "Same as the professor."

"That's right where the frat boy had his close encounter," I said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Hey, grab me that thing would you?" He pointed at the lamp magnifying glass thing. I pushed it to him. "Thanks."

"What is it?" Dean asked, as Sam pulled something off the one part.

"Looks like a... belly scale," Sam said, frowning.

"A belly scale?" I asked. "From what?"

"Uh... an alligator," Sam replied, at a loss for words.

"An alligator in the sewer," Dean stated. "Come on."

"What? Well, Dean it's a classic or a legend…" Sam said. "A kid flushes down a baby-gator down the toilet and it grows huge in the tunnels."

"Yeah, but no one's really ever found one," Dean said. "I mean they're-it's... They're not real."

"Well, neither is alien abduction," I said. I pointed to the body. "But something jumped on this guy. And it wasn't a Chihuahua."

"This couldn't get any weirder," Dean said, staring at the belly scale.

"Maybe we should get some help," Sam said. "I'll call Bobby; maybe he's run into something like this before."

"Oh, I'm sure he has," Dean scoffed. "Just your typical haunted-campus-alien-abduction-alligator-in-a-sewer gig." He shrugged to make his point. "Yeah, simple."

"C'mon," I said, pushing the body back in. "Let's just get out of here."

_End of Flashback_

"We decided to search the sewer anyway," Sam said. "So we split up. Each taking one end of the campus."

"Did you find anything?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, I found something," Dean stated, angrily. "Just not in the sewer."

_Flashback_

Dean took my hand and pulled me out of the sewer. "Remind me again why we did this?" I asked, grimacing. "God, now I smell like a toilet."

"Oh just relax," Dean said, rolling his eyes. We got to the car, and Dean stopped walking. I nearly ran into him. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted, looking at his car.

"What?" I asked, stepping out from behind him. All the air had been let out of the tires. "Huh" I said, confused.

"Huh?" Dean demanded. "My car is screwed and you say huh!"

"De—"

He ignored me and picked up something off the ground. It was Sam's money clip. "SAM!" Dean shouted. That little vein in his temple was pulsing like he was going to kill someone.

He stalked inside the motel room, and I went along with him. I wondered if I should get 911 on speed dial.

"You think this is funny?" Dean demanded, nearly slamming the door in my face.

"Depends?" Sam smirked. "What?"

Dean looked like he was about to explode. "The car!" he screamed.

"What about the car?" Sam asked, frowning in confusion.

"You can't let the air out of the tires, you idiot. You're gonna bend the rim!" Dean shouted.

"Whoa," Sam said, in surrender. "Wait a minute. I didn't go near your car."

"Oh yeah? Huh," He took out the money clip that he had found. "Then how did I find this?"

Sam's eyes widened and then quickly narrowed. He held out his hand. "Hey, give me back my money."

"Oh no. Consider it reparations for uh…" Dean thought. "Emotional trauma."

"Yeah, very funny," Sam laughed. "Now give it back." He stood up and walked over to Dean.

"Guys," I said, rolling my eyes. "Dean, just give him the—"

"Shut up, ankle biter," Dean said, almost in a growl. I put my hands up in surrender. I sat at the table and saw that my phone wasn't there.

"What the—"I said, confused. I looked under the table, where my phone was lying. The screen was smashed in.

"Dean, gimme my money," Sam said again.

"No."

"Dean," Sam said, annoyed. "I have had it up to here with you."

"Yeah? Right back at you!" Dean said, glaring. Sam tried to take the money out of his hands, but Dean evaded him. Sam smirked and then grabbed for it again. He stumbled into Dean, reaching across him for the money clip. "GOD! Get off me!" Dean shouted as they fell onto the bed.

"Give it back!" Sam demanded.

I walked over as they fell onto the floor and wrenched the money clip from Dean's hand. "Which one of you did it?" I demanded, showing them my phone. Neither said a word, just glaring at each other. "Hey!" I shouted, smacking Dean across the back of the head. "Who broke my phone?"

"Don't hit me!" Dean shouted, pulling me down.

"Gimme my money!" Sam screamed, grabbing it. I got up, threw the broken phone on the table, and slammed the bathroom door behind me.

_End of flashback_

"Ok, I've heard enough!" Bobby said with a sighed.

"Anyway, you showed up about an hour or two after that," Dean replied, rolling his eyes at Sam. I folded my arms over my chest in annoyance.

"I'm surprised at you three," Bobby said, shaking his head. "I really am." He pointed a finger at Sam. "Sam. First off, neither Dean nor Lexie stole your computer."

Sam looked taken aback. "BUT I-"Bobby stopped him with a hand out.

"And Dean, Sam did not touch your car," Bobby went on. "And Lexie your brothers didn't break your damn phone." I huffed in annoyance. "And if you three bothered to pull your heads out of your asses, it all would have been pretty clear."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"What you're dealing with," Bobby said.

"Ahh…" I thought.

"I got nothin'," Dean said.

"Me neither," Sam and I agreed.

"You've got a trickster on your hands," Bobby said, filling in the blanks for us.

Dean snapped his finger. "That's what I thought."

"What? No you didn't!" Sam shouted.

"I gotta tell you. You guys were the biggest clue," Bobby sighed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"These things create chaos and mischief as easy as breathing, and it's got you so turned around and at each others' throats. You can't even think straight," Bobby said.

"The laptop"

"The tires"

"The phone"

We all said in realization.

"It knows you're on to him," Bobby nodded. "And it's been playing' you like fiddles."

"So what is it? Spirit? Demon? What?" Dean asked.

"Well…" Bobby thought. "More like demi-Gods really. There's Loki in Scandinavia, there's an Anansi in West Africa. Dozens of them. They're immortal and they can create things out of thin air. Things as real as you and me. Make 'em vanish just as quick."

"Mean like a- angry spirit, or an alien, or an alligator," Dean replied.

"The victims fit the M.O too," Bobby said. "Tricksters target the high and the mighty. Knock 'em down a peg. Usually with a sense of humor."

"Breaking our stuff really isn't funny," I said, looking at the broken phone on the table.

"Deadly pranks, things like that," Bobby added.

"Bobby, what do these things look like?" I asked.

Bobby shrugged. "Lots of things. But human mostly"

"And what human do we know who's been on ground zero this whole time?" Dean asked, with a sigh. I frowned, and then looked up.

Oh.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS

We headed to Crawford hall, intent on figuring this out and being sure that we had pegged the right guy. We found him coming up the stairs. He smiled. "Sorry, I'm dragging a little ass today boys. Had quite the night last night. Lots of sex, if you catch my drift."

"Yeah. Hard not to," I stated, rolling my eyes.

"Listen, we won't be long," Dean said. "We just need to check a couple offices on three."

"No problem," the janitor said.

"Oh damn. I uh... forgot something in the truck," Sam sighed. "You know what; I'll catch up with you guys."

"Ok," I said, and followed Dean and the janitor upstairs. We were silent on the climb and then hit the third floor. "Thanks," I said; as I saw Sam already back to coming up the stairs. He looked like he had something important to say.

"Sure thing," he said, unlocking the door.

He let us in, and we pretended to check around. Then we thanked him and left. "What did you get?" I asked as we left.

"Weekly World news" Sam said, showing it to us.

"It's him" Dean stated.

"Just 'cause he reads the "Weekly World News" doesn't mean he's our guy," Sam said. "I mean, you read it too."

"I'm telling you it's him," Dean stated.

"Look, I just think we need some hard proof that's all," Sam said.

"Ok, another thing Bobby mentioned was that these suckers have a metabolism like an insect, alright. A real sweet tooth," Dean added.

"Well, I didn't find any candy bars. Or sugar. Not even equal," Sam said.

"It's probably because you missed something," Dean argued.

"I don't miss things," Sam stated.

"Oh right," Dean sighed. "'Cause you're Mr. Perfect."

Sam frowned. "What? Are you really still pissed at me 'cause of what the Trickster did?" I groaned and turned around. The janitor was in the window, staring. I pretended I didn't notice.

"Ah, come on man," Dean said. "You've been a tight ass long before that Trickster showed up."

"Look just… stay here, keep an eye on the janitor," Sam said. "I'll go to his place, see if I can find any actual evidence before go you barging in, staking a man. Just wait until I get back, ok?" Dean said nothing. "Ok?"

"Ok!" Dean shouted, annoyed. "Geez."

"Lex?"

"Whatever, Sammy," I shrugged.

Night came, and I heard movement inside of the auditorium. I paced slightly, and vaguely nodded at Dean. He scoffed, and headed to the door. "Uh, screw this," he said.

"De!" I shouted. "Sam said to wait."

"I hate waiting," he smirked. "Stay out here."

"But—" It was too late, he went inside. I scoffed. Sam came around the corner. "He's in," I smirked. I sighed, "This plan better work."

Bobby handed me a stake. "It'll work," he said.

We stealthily got inside the building and headed into the auditorium. Sam nodded for me to go left, so I did so. "Come on! Those people got what was coming to 'em" the trickster laughed. "Hoisted on their own petards. But you and Sam. I like you. I do. So treat yourself. Long as you want. Just... long enough for me to move on to the next town."

"Yeah… I don't think I can let you do that," Dean said, uneasily.

"I don't wanna hurt you," the trickster stated. "And you know that I can."

"Look, man. I… I gotta tell you, I dig your style. Alright. I mean…" Dean stopped and looked at the two bimbos that the trickster had apparently conjured up for him. "I do, I mean…the slow dancing alien?" Dean laughed.

"One of my personal favorites," The trickster chuckled.

"Yeah. But uh... I can't let you go," Dean said.

"Too bad. Like I said, I liked you," the trickster stated, smile fading. "Sam was right. You shouldn't have come alone."

"I agree with you there," Dean said, and Sam nodded for me to walk in. I opened the door all the way and smirked. I held onto the stake in my hand, intent on getting this over with.

"That fight you guys had outside," The trickster said. "That was a trick?" Dean just smiled. "Hm. Not bad. But you wanna see a real trick?"

Out of nowhere, a chainsaw roared to life. I glanced over to where a crazy lunatic was going after Sam. I jumped into action, as Sam ran out of the way. I ran with him, avoiding the chainsaw by mere inches. Bobby jumped in front of me, and the crazy guy chopped his stake in half like it was tissue paper.

I turned and was met by one of the ladies from the front. The blonde smiled, going to smack me. "Oh, no," I said, going after her, fists blazing. "I'm not being taken out by a bimbo in laundry."

"Dean... Dean, Dean, Dean," the trickster said, as I fell to the ground. This girl was freaking strong. I looked to where Dean was on his side. "I did not wanna have to do this." the trickster went on.

I saw Sam, and how he was getting ready to move. Sam quick bent down and grabbed the stake, and threw it to Dean. Dean spun around and plunged the stake deep into the trickster's chest.

"Me neither," Dean said.

The blonde smiled sinisterly over me. I frowned. Why wasn't it working? The chainsaw stopped, and the blonde who was dragging me back to my feet disappeared. I sighed in relief. Dean pulled the stake out, and the trickster fell backwards into his seat, dead.

"You guys ok?" Dean asked, as I walked over to him. I nodded.

"I gotta say, he had style," Dean sighed, and we walked off.

We nearly ran out of the building, trying to get away as fast as we could. "Bobby. Thanks a lot." Sam said. "We really couldn't –"

"Ah Save it. Let's just get the hell out of Dodge before somebody finds that body," Bobby said.

"Yeah," I agreed. Bobby hopped into the back seat of the newly fixed Impala. I went around to the other side.

"Look, guys," Sam said, stopping us. "I just wanna say... that I'm uh… um…"

"Hey," Dean said, with a small smile. "Me too."

"Me three," I added, smiling as well.

Bobby stood up out of the car. "You guys are breaking my heart, could we please just leave?" he asked. He got back in the car.

I laughed slightly and we all got in, and drove off.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

_I felt the pain. The incessant pain that just wouldn't end no matter what I did. It was like an icy fist that was trying to rip my heart in half. I stared at Dean and Sam's lifeless eyes, and felt the hot tears on my face. I couldn't do this. _

"Alexis!" Dean shouted, pulling me out of the dream. I was shaking violently. "Ankle biter, you okay?"

I couldn't respond, so I just started to cry again. "Dean—I," I choked on the words. He had his arms wrapped around me. My heart was pounding in my chest. I took a deep breath. "I'm okay."

"Was it about—"

"Yeah," I replied, answering Sam's question. "It was." I shuddered slightly. "But I'm fine."

"Apparently not," Dean said, as I still struggled to calm down. "You still have the charms that Bobby gave you right? He's not in your head?" I held up my arm to show him that I had it on. "Why can't you just tell us what he showed you? Tell us what you saw?"

"Because I just can't," I said, not even wanting to think about it. "I just can't."

"Alexis," Dean said, sternly.

"No," I stated. "I can't, okay? I will eventually but right now…I can't." Dean sighed in frustration. He let go of me slightly, but I still had myself pressed against him. I couldn't be absolutely alone right now. I just couldn't.

So I pretended that I was safe in my brother's arms. Safe from everything that was out there and coming after me. But I wasn't sure I would ever really be 'safe' again.


	47. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Two

**A/N: Thanks so much for everyone's reviews! You guys are what honestly keep me going with this! I wouldn't be able to do it without all the support. So thanks! The next chapter (after this one) will introduce a new guy! I put a picture of what I think he looks like on my profile if you're curious! Enjoy!**

**I do not own supernatural, they belong to Kripke and Co. Please don't sue me. I only own Lexie!**

**Chapter Forty Seven**

We sped down the highway, and I was exhausted. I had been habitually taking sleeping pills for the past two weeks just to get to sleep at night. And then there were the nightmares that just wouldn't end no matter what I did. Every single time I closed my eyes, all I could see were yellow eyes staring back at me. They followed me in my dreams until I woke up screaming and clawing at thin air. Dean had stopped asking what they were about, and just grabbing me and nearly strangling me to death as he pulled me close to his chest. He was probably as tired as I am, since I woke him up nearly every night.

I lay in the backseat, nearly asleep, listening to Sam and Dean talk quietly over Led Zeppelin.

Out of nowhere, I flew off the back seat into the floor of the car. The tires screeched. I put a hand on the floor to stop myself from face planting into the floor. "Holy!" Dean shouted, trying to stop.

I looked up when the car had completely stopped. "Dean, what the hell—"I stopped. A woman was outside of the car, and she looked terrified.

"You've gotta help me" she said, running to Sam's window. She smacked her hand against it urgently. "Please. Please" she pleaded.

Sam rolled down his window. "All right, all right, calm down," he said, as she breathed heavily. "Calm down. Tell us what happened?"

The woman looked near tears. "I swerved and we crashed. And when I came to...uh, the car was wrecked. My husband was missing. I went looking for him, but that's when the man from the road, he started chasing me. He's...he…"

Dean grimaced. "Did he look like he lost a fight with a lawn mower?"

"How did you know that?" she asked, looking shocked.

Dean shrugged, giving me a knowing look. "Lucky guess," he stated.

"Ma'am, what's your name?" Sam asked.

"Molly," she said, choking back tears. "Molly McNamara."

I looked at Dean with a small nod. "Molly, look," Sam said. "I think maybe you should come with us. We'll take you back into town."

"I can't. I have to find David," She said. "He might've gone back to the car."

"Well, we should get you somewhere safe first," Sam explained. "Dean and I and Lexie will come back here. We'll look for your husband."

"No," she argued. "I'm not leaving here without him" I looked to Sam for a clue of what he was thinking about this. We really needed her out of here. "Would you just take me back to my car, please?" she asked.

Dean shrugged, as if asking what we should do. Sam made a face, and then sighed. "Of course," Sam said. "Come on."

Molly got in the backseat of the car. I uncomfortable shifted over, and glared at Dean's head. Why was I stuck sitting with her? He drove until Molly told him to stop. It was a steep ledge, and I made my way carefully down right behind Dean. "Its right over there," Molly said, pulling us over. I shined my flashlight all over, but didn't see anything. There was only dirt and snow. "I'm sure this where it was," she said, frowning. "We hit that tree right there. This doesn't make any sense."

Molly went closer to the spot, and we stayed back. Dean looked at us worriedly. "Guys, we gotta get out of here," Sam said. "Greeley could show up at any second."

"What are you gonna tell her?"I asked, watching her walk away.

"The truth," Sam remarked.

Dean scoffed. "She's gonna take off running in the other direction."

"I know it sounds crazy, but I crashed into that tree," Molly said, coming back over. We shut up immediately. "I don't know who could've taken it. It was totaled." I couldn't look at her. "Please, you have to believe me," she pleaded, calmer this time.

"Listen, we do believe you, all right?" Sam said. "That's why we wanna get you out of here."

"But what about David?" Molly asked. "Something must have happened. I have to get to the cops."

"Cops. That's a great idea," Dean said. "We'll take you down to the station ourselves, okay? So just come with us. It's the best way we can help you and your husband."

Molly looked back at where she thought her car had been. She slowly nodded. "Okay."

I sat up front this time, mumbling some excuse about wanting to give her room. I didn't make sense, but Molly didn't question it so whatever. "We were supposed to be in Lake Tahoe," Molly said, sadly. I winced slightly at how sad she sounded.

"You and David?" Sam asked, shooting me a look to calm the heck down.

"It's our five year anniversary," Molly stated.

"A hell of an anniversary," Dean scoffed.

"Right before, we were having the dumbest fight," Molly said. "It's the only time we ever argue, when we're stuck in the car."

"Yeah, I know how that goes," I scoffed. Dean shot me a look and mumbled something under his breath. I ignored him.

"You know the last thing I said to him?" Molly asked, in realization. "I called him a jerk. Oh, God. What if that's the last thing I said to him?"

"Molly," Sam said, turning around. "We're gonna figure out what happened to your husband. I promise."

The radio buzzed slightly, and I looked at it. It started playing a song. "Did you?" Dean asked, pointing to it.

"No," Sam and I said together.

"Great," Dean sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Molly leaned forward, confused. "This song..." she said, trailing off.

"What?" I asked, hoping it wasn't what I thought it was.

"It was playing when we crashed," Molly replied.

I looked to Dean, who worriedly stared ahead. I bit my lip as the music stopped and changed to static. "She's mine. She's mine," a voice crackled. "She's mine."

"What is that?" Molly asked.

"That!" I shouted as I saw him. He was standing in the highway, right in front of the Impala's path. I looked to Dean, but he only seemed determined.

"Hold on," he said, and hit the gas. I closed my eyes, and Sam held onto my arm. It was thankful. I wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

"What are you doing?" Molly demanded.

We drove right through him, and he disappeared into a cloud of black dust. I turned around, but saw nothing behind us. For now, he was gone. "What the-? What the hell just happened?" Molly asked, in shock.

"Don't worry, Molly," Sam said. "Everything's gonna be all right."

The engine began to stutter, and the car slowed to a stop. "You spoke a little too soon, Sammy," Dean said, pulling over. He turned the ignition and nothing happened. The engine was dead.

"I don't think he's gonna let her leave," I stated, giving Dean a worried look. He sighed, and got out of the car. He went right to the trunk.

"This can't be happening," Molly complained.

"Well, trust me. It's happening," Dean said, lifting the weapons up. He handed me a shotgun, which I took and started loading up. Molly looked disturbed and started backing away.

"Well, okay," she said, giving us uneasy looks. "Thanks for helping, but I think I got it covered from here."

"Wait, Molly, wait a minute," Sam said, stopping her.

"Just leave me alone," she said, clearly scared.

"No," Sam said, "You have to listen to me."

"Just stay away," she said, backing away more.

"It wasn't a coincidence that we found you, all right?" I called, hoping that it would at least stop her so that we could convince her to stick with us. As much as I really, really wanted her to leave.

She stopped and glared at us. "What are you talking about?"

"We weren't just cruising for chicks when we ran into you, sister" Dean said. "We were already out here. Hunting."

I rolled my eyes. "Nice icebreaker, De."

"Hunting for what?" Molly asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Dean shrugged. "Ghosts," he stated. Then he turned back to the Impala, and pulled out salt.

"Don't sugarcoat it for her," Sam remarked, exasperated.

Molly scoffed. "You're nuts."

"Really?" Dean asked. "About as nuts as a vanishing guy with his guts spilling out?" Molly looked at a loss for words. Dean smirked. "You know what you saw," he stated.

Sam shot Dean a look to shut the hell up. "We think his name is Jonah Greeley," Sam explained. "He was a local farmer that died 15 years ago on this highway."

"Just stop," she said, putting a hand up.

"One night a year, on the anniversary of his death he haunts this road," Sam went on, ignoring her. "That's why we're here Molly. To try and stop him."

Molly shook her head. "Yeah, I suppose this ghost made my car disappear too," she stated.

"Crazier things have happened, huh?" Dean said, slamming the trunk closed.

"You know what?" Molly said. "I'm all filled up on crazy. I'm gonna get the cops myself."

"I don't mean to be harsh, but I don't think you're gonna get too far," Dean stated, watching her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Molly asked, stopping again.

"It means that Plan A was trying to get you out of here," Dean said. "Obviously, that didn't go over too well with, uh, Farmer Road kill."

"Molly we're telling you the truth," I said, handing the shotgun to Sam, who took it. "Greeley's not gonna let you leave this highway," I added.

"You're se...?" she trailed off. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

Dean nodded. "Deadly."

"Every year, Greeley finds someone to punish for what happened to him." Sam went on. "Tonight, that person is you"

"Why me?" she demanded. "I didn't do anything?"

"It doesn't matter," Sam shrugged. "Some spirits only see what they want."

"So you're saying this Greeley, he took my husband?" Molly asked. No one said anything. I stared at the concrete. "Oh, God," Molly said, assuming what we didn't tell her.

I looked at Sam, nodding for him to do something. "Molly, look, we're gonna help, all right?" Sam said, after a moment. "But first, you gotta help us."

"Help you? How?" Molly asked.

Dean just grinned. "C'mon," he said. He pumped his shotgun. "We got some work to do."

"Why don't you take us to where you saw him first," I said, as we headed into the woods. "Maybe they're will be a clue there."

"Sure," Molly said. She led the way, with Dean, Sam and I behind her. She went from where her car had been and then led us to the right for a few minutes. "This is it," she said, stopping in front of a dilapidated cabin. "This is where I saw him."

Dean kicked the door open cautiously with his foot. Thankfully, it was empty. I stepped inside, noting the dried blood on most of the knives that were hanging from the wall. "Must have been his hunting cabin," I said, picking up one of the knives. I put it back down in disgust.

"Huh," Dean remarked. "Seems like a real sweet guy."

Sam walked in with a sigh. "No markers or headstones outside," he said, with a shrug.

"You're looking for Greeley's grave?" Molly asked.

"Yeah," Sam said, looking around the cabin like I just had. He frowned at the knives too.

Molly looked confused. "Why?"

"So we can dig up the corpse and salt and burn it," Dean replied.

"Oh, sure," She said, nodding. "Naturally."

I smirked. "It's a way to get rid of a spirit."

"And that'll save David?" She asked.

"Well, this is what'll help both of you," Sam said. "Provided there's a corpse to be found."

"So how do we find it?" Molly asked.

"Well…uh," Sam said, stuttering.

"That's Sam code for he has no idea," I smiled. Sam shot me a look. "After Greeley died, his wife claimed the body."

"That's the last anyone saw of her," Sam added. "Good guess she brought him back here. But they had a thousand acres. He could be buried anywhere on them."

She nodded. "So this is really what you guys do. You're like Ghostbusters."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, minus the jumpsuits," he said. "Look, lady, this is a fascinating conversation and all but this highway's only haunted once a year. And we got till sunup to wrap this thing up. What do you say we move it along?" He nodded. "Okay? Great."

Dean headed out of the cabin, pulling me with him. "What's with the attitude?" I asked, as he pulled me into the trees.

"It just…freaks me out," he explained. "Just c'mon."

"What are we looking for?" Molly asked as Sam and she went down another way.

I watched them go and then followed after Dean. "Hey," I said, catching up to him. "I'm not saying this isn't freaking me out a little too, just calm down"

"Oh, bite me," Dean scoffed. He stopped walking. "You hear that?"

I paused, listening. "David?" I heard, and then a shriek.

Dean took off, and I followed. We got to Molly just in time, and Dean pointed the shotgun at Greeley. "Whoops" He stated, and shot him. He disappeared in a puff of smoke once again. I helped Dean up as Sam ran over.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sam asked, watching Molly get up off the ground. She looked dazed, like she was freaking out. "Just take it easy, all right? You're gonna see David again. You will."

I looked to my right. "Hey," I said, motioning to Dean. "Check it out." I pointed down a brick road.

Dean smirked. "Follow the creepy brick road."

"Go ahead," Sam sighed, waving him on.

Dean held out his arm. "Munchkins first," he smirked. I glared at him, and he went on ahead. I wasn't going down the road first. Sam handed me his gun and I followed after Dean.

"That thing shoots rock salt?" Molly asked, pointing to the shotgun Sam handed me. I walked on in front of them.

"Yep," I said.

"And plain salt keeps away spirits?" Molly asked.

"Simple remedies are always the best," Sam sighed. "Most cultures, salt is a symbol of purity so it repels impure and unnatural things. Same reason you throw it over your shoulder."

Dean was stopped at a house. It was dilapidated and falling apart. "You know, just once I'd like to round the corner and see a nice house," Dean remarked, staring at it.

"Maybe we should stop hanging around these places," I suggested. "I bet people in Beverly Hills don't have that problem."

"When I can afford Beverly Hills, I'll let you know" he scoffed, and started up the porch. Sam, Molly and I went inside, and Dean stopped going around back to check for any signs of a grave.

I stayed inside, watching Molly pace back and forth. If only she knew… I stopped staring at her, and met Sam's gaze. He gave me the same stoic look I was giving him. I sighed. Dean walked back inside. **"**Any headstones outside?" I asked.

"Yeah right," he stated. "Is it ever that easy?"

"No, I guess not," I frowned.

Dean pointed to Sam and Molly. "You two check upstairs. See if you can find notes or records where he's buried," he said. "We'll just check down here."

"All right," Sam said, heading for the stairs.

Dean gave me a look, and started searching. I picked up a broken black and white picture of a couple. I figured it was Greeley and his wife. Greeley looked a lot better when he wasn't oozing guts from his abdomen. I put the frame back down, and looked in the cabinets and in the kitchen. "Got anything?" I called to Dean.

"No," he sighed, "You?"

"Nothing," I stood up and walked over to him. "Maybe they had better luck?"

He shrugged. We went upstairs and found Sam and Molly sitting on the bed. "Uh... spirits like Greeley are, uh, like wounded animals," Sam explained. "Lost. In so much pain that they lash out."

Dean went to walk in, but I stopped him. "Why? Why are they here?" Molly asked.

"Well there's some part of them that's keeping them here," Sam went on. "Like their remains or, um...unfinished business."

Molly frowned. "Unfinished business?"

"It could be revenge. It could be love or hate," Sam listed. "Whatever it is, they just hold on too tight. Can't let go. So they are trapped. Caught in the same loops. Replaying the same tragedies over and over."

"You sound almost sorry for them," Molly remarked.

"Well, they weren't evil people. You know, the... A lot of them were good. Just something happened to them," Sam sighed. "Something they couldn't control."

"Sammy's always getting a little J. Love Hewitt when it comes to things like this," Dean smiled, leaning in the door frame. "Me, I don't like them and I sure as hell ain't making apologies for them." He paused, meeting Sam's gaze. Sam just looked defeated.

"Well on that upbeat note," I said, glaring at Dean. "There's nothing down stairs. You find anything?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Uh, just about every piece of mail or receipt they ever had," Sam said, pointing to the collection of papers all over the place. "Looked through a couple, but nothing about a grave so far."

Dean wasn't listening; he was staring at the wall. "What?" I asked, watching him.

"There's something behind here," he said, going to a desk. "Here." He tossed his flashlight at me. He pushed the desk out of the way. He stooped down next to a small door. He hit it. It made a hollow clang, but it didn't budge. "It's locked from the inside," he stated. He turned around, and kicked it open."

"Lex, go first," Dean said, handing me the flashlight. "See how much room there is."

I nodded, and crawled through. "It's a whole room," I called, and Dean started through. "It smells like old lady in here," I added.

Dean shined his flashlight ahead of me. "And that would explain why," he smirked. I turned to see a dried out corpse. It was Greeley's wife, who had apparently hung herself. "Well, now we know why nobody ever saw her again," Dean added.

"She didn't want to live without him," Molly sighed, sadly.

Sam went over to the corpse. "Dean give me a hand," Sam said.

Dean grimaced. "Really?"

"What are you going to do?" Molly asked, confused.

"We can't leave her like this," Sam complained.

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"She deserves to be put to rest, Dean," Sam stated, rolling his eyes.

"Son of a..." Dean sighed, and then went to help him.

I smiled, and looked at Molly. "Its times like this I enjoy being a girl," I stated. I watched Sam and Dean pull her out of the house. I walked out of the house with her. "You don't have to touch dead bodies."

Dean put a hand on my shoulder. "You do however, have to dig," he stated, handing me a shovel.

I grumbled, but took it. I helped Sam dig the grave, tossing shovelful after shovelful over my head. "So if you manage to put Greeley to rest too, what happens to him?" Molly asked, watching.

"Lady, that answer is way beyond our pay grade," Dean stated, with a sigh.

"You hunt these things but you don't know what happens to them?" she asked, sounding disappointed in us.

"They never come back," Dean said. "That's all that matters."

"After they let go of whatever is keeping them here, they just go," I said. "Usually burn out."

"They go somewhere else" Sam added. "I hope someplace better, but we don't know. No one does"

"What happens when you burn their bones?" Molly asked.

"Um, well, my dad used to say that it was like death for ghosts, you know?" Sam said. "But the truth is, we still don't know, not for sure. I guess that's why we all hold onto life so hard. Even the dead. We're all just scared of the unknown."

"The only thing I'm scared of is losing David," Molly said. "I have to see him again. I have to."

I put the shovel into the ground. "Okay, I think this is deep enough," I said, getting out. "We have to find Greeley still." Dean threw the body into the hole, and we covered her with the dirt.

"Let's get back to the house for a minute," Sam suggested. I nodded and we went back inside, staying in the middle of the room. Molly searched through the scrapbook and she and Sam had found upstairs. I watched out the window.

"I think we should tell her about her husband," Sam whispered to Dean and me glancing back at Molly.

"We can't," Dean stated.

"Dean, it's cruel, letting her pine for him like this," Sam said. "I don't like keeping her in the dark." He looked to me. "Don't you think we should tell her?"

"I really don't know, Sammy," I said, looking at her.

"It's for her own good," Dean said, shaking his head. "I know you feel guilty, but let's just stick to the plan. Let's get her out of here, and then we'll tell."

"Tell me what?" Molly asked, glaring at us. "What aren't you telling me?" None of us said a word. "It's about David," she said, getting up angrily. "You know what happened to him."

"Molly," Sam sighed.

Dean stopped him. "Sam, don't."

"Don't what?" Molly demanded. "Don't tell me because I'll mess up your hunt? You don't care about me or my husband."

"That's not true," Sam said.

"Really?" she said, folding her arms over his chest. "Then whatever it is, tell me, please."Sam said nothing, struggling to figure out what to say. Out of the kitchen came static noise, much like earlier in the car. Then it turned into the song. "He's coming," Molly breathed.

"Stay with her," Dean said to Sam. I followed after Dean, who went into the kitchen. He went over to the jukebox and held up the cut cord. "Huh," he remarked.

I pointed to the window. Frost creeped up and the words "She's mine" appeared as though someone drew it. I heard a clatter of breaking glass. "Dean!" Sam screamed, as we ran back into the living room. "He's got Molly!"

We jumped through the same window that Greeley pulled Molly through. We ran faster than I even thought I could run until we reached a clearing. Neither was around.

"This guy is persistent," Dean scoffed, as we got back to the house.

"We gotta find Molly," Sam said, going through all the stuff again.

"We gotta find Greeley's bones" I said, looking at my new cell phone. Since that last hunt with the trickster I had been phoneless. Dean just bought this new one a few days prior. "And, uh, no pressure or anything but we got less than two hours before sunrise," I added.

"Hey!" Sam said, picking up a picture.

"What do you got?" Dean asked.

"Uh, February 6, 1992," Sam said, showing him the picture.

"That was like two weeks before the accident, wasn't it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "I mean, it looks like the hunting cabin but I swear there's a tree there right where they're standing." He paused and smacked his forehead. "Oh. I should have thought of it."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"It's an old country custom," Sam said. "Planting a tree as a grave marker."

Dean blinked at him. "You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness."

"Yeah, I know," Sam replied, with a slight smirk. "Let's go"

I could hear Greeley talking to Molly in the shed. Dean and Sam were busy talking about what to do. I just took one look at the shed, and ran towards it. I peeked in the window. "Where's David? What did you do to him?" Molly demanded. Her arms were tied above her head.

"You shouldn't worry about him anymore," Greeley smiled. Molly cringed at the thought. "You should worry about yourself."

"I didn't do anything to you," Molly insisted.

"Oh?" Greeley asked.

"No. I know about your wife," she said. "Hurting me won't bring her back."

"My wife is gone," Greeley said. "All I got left is hurting you." He dragged a finger over her abdomen.

"_This was how I cut mommy," he said, dragging a finger across my abdomen, tearing the flesh like it was tissue paper. I screamed in pain._

_I felt my arm in his grasp. I knew what was coming before I even heard the snap of breaking bone. _

"Please. Please, just let me go," Molly begged, saying the words that were in my mind.

"Go?" Greeley asked. "You're not gonna leave. You're never gonna leave."

Dean grabbed my arm, and I whimpered. "What are you doing?" Dean asked. He frowned as he saw my face. "Are you crying?"

"C'mon," I said, pulling my arm away. "We gotta save her."

Dean gave me a hesitant look, but ran in, shotgun blazing. Greeley disappeared for a moment, and Molly sighed. "Oh thank God," she said.

"Yeah. Call me Dean," Dean remarked, with a smirk. Greeley appeared and slashed Dean's face. Dean turned and growled. "This guy is really pissing me off," he stated.

I went to shoot him, but he threw me across the room. I landed with a clatter next to the table of knives. Dean was thrown across the room as well, landing on the opposite side. Greeley came over, pulling a knife off the wall. He grinned, and came at me. Dean got up quickly pulls and slashed through him. Greeley appeared behind him and shoved him into the wall.

As I watched, all I could see was Dean bloody and dead in Bobby's living room. I was frozen in my tracks. "Lex!" Dean shouted, breaking me from my trance. I took a deep breath, not even realizing I had been holding it in.

I moved, but before I could do anything, Greeley went up in flames and was gone.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We got back to the Impala as the sun was coming over the horizon. Dean patted the hood in happiness. "Oh, baby, it's been a long night," he sighed.

"All right, let's get you out of here," Sam said to Molly.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to my husband," she said indignantly.

Sam was at a loss once again. "Molly—"

"All this time I've been looking for him and you knew that..." she trailed off. "You knew that Greeley killed him, didn't you?" Sam sighed. "He's dead," Molly stated, choking on evident tears.

"No, Molly," I said. "David's alive."

"What?" she asked, in shock. She dropped her folded arms to her sides. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," I sighed, looking at Sam knowingly.

"We'll take you to him. C'mon," Sam said. Molly smiled widely and got into the backseat with me. She let out a little laugh of relief as Dean started the car and drove.

We pulled up to David's house an hour or so later. "He's in that house, right there," Sam said, pointing to it.

Molly frowned. "I don't understand."

"You will," Sam said. Dean looked over at Sam, hesitantly, as though asking if we should get out. We all got out of the car after Sam sorrowfully nodded.

Molly immediately rushed towards the house, expectant to see David. She stopped as she saw David making a cup of coffee. "That's... not..." she said, confused. "It can't be." A woman appeared, and kissed David happily. They had been married for nearly ten years now.

Molly looked disgusted and looked back at us. "What's happening? Who is that?" she demanded. Neither Dean nor I could say anything.

"That's David's wife," Sam choked out. Molly looked more confused than ever, and then looked back at the house. She opened and closed her mouth, and then looked back at us. "We're sorry, Molly," Sam added.

"Fifteen years ago, you and your husband hit Jonah Greeley with your car," I explained, since apparently Sam couldn't. "David survived."

"What are you saying?" she asked.

"We're saying that there isn't just one spirit haunting Highway 41. There are two," Dean added. "Jonah Greeley… and you."

"For the past 15 years, one night a year you've been appearing on that highway," Sam said.

"No, that's impossible. It was our anniversary, February 22nd," Molly said, in shock.

"1992," Sam said.

"Yes," Molly nodded.

"Molly," I sighed. "It's 2007."

_I sat in the backseat, on our way into town. "All right, tell me about Highway 41," Dean said. _

"_Twelve accidents over 15 years. Five of them fatal. All of them happening on the same night," Sam listed quietly. _

"_What are we looking at?" Dean asked. "Interstate dead zone? Phantom hitchhiker? What?"_

"_Not quite," Sam said. "I mean, year after year, witnesses said the same thing made them crash. A woman appearing in the middle of the road being chased by a man covered in blood."_

"_Two spooks?" I asked, from the backseat. Sam didn't respond, probably just shrugging. _

_We had gone to the library to figure it out. A newspaper had a "Tragic Accident Kills 2 on Highway 41." We talked to David. _

"_Now where is Molly buried?" Dean asked him._

"_She-She wasn't buried anywhere," David replied. "She was cremated."_

"_So much for burning her bones," Dean commented as we left. _

"_Yeah, but then what's keeping her here?" I asked. _

"_Dean, I don't think she knows she's dead," Sam said, as Molly stopped our car on the highway earlier that very day._

"_What are you going to tell her?" I asked, watching Molly walk away. _

"_The truth," Sam remarked. _

_Dean scoffed. "She's going to take off running in the other direction."_

_We were in Greeley's room. "It could be revenge. It could be love or hate," Sam listed. "Whatever it is, they just hold on too tight. Can't let go. So they are trapped. Caught in the same loops. Replaying the same tragedies over and over."_

"And Greeley?" Molly asked, in realization. She knew we were right.

"Each year he punishes somebody for his death. Uh, chasing them, torturing them," Sam said. "And each year that somebody is you."

"But I don't remember any of it," She said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Because you couldn't see the truth Molly," Sam went on.

"So that's why he won't let me off the highway," Molly stated. "Because I... killed him. I killed us both."

"Why didn't you tell me when you first saw me?" Molly asked, tears now in her eyes. "Why wait until now?"

"You wouldn't have believed us," Dean shrugged.

"And you needed me for bait," Molly added. Dean looked away, embarrassed.

"Well, we needed you," I stated, blushing slightly.

"David," Molly said, longingly.

"Molly, we brought you here so you could move on," Sam said.

Molly shook her head. "No, I have to tell him."

"Tell him what? That you love him? That you're sorry?" Sam asked. "Molly, he already knows that. Look, if you want to go in there, we're not gonna stop you."

"Yeah, but you are going to freak him right out," I scoffed.

"For life," Dean added.

"David's already said his goodbyes, Molly," Sam said, as Molly looked longingly back at the house. "Now it's your turn. This is your unfinished business."

"What am I supposed to do?" Molly asked.

"Just... let go... of David, of everything," Sam said. "You do that, we think you'll move on."

She looked afraid. "But you don't know where?"

"No," Sam admitted. "But Molly you don't belong here. Haven't you suffered long enough? It's time. It's time to go."

Molly choked back a sob and slowly nodded. She walked off a little, and looked back. Dean looked away. I gave her an encouraging smile, hoping we weren't sending her to somewhere horrible. But then again, there had to be somewhere better than this. She walked out towards the sun as it came up. The light engulfed her, swallowing her up until she is gone and the light dimmed slightly.

She was gone.

"I guess she wasn't so bad..." Dean said. "For a ghost." We said nothing in return. I flicked the tear out of my eye.

"Do you think she's really going to a better place?" I asked.

"I hope so," Sam admitted.

"I guess we'll never know. Not until we take the plunge ourselves, huh?" Dean said.

"Doesn't really matter Dean," Sam shrugged. "Hope is kind of the whole point."

Dean smirked. "All right, Haley Joel," he said, patting Sam on the back. "Let's hit the road. We headed to the car after one long look back at the horizon. I sighed, and settled into the back seat.

My phone rang as we drove down the highway hours later. "Hello?" I asked.

"Hey," Logan said on the other end. "You never called me, so I uh, called again."

"Sorry," I apologized. "I just was busy."

"Right," he said. "But you're okay?"

"Yeah, Lo," I said, rolling my eyes but smiling. "I'm okay. Thanks."

"I just wanted to be sure," he stated. "Talk again soon?"

"Uh-huh," I said, even though I had no intention of calling him. I think he really knew that anyway. "Bye," I sighed, and hung up. Sam was asleep, snoring softly. I sighed.

"So," Dean said, pulling the car over. "We gonna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" I asked, even though I knew what he was talking about. He was talking about what had happened in the hunting cabin when froze up.

"You know what," he stated. He stopped the car and turned around. "Why can't you just tell me what's going on in your head."

"Because I don't like thinking about it," I admitted. "It…it wasn't the happiest moment, Dean."

"You'll never get over it if you don't tell someone," He said, expectantly. I looked at Sam's sleeping form, and got out of the car.

I sat on the hood, as Dean scooted up next to me. "He uh, tortured me for what felt like days" I stared, trying to say it without recalling the memories. "He made me choke on my own blood, slashed at my skin, tore me apart and then started all over again." I paused. "He made me watch him kill mom, and then made me believe that you, Sam and Bobby were dead."

"We're not," Dean said, like that was supposed to make it better.

"I thought you were," I said. "That's what I keep having nightmares about. That none of this is real. I keep thinking that this is all still a dream and that you're really dead."

"I'm alive," he said. "Sam's alive, Bobby's alive." He put his arm around me. "This is real. You're safe now."

"I'll feel safer when he's dead," I stated. "I just…I need him dead."

"We'll kill him," Dean said. "I can promise you that. I'm not going to stop."

We sat in silence for a minute. "Thanks, Dean" I said, "You're right, I think I feel better."

"I'm always right," he smirked.

Sam opened the car door. "What are we doing?" he asked, with a yawn.

"Nothing," Dean called, hopping off the car. "We're going back on the road." He opened the door for me, pointing to the front seat. I got in and leaned on Sammy.

I blinked away tears that were still in my eyes. I had to stay strong for now. I wasn't ready to give in just yet. I sighed, and closed my eyes, as Dean hummed along to the radio.

_And as we wind on down the road  
Our shadows taller than our soul  
There walks a lady we all know  
Who shines white light and wants to show  
How everything still turns to gold  
And if you listen very hard  
The truth will come to you at last  
When all are one and one is all  
To be a rock and not to roll_

And she's buying a stairway  
To heaven...


	48. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Three

**A/N: Thanks for all of your reviews! You guys are awesome! So here it is, the chapter all of you have been asking for! Heart! DUN DUN DUN! Enjoy! **

**I do not own supernatural, only Alexis **

**Chapter Forty Eight**

I came back into the motel room, and threw my phone on the bed in annoyance. Logan had called me eight times in the last four days wanting to talk. Apparently he and Hannah the queen bitch were over with. I hadn't answered any of the calls after the first one. I didn't want to get back together with him. I wasn't saying I didn't still have feelings for him, but they were more 'I care about you like a brother now' kind of feelings.

"He still calling you?" Dean asked, cleaning his gun.

"Yeah," I said, putting my head in my hands.

Dean nodded, running the oil cloth over the barrel. He put the gun down for a moment. "But you aren't back, uh—"

"No," I said, "Why are you asking me that?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Just figured this was maybe you trying to kiss and make up."

"Not likely," I stated, picking up a knife and the block to sharpen it. "At least not in the near future."

"That's harsh," Dean stated, watching me sharpen the knife a little clumsily. I was annoyed and wasn't paying attention.

"It's a harsh world," I shrugged. "Besides, we're too different."

"Right," he nodded. The door opened, and Sam walked inside. "Hey man, what'd you get?"

"His heart was missing," Sam said, throwing his jacket on the bed. "He looked like he had been attacked by a wolf."

"This lawyer guy the first heart-free corpse in town?" I asked, putting the knife block down on the side table.

"First _man_," Sam replied. "Over the past year, several women have gone missing. Their bodies all washed up later in the bay too deteriorated to draw firm conclusions."

"But no hearts?" Dean asked.

"No hearts," Sam nodded. "They were all hookers working Hunter's Point. Cops are trying to keep things under wrap. They're looking for a serial killer."

"And the lunar cycle?" Dean asked, as Sam took a sip of his beer.

"Yeah all the murders happened in the week leading up to the full moon," Sam stated.

"Which is this week, right?" I asked. "Hence the lawyer?" Sam nodded in agreement.

"Awesome," Dean smirked.

"Dean, could you be a bigger geek about this?" Sam asked, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, man, but what about a human by day a freak animal killing machine by moonlight don't you understand?" Dean said happily. "I mean, werewolves are badass. We haven't seen one since we were kids."

Sam snorted. "Okay, Sparky, and you know what? After we kill it, we can go to Disneyland!"

"Know what the best part is?" Dean asked. "We already know how to bring these suckers down." He held up a silver bullet. "One of these bad boys right to the heart." He grinned, flinging the bullet at me.

I caught it and rolled my eyes. "What's our next move?" I asked.

"Talk to the girl who found the body," Sam said. "See what she knows." He looked to the pile of weapons. "Dude, this is going to take hours, and I'm not waiting for you to finish."

"Fine, cranky," Dean said, putting his silver handed pistol in his pants. "We'll go now."

We pulled up to an apartment building and up to the third floor. Sam knocked on the door. A nice looking woman with dark hair opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked, confused.

We took out our badges. "Are you Madison Harding?" Sam asked, and she nodded. "We need to speak to you about Nate Mulligan's death?"

"I don't understand," She said, "I already gave my statement."

"Right," Sam said. "Yeah, well, we just need to verify a few things."

A man appeared next to her, narrowing his eyes at us. "This is my neighbor, Glen," she said. "Glen, this is Detective..." she trailed off, looking for answers.

"Landis," Dean smiled. "And Detective Dante and Jenkins."

"Well, guess I'll leave you to it," Glen said, going to the door.

"Okay," She said. "Thanks for the casserole."

"Oh, how thoughtful," Dean said, giving me a look. I smirked and rolled my eyes at him.

"Just call if you need anything," Glen smiled, and then walked out the door. Madison closed the door behind him with a heavy sigh.

"He's sweet. He came over to check on me," she explained. She motioned to the chairs. "Have a seat."

We all sat down, and I smiled slightly. "You must be pretty shaken up. You were Nate Mulligan's assistant, right?" I asked.

"For two years, yeah," she sighed.

"So you knew all about him?" Dean asked.

"Probably knew more about him than he did. Nate was..." She trailed off in thought. "He was nice"

"But?" Sam asked, with a small smirk.

"Nothing really, I..." She stopped. "He had a few scotches and started hitting on anyone in a five-mile radius. You know the type."

Sam chuckled and gave an oblivious Dean a look. "Yeah. I do, actually," Sam said. I snorted, and Dean made a face.

"Did he have any enemies?" Dean asked, changing the subject.

"What do you mean?" Madison asked. "It sure looked like an animal attack"

"No. Yeah, we're just covering all the bases," Dean shrugged. "Anyone that might've had a beef with him? Former client, an ex?"

Madison made a face. "What?" I asked, confused.

"This is embarrassing, but my ex-boyfriend, Kurt," she admitted.

"Kurt have a last name?" Dean asked.

"Mueller," Madison replied. "After we broke up, he went kind of nuts. He's...Well he's kind of been stalking me. He got it in his head that something was going on between Nate and me. He showed up at my office."

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Kurt got into it with Nate," Madison said. "Threw a punch before security grabbed him. I was lucky to keep my job."

"When was the last time you saw Kurt?" I asked.

"A few nights ago. Actually, the night Nate died," she frowned. "We were all grabbing drinks at the bar and Kurt showed up."

"And?" Dean asked.

"Nothing," Madison shrugged. "It was like he was watching me. Then he was gone. To tell you the truth he scares me."

"Alright," Sam smiled. "I think we have all we need, thank you."

We left, and I walked in the middle of Sam and Dean. "So what do we think?" I asked, keeping up with them.

"Stalker ex-boyfriend? He hates the boss? And he was there that night?" Sam asked, shaking his head.

"You think he's our dog-faced boy?" Dean asked.

"Well, it's a theory," Sam shrugged.

"We've had worse," I stated.

"Yeah," Sam and Dean said together.

"What do you say we pay Kurt a visit?" Dean asked, as we got to the Impala.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We entered the door to Kurt's apartment. It was night and dark. I flipped the switch and started to walk around. Dean headed right to the fridge. "Anything?" Sam asked.

"Nothing but leftovers and a six pack," Dean stated, staring into the refrigerator.

"Check the freezer," I said, rolling my eyes. "Maybe there are some human hearts behind the Haagen-Dazs or something."

Dean smirked, and then frowned. "You hear that?" he asked, going to the window. He walked out onto the balcony and peered over the edge. I followed, wanting to know what he was staring at. There were two long sets of scratches all the way down to the street.

Out of the alley there was a gunshot. I shared a glance with Dean, and then we ran outside. We headed into the alley. I saw a leg sticking out from behind the dumpster. I peered behind it, coming up to a mangled body. "Hey," I called to Dean. "I found dinner."

"I'll call 911," Sam said, pulling out his phone.

"I'd say Kurt's looking more and more like our Cujo," Dean sighed.

"Yeah," I agreed. I saw movement to my left. "Civilian, three o' clock" I whispered. I turned to my left as Dean turned to see the person walking into the alley. He was carrying a gun. It was in his pants much the way that we carried ours.

"Hey," Dean said. "We called the police already."

The man came closer, and I realized he couldn't be much older than me. He had this cocky air about him, like he knew what he was doing here. "Relax," he said, putting up a hand. "I'm a hunter too."

"Oh really?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes. "And how did you even know we were hunters?"

"Heard you talking," he shrugged. "Plus I know that you were stalking out Kurt Mueller, the supposed werewolf." He paused. "You really should watch what you talk about in public."

Dean glared, "Well maybe you should take that gun your toting around and shove it up your—"

"Dean," I said, stopping him. "Enough." I looked to the boy. "Who are you?"

"My name's Dylan Porter," he stated. "Who are you three?"

"I'm Sam Winchester," Sam said, pointing to himself. "This is my brother Dean and sister Lexie"

"Ah," he smiled. "The Winchesters." He nodded to himself. "Heard of you three. Heard you were damn good hunters."

"Really?" Dean said, obviously now forgiving him.

"Yeah," Dylan replied, "But I got this case covered on my own."

"Yeah?" I asked, slightly annoyed. We had gotten here and done all this research. I wasn't leaving it for this guy.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Well, let us help you out," I suggested.

"Fine, if you want to waste your time," he shrugged.

"Fine," I said back, and he smirked.

"Feisty sister you got there," He said to Dean. He turned around. "I'll be around," he called over this shoulder. He disappeared back onto the street.

"Dean, if he's out here, we better check on Madison," Sam said urgently.

"Yeah," Dean said, looking at me. I was still glaring in Dylan's general direction. "We should get out of here before the police come anyway." Dean sighed as we headed back to the car.

"I'm going to call Ellen," Sam said, "See if she knows that kid." He dialed and then put Ellen on speaker phone. "Hey, Ellen."

"Sam," she said, and I heard Ash yelling behind her. "How's it going guys?"

"Good," I said. "You know a Dylan Porter?"

"Porter?" Ellen asked. "Yeah, I know him. He comes around every now and again. He's a good kid."

"And as a hunter?" Dean asked.

"You can trust him," Ellen said. "He's rough around the edges, not unlike yourselves. But he's a good hunter. Dad taught him right."

"Thanks, Ellen," Dean sighed, and Sam flipped his phone shut. "Maybe we should just check on her and then skip town," Dean suggested. "That other kid's got it, right?"

"No," Sam and I scoffed together. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Why can't we just let him get it?" he asked.

"Because he pissed me off," I stated, with a shrug.

"And he doesn't care about Madison," Sam said. "She's in danger, and all he wants to do is kill the damn werewolf."

Dean snorted and looked to either of us. "You two are the stupidest people I have ever met," he stated, shaking his head. He pulled over to Madison's apartment building. "Let's go," he said.

We made it to the door as a motorcycle pulled into the lot. I looked over to see Dylan jump off and smirk at me. "Well," he said, as he made his way over. "Guess we all had the same idea."

I rolled my eyes, and opened the door. Sam led the way up, and knocked frantically on her door. Her neighbor, the same guy who gave her the casserole the other day, opened the door. "What's going on?" Glen asked.

"Police business, Glen," Dean said.

Madison opened to door. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well, maybe we should talk privately," Sam suggested. Madison shot Glen a small smile, and then opened the door wider to let us in.

"Why do you need four cops?" Glen asked, not moving from his doorway.

"I wonder the same thing," I stated entering the apartment. Dylan caught my eye and smirked.

"Has Kurt been here?" Sam asked, as we got into her kitchen. Dylan stood next to me, looking around interestedly.

"Not exactly," Madison replied, looking down into her cup of coffee.

"What exactly does "not exactly" mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Well, he was outside last night. Just looking," she said, grimacing. She shuddered slightly. "Just looking at me. Has he done something?"

"We're not really sure," Sam admitted.

"It's probably nothing," Dean said, with a wave of his hand. "But we just don't wanna take any chances. In fact, one of us should probably stay here with you, just in case he stops by." He paused, looking at Sam.

"Where does he work?" Dylan asked.

"He owns a body shop," Madison said.

"You mind grabbing that address for us? Thanks," Dylan said, with a smile. Madison walked out of the kitchen.

"All right," Sam said. "You three go, I'll stay."

"Forget that," Dean scoffed. "You go after the creepy ex. I'm gonna hang here with the hot chick."

"Why do you always hang with the girls?" Sam complained.

"Because I'm older," Dean stated, sipping at his coffee.

"No. Screw that," Sam frowned. "We settle this the old-fashioned way." He held up a fist, and Dean nodded. He put his coffee down on the counter, and held up a fist as well.

"Really?" I asked, with a scoff.

"What are they doing?" Dylan asked, in confusion.

Both ignored me, staring at each other intently. They glared for a moment, and then counted to three. This was the stupidest game of Rock, Paper, Scissors I have ever seen played. Ever. Dean chose scissors like he always did. Sam smirked in triumph. "Dean. Always with the scissors," Sam smiled.

"Shut up," Dean said, shaking his head. "Two out of three."

Sam sighed dramatically, but raised his fist again. They counted to three and Dean chose scissors once again. Dean groaned in annoyance. "Bundle up out there alright?" Sam smiled pushing Dean to the door. Dylan followed him out.

I rolled my eyes. "Have fun, Sammy," I said. "Just not too much fun." He just smirked and pushed me out next.

I walked downstairs to the car with Dean, purposely ignoring Dylan. Dean looked at the address. "Dylan, you know where this is?" Dean asked, handing it to him.

"Its a few streets away from Kurt's apartment," He said. "Follow me on my bike." He picked up his helmet and patted the seat to make his point.

"What kind of bike is that?" Dean asked.

"Ducati Multistrada 1200, pretty much all customized," Dylan smiled. "This baby goes 0 to 60 in two seconds."

"Nice," Dean stated. He looked the bike over and then frowned. "Seems like a really nice bike for a hunter."

Dylan glared. "I worked my ass off to get this thing," he stated. "Just like I'm sure you put a lot into that classic you're driving." Dylan pointed to the Impala.

Dean nodded with a smirk and got into the driver's seat. He looked over to me, and frowned. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," I shrugged. "Just since when are you all, 'let's work together?'"

"Since I want to lay down the law on some werewolves," Dean smiled. "And if I have to work with some kid to do that, whatever." He paused. "As long as I get to kill something."

"Right," I stated, as we followed Dylan. He pulled a quick left, and Dean followed him without another word.

We sped down the road, until we pulled off at this body shop. Dylan pulled his helmet off and then looked to us as we got out of the car. "We all going in?" he asked.

Dean shook his head. "Nah, you two wait. I'll go in."

I was going to protest, but he was gone already. I grumbled to myself and leaned on the car. "So…" Dylan said, watching me. "How old are you?"

I stared at him for a moment. "How old are _you?"_ I asked.

He smirked. "I asked you first."

"I'm sixteen, almost seventeen," I replied.

"I'm seventeen," He said. He looked over to Dean. "Like I said, heard about you three. Heard that you guys travel around, picking up hunts as you go."

"That's typically how it works," I sighed. "We live out of the car, stop most nights to sleep for a few hours, hunt when we find one."

"Most hunters have a home base," Dylan mused.

"I don't," I said, with a shrug. "It'd be weird if I did, to tell the truth. I'm used to living on the road."

"I don't either," he said. "Used to."

"Alright," Dean said, walking out and interrupting before I could ask him more. "He's not here."

"Great," I sighed.

"But I got an idea of where he's at," Dean smiled. He looked to me specifically. "And you're going to love it." He leaned on the car and grabbed his cell phone to call Sam. I listened in. "Hey" Dean said. "Let me guess. You're sitting on her couch like a stiff, trying to think of something to say?"

Sam sounded annoyed. "You find Kurt?" he asked, ignoring Dean.

"He hasn't been at work all week," Dean said. "But because I'm good...and I mean really, really good...I got a line on where he might be." He paused, and smirked. "What's she wearing?"

"Bye, Dean," Sam said, hanging up the phone.

Dean laughed to himself. "Aww, Sammy"

I smirked. "Leave him alone."

Dean chuckled. "He's such a pansy."

"Dean, seriously," I stated. Dean just rolled his eyes and sighed. "I mean it's not Sam's fault he's completely awkward," I added. Dean snorted.

"So where is he?" Dylan asked, watching us.

"Strip club he frequents over on the main street," Dean replied. I grimaced. "Relax," Dean smirked at me. "You don't have to go in."

"Good," I replied. "Because I really, really would prefer not to."

"I'll stay with her then," Dylan said. "We can hang out at this diner down the street."

"I don't need a babysitter," I scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure it's a good idea," Dean said.

"We're just going to go catch a bite to eat," Dylan shrugged. "And I'm going with or without Lexie. So it's either, she comes with me or she waits outside of a strip club alone."

Dean glared, but nodded. "If you try anything, I'll strangle you."

"Don't worry," Dylan smirked. "I'm not trying anything."

I wasn't sure whether to take that as a good thing or not. I followed him down the block to the diner. We sat at the bar. "So, uh, how long you been hunting?" I asked.

"Since I was eight," he replied, eating a fry. "What about you?"

"Technically my entire life," I stated. "But I really started when I was twelve." He nodded, and I just stared at him for a moment. "You alone?" I asked. I had been wondering this for awhile now.

He stopped chewing. "Yeah," he said. "My dad died two years ago, when I was fifteen. I got an older sister, but she uh, she doesn't hunt."

"My dad died almost eight months ago," I said, with a small smile.

"Guess we got something in common then," He stated.

I shrugged. "I guess."

"What about your mom?" he asked.

"Dead."

"My mom left when I was four," He admitted. He picked up another fry and sighed.

"That….sucks," I said. I couldn't really think of anything else to say to that.

"Yep," he said. He pushed his plate away, clearly done.

I looked at my half eaten food. "So why do you have to do this case so badly?" I asked.

He smirked to himself. "Long story."

I shrugged, interested. "I have time," I replied.

"Guys," Dean said, running into the diner. "C'mon he's on his way home; we've got to follow him."

Dylan threw a twenty down on the table, nodding at the waitress. I followed Dean out the door and we got into the Impala. "He paid," Dean stated, starting the car. "You realize that right?"

I looked at him confused, until I got what he meant by that. "Oh," I said, uneasily. I looked over to where Dylan was getting on his bike. "It's not like that."

"Uh-huh," Dean smirked.

"Shut up," I scoffed. "He's an asshole." Dean just turned the radio on and started humming. I leaned back in the seat, closing my eyes. He stopped in front of the apartment building and stared up at the window where Kurt's apartment was at.

Dylan knocked on the window, and Dean unlocked the doors. He slid in the back. "Any sign of him?" he asked, leaning to the front of the car so he could see.

I grimaced and scooted closer to the side of the car. "Not yet," I said, not even looking at him. I caught Dean's eye, as he just smirked, and scooted closer to the window. I was annoyed and just wanted to kill something ASAP.

I turned my head back to the window as I heard a noise. I looked up and saw the curtain move slightly to the left. "Dean," I said, but he was already out of the car and moving. I grabbed my gun off the seat and ran out after him, Dylan on my tail. We ran up the steps, not even bothering with the elevator. Dean kicked in the door.

I saw the back of the werewolf, and it definitely wasn't Kurt. She turned around, baring her fangs at us. Madison.

I jumped back as she swiped at me. Dean jumped in front of me, trying to get a shot at her. She knocked him backwards, sending him flying. I steadied my gun, but she was too quick. She knocked it out of my hands and then was on top of me. Dylan had a jab at her with his knife, but he stopped and just kicked her off of me, nicking her arm in the process.

Dean was out still, but Madison was gone. She jumped out the window, sending us a glance as she high tailed it out of here. Dylan ran to the window. "Damn it," he swore. I ignored him and went over to Dean. His head had a pretty bad knot on it. "She got away," Dylan said, as I checked Dean over, as if I wasn't smart enough really to figure that out on my own.

"Really?" I asked, "What gave you that clue Sherlock?"

He just growled at me, irritated. "If you hadn't went down—"

"Oh, excuse me" I rolled my eyes. "Next time I won't get pinned by a werewolf for you. And you could have shot her by the way."

"I would've hit you," he said, with a scoff.

I said nothing to that, just slapping Dean on the face a little. "C'mon Sleeping Beauty," I said, as he opened his eyes.

"Where is she?" he demanded, as he woke up. He blinked his eyes a few times and grimaced.

"She got away," I stated, sending Dylan a look to keep his damn mouth shut. "We gotta go, De," I said, "The sun's coming up."

"Call Sam," he said, getting up and then sitting back down slightly.

I dialed on my phone. "You okay?" Sam asked, and Dean took the phone out of my hand before I could answer him.

"Now that I'm conscious. The werewolf knocked me out," Dean explained. "Sam, its Madison."

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"Yeah, awesome job of keeping an eye on her," Dean rolled his eyes.

"I've been here the whole time," Sam said. "She's in bed, asleep."

"Well, she wasn't an hour ago," Dean said.

I took the phone from him. "Check her right arm below her elbow. Dylan nicked her with a silver knife," I stated.

"I really don't think that—"

"Just check, Sammy," I said, looking at Dean. "We'll be there soon."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean knocked on the door, holding his head in pain. Sam opened the door. "How you doing?" Dean asked, sarcastically. "My head feels great, thanks."

"We gotta talk," Sam said, looking at each of us. He turned and pulled us into the kitchen. I saw Madison tied to a chair in the living room. She looked terrified. Sam looked at Dean. "She says she has no idea what I'm talking about."

"She's lying," Dylan shrugged, glaring backwards at the living room.

Sam ignored him. "Maybe she really doesn't know she's changing," he suggested. "Maybe when the creature takes over, she blacks out."

"Like a really hot Incredible Hulk?" Dean asked, in disbelief. "Dude, she ganked her boss and her ex-boyfriend. That doesn't sound rash and unconscious."

"But what if it was, Dean?" Sam asked. "What if some animal part of her brain saw both those guys as threats? Hell, the cop too."

"What are you, the dog whisperer, now?" I scoffed.

"Look, guys, I just...I don't know," Sam sighed. "There was something in her eyes."

"Yeah, she's killing people," Dean replied.

Sam sighed dramatically. "But if she has no control—"

Dean cut him off. "Exactly, she can't control it. Even if she's telling the truth, it's not going to change anything."

"I'm not putting a bullet through some girl's chest who has no idea what's happening," Sam said, folding his arms over his chest to make his point.

"She's a monster," Dylan said, speaking up.

"You're feeling sorry for her?" I asked.

Sam looked at me. "Maybe I understand her," he said. I said nothing to that. "Look. There might be another way we can get the job done without having to waste her," Sam added.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Dean asked quietly.

"Dad's theory, 'Lycanthropy might have a cure if you kill the werewolf who bit you severing the bloodline.'" Sam stated from memory.

"'Might have a cure.'" Dean thought aloud.

"Meaning who the hell knows?" Dylan asked.

"It's worth a shot," Sam shrugged.

"We don't even know where to start looking," Dean said. "Alright, the puppy that bit her could be anyone, anywhere. Could have been years ago."

"No, I don't think so," Sam said, and left to go to the living room. I followed after him. "Madison, when were you mugged?" Sam asked. She looked up, tears in her eyes. "Please it's important, all right? Just answer the question."

She grimaced and sighed. "About a month ago."

"Did you see the guy?" Sam demanded.

She shook her head. "No. Grabbed me from behind."

"Did he bite you?" I asked, stepping forward.

She frowned. "How did you know that?"

"Where?" Sam asked, ignoring her question.

"On the back of my neck," She replied.

Sam put his gun down and pulled her hair back to reveal a scar from a rather large bite to the neck. "Well that's just a love bite," Dylan said unsympathetically. "Believe me that could have been a lot worse." I frowned, catching that look on his face. He was speaking from experience.

"Where were you at the time?" Dean asked.

"Walking home from a friend's loft," she said.

"Let me guess, not too far from Hunter's Point?" I asked, looking and Sam and nodding.

"Same place where those other murders happened," Sam said. "I'm telling you, it's a werewolf's hunting grounds."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean it'll be out tonight," Dean said.

"It's the right time in the lunar cycle," Sam shrugged. "I know it's a long shot."

"You're forgetting something. Madison's probably gonna turn soon. Alright? We can't just let her take off to an all-you-can-eat buffet," Dean said.

"I'll stay with her," Sam objected.

"And if she busts loose?" Dean asked. Sam said nothing for a moment. "Sam?" Dean asked, pulling him aside.

"I'll do it," He said, quietly.

"Sam," Dean glared.

"I'll shoot her, all right?" Sam said, annoyed. "But, Dean, I need you to go out there. At least go look for the thing. Dean, please. We can save this girl."

"Fine," Dean said.

"Wait we're really just going to hope this works?" Dylan asked, glaring at us. "We're going to let her go free? She killed people."

"She didn't know what she was doing," Sam objected.

"You think those people's families would say that?" he asked, looking at me.

"I think she deserves a chance," I stated.

"But—"

"Look," I said, turning on him. "We're going to try, so you can either help or get the hell out." Dylan stared at me for a moment, blue eyes blazing like they were on fire. I wanted to shrink away, but I held my ground. "Okay?" I asked.

"Okay," he said, the corner of the lip threatening to turn into a smile. "We better get a move on then."

We hid in the corners of the alleyway, just waiting. I huddled next to the wall. Dean was keeping watch on the other side of the alley behind the dumpster. Dylan was next to me. He was really comfortable even though he was nearly on top of me. I shrank away from his touch. I barely even looked at him.

I shivered. "You cold?" Dylan asked.

"No," I stated, pulling my jacket. I heard a long howl that didn't sound that far away. "You hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Look."

A hooker walked into the alley and frowned, looking around. Out of the shadows, something started chasing her. She screamed as the thing jumped her. I stood up. "Hey!" I screamed, and took a shot. It hit the thing in the shoulder.

Dean ran out and shot three more times, all chest shots. The werewolf collapsed. The woman squirmed out and ran away without a word. "Hey! Don't mention it!" Dean called, rolling his eyes.

"Nice shot," Dylan said.

"Thanks," I said, offhand. I looked down at the werewolf. It was Glen. He was turning back into human form.

"What happened? Where am I?" he asked, spitting out blood. He coughed and sputtered. I couldn't say anything. "Oh, God," Glen said. "Oh my God."

"All right, easy, Glen," Dean said. "Just take it easy." Glen coughed one more time and then his eyes shut slowly until he was clearly dead.

I stared, feeling tears in my eyes, until Dean pulled my arm. "C'mon, we gotta go," he said. I let him nearly drag me back to the car. "He didn't know," I stated, at a loss.

"He was just a monster," Dylan said.

I felt my lip tremble a little, but held it in. "I know that," I spat, and got into the car, slamming the door behind me.

Dean said nothing, just getting in next to me. He picked up his phone. "It's over," he said to Sam. "We uh, killed him." Dean paused. "Sure."

I said no more as he drove us to Madison's apartment. Sam got in, looking nearly as destroyed as I felt at the moment. I wasn't even sure why I was upset. Dylan was right, Glen was a monster. But he hadn't known…

"So what happened?" Sam asked, as Dean stopped in the parking lot. We couldn't exactly leave until we were sure that she wasn't going to turn. Dylan was in the backseat with me now, just watching the building silently.

"It was sort of sad, actually. Glen had no clue what was going on," Dean replied. "Hey. Why do you think he turned Madison, instead of just killing her?"

"I don't know," Sam shrugged.

"He kind of seemed to have a thing for her," I added. Dean gave me a funny look. "What?" I asked. "He baked her freaking casserole. Tell me that's not unrequited nerd love."

"Maybe his primal instinct did too," Dean said. "Maybe he was looking for a little hot breeding action."

"Yeah. Something like that," Sam said.

"So?" Dean asked, smirking.

"So, what?" Sam asked.

"Speaking of Madison…." Dean said, suggestively.

"Oh, whatever," Sam scoffed.

"Don't whatever me. You like her," Dean said, now smiling. "Maybe—"

"Dean, she thought I was a stark raving lunatic," Sam said.

"Guys," Dylan said.

"You saved her life," I stated, ignoring Dylan.

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that," Sam argued.

"Hi, Madison," Dylan rolled his eyes. I looked over in shock.

"You know, for a stakeout, your car's a bit conspicuous," she smiled. "What are you still doing here?"

"Honestly?" Dean asked. "Uh. We're pretty sure you're not gonna turn tonight. But, we gotta be 100 percent."

"So, you know," I shrugged. "We're lurking." Sam shot me a look. "Sam, we're lurking." I stated, rolling my eyes.

"Look, I know this sounds crazy—"Sam said, trying to make it not sound so bad.

"Sure does," she said. "Well if we're gonna wait it out, we might as well do it together." She turned to go back inside. "You four coming or not?" she called.

We all shared a collective glance and then followed her into her apartment. "You were telling the truth, weren't you?" Madison asked, closing the door behind us. "About everything. What you did, it was to help me."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"I did all those horrible things...when I turned," she said, struggling to grasp the concept.

"You didn't know," Sam said.

"So when will we know for sure? Moonrise?" Madison asked.

"No, I don't think so. You turned middle of the night last night. I think we gotta hang in until sun-up," Sam explained.

Dean plopped himself on the couch. "Well, it looks like we got ourselves a few hours to kill. Poker, anyone?"

We played poker until dark. I lay on the couch nearly falling asleep. "Why don't you just crash for a few hours?" Dean asked, rolling his eyes. "I'll wake you up if anything happens."

I looked over to where Sam and Madison were sitting and talking and to where Dylan was staring out of the window. "Okay," I relented, and closed my eyes.

The next time I opened them, everyone was in nearly the same position. It was still dark, but gradually getting lighter as the sun neared the horizon. I stood up, as everyone else did. We all just sort of started out the window as the sun rose.

"Does? Does this mean it worked?" Madison asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Sam smiled.

"Oh, God, thank you," she sighed in relief. "Thank you so much."

Dean cleared his throat, and I smacked him. Madison just grinned. "You too, Dean. Thank you. All of you."

"Aww...don't mention it," Dean smiled.

"I'll catch you three later," Dylan said, already at the door. "I got things to settle." And with that he was gone.

I sighed. "Nice."

"Yeah," Dean said awkwardly. "So… I'm just gonna head back to the hotel and watch some pay-per-view or something." He shuffled his feet. "Uh…"

"Way to try and make that not awkward, Dean," I snorted. "C'mon," I said, pulling him out with me. Dean walked to the door and pumped his fist in the air and grinned at Sam.

We went back to the motel, and I slept most of the day away. Later, I looked to Dean as he watched TV. "We did the right thing, right?" I asked, frowning. "We saved Madison but killed Glen."

"We did the right thing," he confirmed. I slowly nodded.

There was a knock on the door. I got up and looked out the peephole. I sighed and opened the door. "What?" I asked.

"I was an ass," Dylan said, giving me a small smile.

"Yeah, you were," I stated, opening the door a little wider.

"Well don't sugarcoat that," he remarked.

"I never do," I smirked, letting him walk inside. "Wanna drink?"

He picked up a beer. "You drink?" he asked, popping the cap.

"Not if I can help it," Dean called from the couch. "Shut up the games on." He turned his attention back to the TV.

"Where's Sam?" Dylan asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Madison's" I said, and Dylan smirked. "Shut up." He put his hands up in surrender.

There was a frantic knock on the door. I got up and opened the door. "She turned," Sam said, desperately.

"What?" I demanded.

"I couldn't grab her in time," Sam said, shaking.

"We'll find her Sammy," Dean said, already ready to leave. "C'mon."

"I already called Bobby," Sam said, as we went downstairs. "He doesn't know anything. Except, he knew severing the bloodline wouldn't work. Most everyone says it's impossible to reverse it."

"How come she didn't turn when we were with her?" I asked, confused.

"You put her to bed, then she wolfed out?" Dean asked. "Maybe she's gotta be asleep to turn?"

"What the hell does it matter?" Sam asked, panicking. "We gotta find some way to help her. Some legend we missed or something."

"If there was, someone we know would've known," Dean said.

"Well then, we have to look harder until we find something," Sam complained.

"Sammy, I don't think we got a choice here anymore," Dean said carefully.

Sam stopped. "What?"

"I hate to say it, she's a sweet girl, but part of her is..." Dean trailed off.

"Evil?" Sam asked. Dean just nodded slightly. "Yeah?" Sam asked angrily. "That's what they say about me, Dean. So me you won't kill. But her, you're just gonna blow away?" His phone rang. "Hello?" he asked. His eyes widened. "Madison. Where are you?" Dean and I looked at each other. "Well, do you see any street signs?" Sam nodded at Dean, who got into the Impala without another word.

"I'll come with," Dylan said, getting in the backseat with me. "All right, all right. Hold on, Maddy. We're coming to get you. Just stay where you are," Sam said. He hung up. "Middle point," he stated, and Dean took off.

"What was Sam talking about, he's evil?" Dylan whispered to me.

I sighed. "We have…" I trailed off, unsure of how to even explain this.

"Issues?" he asked.

I nodded. "You don't even know the half of it."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We went back to Madison's apartment after we picked her up. "What happened?" Dean asked her.

She shook her head, almost in shock. "I don't remember anything," she said. "I probably killed someone last night. Didn't I?"

"There's no way to know yet," Dylan said.

"Is there something else we can try to make it go away?" she asked.

"We'll find something. I mean, there's gotta be some answer, somewhere," Sam said.

"That's not entirely true," Dean said, uneasily. "Madison, you deserve to know. We've scoured every source. There's just no cure."

"Is? Is he right?" She asked, looking right at Sam. Sam couldn't say anything and just walked off a little, choking on tears.

"We could lock you up at night. But if you bust out, and some night you will, someone else dies," Dean went on. "I'm sorry. I am."

Madison sighed, her breath hitching up. "So I guess that's all there is to it, then."

"Stop it," Sam said. "Don't talk like that."

"Sam, I don't want to hurt anyone else," She said. "I don't want to hurt you." She picked up his gun and walked over to him.

"Put that down," Sam demanded.

"I can't do it myself," she said. "I need you to help me."

"Madison," Sam said. "No."

"Sam. I am a monster," She cried.

"You don't have to be. We can find a way, all right? I can," Sam said desperately. "I'm gonna save you."

"You tried. I know you tried," She said. "This is all there is left." She paused as he said nothing. "Help me, Sam. I want you to do it. I want it to be you."

"I can't," he replied.

"I don't wanna die. I don't," Madison explained. "But I can't live like this. This is the way you can save me. Please. I'm asking you to save me." Sam shook his head. Dean walked over and took the gun from him. Sam walked to the kitchen door, unable to deal. I followed, knowing I couldn't do anything. Dylan held my arm as I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Sam. I'm sorry," Dean said.

"No," he said, holding back tears that threatened to fall. "You're right. She's right."

"Sammy, I got this one. I'll do it," Dean said.

"She asked me to," Sam said.

"You don't have to," Dean argued.

Sam let the tears start to fall. "Yes, I do. Please," he held out his hand. Dean stared at it for a moment, and then slowly handed the gun to him, as if giving him time to change his mind. "Just wait here," Sam stated, and left. Dean was crying too as Sam went into the living room. This especially freaked me out.

The gunshot was like a final nail in a coffin. I flinched and then closed my eyes. "Hey," Dean said, nudging me. "Go with Dylan."

"But-"

"We'll catch up, just go," he instructed. I looked at him one more time before following Dylan out into the parking lot.

"I hate to say I told you so, but—"

"Then don't say a fucking word," I said, wiping the tears. "Just shut up." He said nothing to that. "Why are you so hell bent on killing anyway, huh?" I demanded. "Why do you have a vendetta against the world?"

He paused, thinking for a moment. "My sister was killed by one," he stated. "She was two years younger than me. The thing it…killed her. Not turned, mauled. It tore her to pieces."

I was at a loss for words. "I'm sorry," I choked out.

"Don't be," he said stoically. "Like is one big shithole."

"I thought that for awhile too," I stated.

He looked over. "And?"

"It still is," I said, shaking my head. "But I think it's supposed to be."

"Well I don't," Dylan replied. "Life shouldn't be this hard." He stared at me for a moment. "Life should be…" he trailed off as he got closer, my breath hitching as his blue eyes bore into mine.

"What?" I asked, as he stopped. "Life should be what?" He was looking past me.

I turned as I saw Dean and Sam coming out of the building. "Catch you later," he said, and went to his bike.

"That's it?" I called, confused.

"That's it," he said back, and sped off, his bike roaring in the distance.

Sam got right into the car without a word. Dean stopped, watching me watch Dylan. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, looking at Sam. "I'm fine." If there was anyone to be worried about it would be Sam. "Let's just get out of here."

I got into the car, and let Dean drive me away. All I could think about was what Dylan was going to say. Life should be what? Because as I looked at Sam, who was still choking on tears, or at Dean, who also looked exhausted and hurt, all I could think was that I was the one who was right.

Life is one big shithole.

**Sooo... whatcha think? You like the new guy? Want to see some more? Hate him? I'm trying to build it up before i throw it all in at once! Tell me what you think and review please!**


	49. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Four

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, my internet was down for days! I was going nuts! **

**Anyway…**

**Some of you may have noticed, but I did get a really hurtful review about a week ago. It was rude and completely uncalled for. It says right in the description that this is a SisFic, and if you don't like those and then don't read it! Anyway, don't worry guys I'm not going to let that get me down! To all of you who are awesome and review with nice things and constructive criticisms, you guys rock! I wouldn't have the stamina to keep this going without your support, so thank you all so much! Now on with the show!**

**I do not own supernatural just Alexis. **

**Chapter Forty Nine**

I lay in bed, exhausted and still half asleep. I had been lying there for a few hours now, not able to fall completely asleep. Sam was next to me, but he was just staring at the ceiling. He had been doing this for the past week now. He hadn't slept in days, just pretending. He thought Dean and I were stupid and hadn't noticed.

I flipped over so that I couldn't see him and maybe get some sleep. It was hard to sleep when every time I opened my eyes all I saw was that pained expression on his face. I felt really bad about Madison and all, but I couldn't watch this much longer. We had to do something to cheer him up. As it got lighter outside the window and I realized that sleeping was a lost cause, I got up.

Sam left immediately to go get coffee, like a robot or something. He didn't even say anything to me when I went into the bathroom first to take a shower before him. Usually he yelled at me to not use all the hot water or something. This time, he just left.

I took my shower, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and then came out. Dean was still snoring away. I smacked his leg. He snorted and glared at me. "What?" he asked.

"Sam's still acting like a robot," I stated, sitting on the bed.

Dean sighed, and flipped onto his side. "I know," he admitted. "But every time I try to pry it out of him he ignores me."

"So what do we do?" I asked, a little apprehensively. "I mean we can't just leave him hurting like this forever."

Dean groaned and shut his eyes again. "How about you let me sleep some more?" He immediately went back to sleeping, and I rolled my eyes. How helpful was he?

Sam knocked on the door and I let him in. He set the coffee down, and picked up his laptop. Dean crawled out of bed, and grabbed a coffee. I glared at him to say something, and he sighed. "So uh, Sammy," Dean said, turning to look at him. "How do you feel about LA?"

I mentally smacked Dean. Hard.

"Uh, I don't know," Sam said, confused. "Why?"

Dean smiled to himself. "I was thinking we could go there, you know, for a good time and stuff." He grinned happily, like he had come up with the best answer to our problems.

Sam wrinkled his eyebrows in confused, and then shrugged. "Yeah, okay sure," he said. "Maybe there's a job out there."

"Yeah, but there's also girls," Dean said, with a nod. "Hot girls who work in movies."

"Right," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "But I'd really like to get back to hunting if that's okay."

Dean and I shared a glance. We both weren't really all that surprised. This was Sam's usual take on emotion that he didn't want to deal with. He put it away and hunted instead. "Alright," Dean said, with a shrug. "Whatever you want, man."

Sam nodded, and went back to his computer. It was going to be a long week.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I sat next to Sam a few days later on one of those stupid trolley things. It was leading us on a tour of the studios, and I was bored out of my mind. There were movie and television sets on each side of me from things I either did not watch or did not care in the slightest about. "First opened in 1927, the lot has been in continuous operation for eight decades," the leader said, droning on and on. "Now, to the right, here is Stars Hollow. It's the setting for the television series, Gilmore Girls. And if we're lucky, we might even catch one of the show's stars!"

Sam smacked me on the thigh. "Ow," I remarked. "What?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Come on," he said, pushing me off the trolley.

"Let's finish the tour!" Dean complained, as Sam signaled him it was time to get off.

I jumped off the train and waited as Sam followed. Dean sat still, glaring at us. "Dean!" I yelled, and he sighed dramatically as he got off.

He walked around to where we were standing and grinned. "Sammy, check it out, it's Matt Damon!" he pointed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not Matt Damon," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"No, it is," Dean argued.

"Well, Matt Damon just picked up a broom and started sweeping," I stated, pointing back at 'Matt Damon'.

Dean looked over and then shot me a look. "Yeah, well, he's probably researching a role or something," he stated.

"Yeah," I stated. "I don't think so."

"Hey, this way. I think Stage 9 is over here," Sam said, looking at a sign.

"Come on, man, let's keep going this way," Dean complained, looking longingly out towards the lot crowded with people.

"No, come on, we've gotta work," Sam argued. Dean made a face and sighed. "Dude, you wanted to come to LA…"

"Yeah, for a vacation," Dean scoffed. "I mean, swimming pools and movie stars, not to work."

"This seem like swimming pool weather to you, Dean?" Sam asked. "I mean, it's practically Canadian."

"Indoor pool?" I asked, shaking my head. "Duh."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. Sam just ignored me. "I just figured that after everything that happened with Madison, you could use a little R-and-R, that's all," Dean said.

"Well, maybe I wanna work, Dean," Sam complained. "Maybe it keeps my mind off things."

"Okay, okay," Dean surrendered. "All right. So, this crew guy - he died on set?"

"Yeah, rumors spreading like wildfire online saying the set's haunted," Sam said.

"Like Poltergeist?" Dean asked, with a smirk.

Sam looked at him funny and shrugged. "It could be a poltergeist."

"No, no. Like, the movie Poltergeist," Dean explained. Sam just shrugged. "You know nothing of your cultural heritage, do you?" Dean asked, annoyed. "Lex?"

I sighed. "It was rumored that the set of Poltergeist was cursed. That they used real human bones as props. And, like, at least three of the actors died in it."

Sam nodded. "Oh, yeah, it might be something like that."

"All right, so this crew guy - what's his name?" Dean asked.

"Frank Jaffey," Sam replied.

"Jaffey - he got a death certificate or a coroner's report or anything?" Dean asked.

"Well, no. But it's LA, you know? It might not even be his real name," Sam stated. "But the girl who found him said she saw something - a vanishing figure."

"What's the girl's name?" I asked.

"Tara Benchley," Sam replied.

Dean stopped. "Whoa, whoa, Tara Benchley? From FeardotCom and Ghost Ship, Tara Benchley?" he asked. Sam nodded, and Dean's face lit up. "Dude, why didn't you say so?"

"So now, you're suddenly on board?" Sam asked.

Dean dropped the smile. "Oh, I mean, I'm just a fan of her work. She's very good." He walked off, and I smirked at Sam.

"He wants to get in her pants," I smiled. Sam shot me a look and followed after Dean. "What?" I asked.

We walked over to the movie set, and started to look around. I had to say, this wasn't actually as cool as I always thought it would be. There were about a million people milling around, all busy with one thing or another. "No, look, don't get me wrong," the one guy said. "Everyone at the studio loves the dailies, myself included. We were just wondering if it could be... you know, a little brighter."

The other man frowned. "Brighter?"

"Yeah, Jay," he nodded. "More color. McG, you know what I'm saying, you're the master of that stuff."

McG stared at him. "Brad, this is a horror movie."

Brad shrugged. "And who says horror has to be dark? It's sort of depressing, don't you think?" He looked over at us. "Uh, excuse me, Green Shirt Guy?" he called. I looked at Dean. He was the only one of us with a green shirt on. Dean pointed at himself. "Yeah, you. Come here," the guy called. Dean looked at us, and then walked over. "Can you get me a smoothie from Kraft?" Brad asked.

"You want a what from who?" Dean asked, frowning.

Brad scoffed. "You are a P.A.? This is what you do?" he asked.

Sam quickly sauntered over, mostly to save Dean's ass. I followed quickly behind him. "Yeah, yeah... uh, one smoothie coming right up," Sam smiled, pulling Dean with him.

"What's a P.A.?" Dean asked in a whisper.

"I think they're kind of like slaves," Sam replied, leading us away. He smiled back at Brad for good measure.

"What now?" I asked, confused.

"We go get his smoothie," Sam shrugged. "At least it gives us an automatic in on the set."

"Fine," Dean said. "We'll get the damn smoothies. Then we'll check out the set, and maybe talk to Tara."

We got their stupid smoothies and I picked the EMF out of my pocket as we got back. They were starting to film again as I swept the EMF around trying not to create attention to myself in the process. "Why don't we take it from, "Come on, it'll be fun." And, action!" McG shouted.

"Come on, it'll be fun," The one girl said. I knew that she was Tara Benchley. I rolled my eyes, as she read out Latin that I think a monkey could read better. I rolled my eyes, and looked up to where Dean was in the scaffolding. He shot me a thumb down. He hadn't gotten anything either.

I nodded for him to come down. We walked back to Sam who was at the food table. "So?" Sam asked expectantly. "Anything?"

"No EMF anywhere," I stated.

"Great," Sam scoffed. "So, what do you think?"

"Well, I think being a P.A. sucks," Dean remarked. "But the food these people get, are you kidding me? Look at these things!" He picked up a tiny sandwich. "They're like miniature Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. They're delicious." He held one out to me. I shook my head.

Sam shook his head as well. "Maybe later," he said.

Dean shrugged and took a huge bite, half of it falling out of his mouth. "What'd you find out about the dead crew guy?" he asked, really muffled.

"Frank Jaffey was just filling in for the day," Sam said. "Nobody here knew him or where he lived or anything."

"Oh, great," Dean said. "So you found out about as much as I did."

"No, not quite-" Sam was cut off as some guy came up to grab some food.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, grabbed a sandwich.

"Oh, hey," Dean said, and then smiled as the guy bit into the sandwich. The guy headed off, and Dean shot me a look. "They're wonderful!" he yelled after him.

"Listen, I did dig up some stuff about Stage 9's history," Sam said.

"Yeah?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, four people died messy here over the past eighty years," Sam said. "Two suicides and two fatal accidents."

"Any one of those could be a vengeful spirit," I stated

"Yeah," Sam said. "We've just gotta narrow it down more." He looked at Dean for some input, but Dean was distracted. "Dean?"

"I'll get right on that," he said with a wave of his hand. He walked towards where Tara was sitting.

Sam looked confused. "Where is he—"

"He's going to talk to Tara," I stated, with a sigh. I watched as Dean chatted with Tara happily. This had probably made his freaking day. His face soon dropped to a frown as Tara pulled out a book and showed him something.

He looked back over at us, and I immediately nudged Sam who hadn't been paying attention. Dean walked over, determined. "We have to go visit someone," he stated.

"I'm just saying," I stated, as we walked to the door. "I can't believe you figured this out from a Polaroid of the guy."

"I got skills, okay," Dean stated, with a grin. "Don't question it."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed. He knocked on the door. There was some movement behind the door, and then the guy finally opened up.

"Gerard St. James?" Dean asked. The man, who looked literally exactly like the guy who supposedly died on the set, nodded.

"You're still alive," I said, accusingly. "And you're not Frank Jaffey."

The man gave us a sheepish smile. "Uh, no."

"You were Desert Soldier Number Four in Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn?" Dean asked.

"You would know that," I stated. Dean shot me a look.

Gerard smiled wider. "I was."

"I knew I recognized you," Dean grinned. "I am a huge fan. I mean, your turn as a tractor crash victim in Critters 3?"

"Critters 3!" Gerard said, excited. I would be excited too if someone names some obscure movie that I no one else but Dean would know.

"Wow," Dean said, taken aback. "Yeah."

"Well, please, come in," Gerard said, opening the door up to let us inside. There were pictures on the wall of Gerard as his many characters. I looked at each one, slightly awestruck. They were all minor characters, and all from movies I didn't know. "Yeah, it was the producers," Gerard stated, handing us all coffee. "They brought me up for the day to play Frank."

"Just to fake your death?" Dean asked.

"Well, rumors of a haunted film set, free publicity, especially when you're making a horror movie," Gerard smiled. "It's already all over the Internet."

"Yeah," I stated. "We know." And that I did. Sam and I had read up on it for nearly four hours before heading out here. And apparently, I wasted four hours of my life.

"These days, it's all about new media, building buzz. They say I'm the new LonelyGirl," He said, trying to impress us. I snorted softly.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"I'll explain later," I stated, rolling my eyes.

"And the ghost Tara saw?" Sam asked.

"Projected on a screen of diffusion," Gerard explained.

"Isn't that kind of cruel?" Dean asked. "Messing with their heads like that?"

Gerard put his hands up. "Hey, I just play the part. I don't write the script," he said. He paused. "Speaking of, I'm playing Willy in a dinner theatre production of Salesman at Costa Mesa, all next month," He pulled out a flyer and handed it to Dean. "You get a free pepper steak with the coupon," he grinned.

"Now, wait a second," I said, confused. "If you're seen in public, won't that ruin the hoax?"

"Oh, please," he scoffed. "Frank and Willy? Totally different characters."

I blinked, and then shook my head. "I hate Hollywood."

"You know what?" Sam said, shaking his head. "Thanks very much, Mr. St. James. It was just nagging at us. But we're very glad... you know, you're alive and well."

"Absolutely," Dean said, shaking his hand. Dean paused and smirked. "Hey, I wanted to ask you... what was it like working with Richard Moll?" I shot him a confused look. "Metalstorm. He was Hurok, King of the Cyclops people," he explained offhand.

"Gentlemen's gentleman," Gerard stated.

"Yeah?" Dean chuckled. He smiled down at the flyer. "All right. Pepper steak."

"C'mon," I said, pulling Dean out. "Thanks for your time."

"No problem," Gerard smiled, waving as we walked out. "Feel free to drop by again sometime!"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"When we read from that book, we must have brought them back," 'Mitch' said. "Back from hell."

I sighed and leaned back on the table, watching the actors. This seemed like a very mundane job. You did the same scenes over and over again, even if you had gotten it perfect. "It doesn't matter," Mitch went on. "We're not going anywhere until we find Wendy and her sister. Got it? Good. Now let's get busy."

"Cut!" McG shouted, happily. "Very nice!"

"No good for sound. I'm getting some kind of feedback," the sound tech said, waving his hands.

"Another costly sound delay," another crew member sighed. "All right, we're going again for sound, people!"

"Thank you!" the sound tech yelled.

I walked over towards the set, just to see what was going on. The one guy, I think he was Brad, was arguing with McG and the writer, Marty. "No, no, look. It's a great scene, really, dynamite," he said. "But I've still got a few...not problems, just questions."

McG looked annoyed with him. "Like what?"

Brad looked uneasy. "Well, for one thing, the rules aren't really landing for me," he admitted. "Like, the kids do this Latin chant, and that makes the ghosts show up?" he asked. McG gave a confused nod. "See, but if the ghosts are in hell, how do they hear the chanting? I mean, what do they have, super-hearing?" Brad asked. "It's a logic bump. The rules don't track."

I seriously nearly started laughing at that. "What?" Brad asked me, looking completely serious. I shrugged, and looked away.

"Marty, you're the writer," McG said.

Marty sighed. "What if I throw in an explainer?"

"Yeah, that'd be super," Brad said. "Excuse me, I've gotta check some messages." He put his finger on his Bluetooth and walked off, leaving them all behind. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey," Brad said. "You there, you wanna grab us all coffee?"

I stared at them for a moment, and then forced a smile. "Love too," I stated. I turned on my heel and went to get them their damn coffee. This case was stupid.

I put three coffees in this carrier and brought it back over. They all took one, barely even registering that they had taken it. The actors were on again. "When we read from that book, we must have brought them back. Back from hell," Mitch said again.

The other actor looked confused. "But I don't understand. If they were in hell, how could they hear our chanting?"

Mitch shrugged. "They must have super-hearing!" he exclaimed.

Out of nowhere, the ceiling of the cabin on the set caved in. Brad came through, a noose around his neck. He neck snapped, and he hung there, dead.

Sam came up next to me. "Oh my-"

"Sam," I said, looking up. "What the hell?"

SPNSPNSPNSPSPNSPNSPN

The next day, nothing had changed. We were now even more confused than before, and Dean was getting obsessive over the whole PA thing. I walked up to him, confused. "Dean, what are you—"

"Shh" he said, waving me away. I glared at him. He watched the set, and then smiled. "That's a cut!" he yelled. He ate another taquito from the food table. "You want one?" he asked, looking at me. "They're good."

Meanwhile, the love of Dean's life, Tara, was talking to the director. "I just can't wrap my head around the dialogue, you know? Salt? Doesn't that sound silly? I mean, why would a ghost be afraid of salt?" she asked.

Dean turned to me a smirked. "Okay, um... Marty?" McG asked. "What do you think?"

"Not married to salt, what do you want?" he asked. "We still sticking with condiments?"

"It just sounds different, not better," McG sighed. "What else would a ghost be scared of?"

Walter came up next to me and sighed. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

"What would a ghost be scared of? Maybe shotguns?" the one guy suggested.

"Okay, that makes even less sense than salt," McG said.

"These people are idiots," Walter said angrily, and stalked away. He leaves.

"Walter's a little testy for a P.A., huh?" Dean smirked.

"How's it going in here?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "It is going really good, man. Tara's really stepped up her performance. I think it's probably from all the sense memory stuff she's drawing on."

"Sense memory?" I asked.

"Dean, you know when I ask how it's going in here, I'm talking about the case, right?" Sam asked. "We don't really work here. You know, I thought you hated being a P.A."

"I don't know. It's not so bad," Dean shrugged. "I kind of feel like part of the team, you know?" He held out his plate to Sam. "Taquito? They're wonderful."

"No," Sam stated. "Umm.. Listen, I conned my way into the morgue."

"And?" I asked.

"News reports were right: Brad's a doornail, no question," Sam replied.

"Copy that" Dean said to his headset. He looked back at us. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Copy that?" Sam asked, confused.

"What did you say?" Dean asked.

"The news reports were right," Sam repeated. "Brad's a doornail- "

"They are aware," Dean stated.

"Who's aware?" I asked, and then realized that he was talking to his headset again.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Dean asked again.

"Uh.. The newspaper's right: Brad's a doornail, no question about it," Sam said for a third time.

"I guess it's a good thing we didn't skip town," Dean said. "Oh, come here. I want you to hear something," Dean paused, frowning at his headset. "Copy that. On my way."

He led us over to the sound guy. "Hey, Dave. Can you play him that thing you were playing me earlier?" Dean asked.

"Sure," Dave said. He handed Sam a pair of head phones. Sam put them on, and soon looked surprised. He handed them to me without a word. There was this feedback that made everything sound distorted. I frowned, and looked at Dean.

We had a problem.

Dean pulled the headphones out of my hands, and gave me a look to stop making that face. I swallowed the shock away, and walked off with them.** "E**VP," I stated, looking at Sam.

"From the night of Brad's stage dive," Dean said. "All of a sudden, I'm getting electromagnetic readings up the wazoo. For some reason, it's a legit haunting now."

"Well, who's the ghost, Dean?" Sam asked. "What's it want?"

"I don't know," Dean shrugged. "I think we should take a look at Brad's death scene." He pointed to a trailer and let us inside. He popped the DVD into the television.

"Hey, where'd you get this DVD?" I asked, watching him put it in and load it up.

"They're called dailies," Dean stated. "I got it from Cindy. She's kind of got this on-and-off thing going with Drew. He dubbed me an extra copy."

We watched, seeing the same scene that I watched that day. "All right, here's where the guy fell through the roof," Dean said, stopping it for a second.

"Right," Sam nodded.

Dean pointed the remote. "All right, here we go."

"They must have super-hearing," Mitch said on the tape. Brad fell through the ceiling. I winced. Somehow it still wasn't easier to watch the second time. It still freaked me out.

"Hey, wait, go back, go back," Sam said. Dean rewound and paused it. "Right after. Right aft- yeah right. Wait. There." Dean paused again.

There was a woman standing in the corner of the set. She was a ghostly white, with dark hair and a white dress. "Huh," I stated, staring at it.

"It's like Three Men and a Baby all over again," Dean chuckled uneasily. Sam and I looked at Dean confused. "Selleck, Danson, and Guttenberg. And... I don't know who played the baby…" Dean explained.

"What's your point?" I asked.

"There's a scene in the movie where people say that the camera caught a ghost on film," Dean went on. "Apparently, in the background of one of the scenes, there was this boy that nobody remembers from set. Spirit photography."

Sam went back to staring at the screen. "I've seen her before."

Sam ran out, and Dean and I just watched for a moment. "Yeah, sure," he said to the headset. I went to rip the stupid thing off his head, but he evaded me.

"You are not a PA!" I yelled after him as he left. I met up with Sam as he pulled out an file and sat at a table.

Dean sat at the table, listening to his headset. "Yeah, I copy," he stated.

"Dean," I said. He ignored me. "Dean!" He looked up. "You're enjoying this way too much," I said, "Take that stupid thing off."

He glared at me. "No, shut up."

"Here," Sam said, handing me an article. "Check this out."

I looked down, reading it over. "Uh, yeah that sounds right," I said, with a nod.

"Yeah, go for Ozzy," Dean said. "No, I don't have a 20 on Tara, I think she's 10-100." I glared at him annoyed. He just chuckled. "Okay, copy that," he sighed. He looked up at us. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Elise Drummond - starlet back in the thirties," Sam said, handing him the article he showed me. "Had an affair with a studio exec. He uses her up, fires her, leaves her destitute, so Elise hangs herself from Stage 9's rafters, right into a scene they're shooting."

"Just like our man, Brad," Dean nodded. "So, what, she's got it in for the studio brass?"

"Possibly. I mean, it's a motive," Sam shrugged.

"And Brad's death matches hers exactly," I added.

"We're digging tonight, aren't we?" Dean asked, with a sigh.

"Yeah," Sam and I said together. We waited until dark, and then headed to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. We parked and I grabbed the shovels.

"Dude, look," Dean said happily, pointing to the thing that held a bunch of pamphlets. "A map!"

I blinked at him, and handed him a shovel. "Wow," I remarked. "How wonderful."

"I'm buying it," he stated, getting out money and inserting it into the slot. It let him open it and take a map out.

"Which way?" Sam asked with a short laugh.

"Uh... over here," Dean said. "Hey!" I looked at him. He gestured to the memorial that was for Humpty Dumpty. "This map is totally worth the five bucks!" he said. "Hey, we've gotta go check out Johnny Ramone's grave when we're done here."

"You wanna dig him up, too?" Sam asked.

Dean glared. "Bite your tongue, heathen!" he shouted. He stopped as he passed another memorial. "Oh, that's cool."

"You know, guys, what I don't get is why now?"Sam asked. "I mean, after seventy-five years, Elise Drummond suddenly goes homicidal, you know? Why this movie?"

"Well, maybe she's mad they're making a scary ghost flick," I stated.

"Come on, is it really that scary?" Sam scoffed. I shrugged.

"Here we go," Dean said, as we reached her headstone. "Yahtzee," Dean sighed, and plunged his shovel into the dirt.

I helped to dig for a minute, until my cell phone started going off. I reached into my pocket, and flipped it open. I didn't know the number. "Hello?" I asked, panting heavily.

"Either you're working out or having sex," Dylan stated. "Either way, I'm entertained."

I felt my face go red, but ignored it. "Try digging a hole," I stated, rolling my eyes. "How did you get this number?"

"Bobby Singer," he said. "Listen, I have something I need you to do for me."

"What?" I asked, curiously. "I'm kind of busy in case you forgot."

"You can do it tomorrow, and it won't take much effort on your part, I swear," he said. "And it would be a huge help to me."

Dean was staring at me curiously. I sighed. "What is it?" I asked.

"I know that you're close with the Harvelle's?" he asked. "At the roadhouse?"

"Yeah…" I frowned.

"I just need you to put in a good word in there with Ash for me," he said. "I need some information."

"About what?" I asked, confused.

"I don't want to say," he stated. "Just please do this for me and I swear the next time we meet I will do whatever your pretty little heart desires."

I scoffed. "Stop talking to me like…like an ass and I'll think about it."

"Sure thing, Winchester," he said, sounding like he was smiling. "Just let me know when you've talked to Ash." He hung up.

I scoffed at my phone, and reminded myself to tell Bobby that he sincerely pissed me off. "Who was that?" Dean asked.

"Dylan," I stated. "Needed some info." Dean gave me a look, that I returned by shooting death glares at him with my eyes. If he said one freaking word… He looked back to the hole and stopped as he hit the casket.

"Hold this," he said, handing me the flashlight. I took it, holding it over the hole while he broke through the casket. Sam sprinkled on salt, I added fluid, and Dean tossed the match.

I watched as the body went up in flames and shook my head. "Well that's that then," I sighed. "This case is closed."

"Nah, we gotta make sure tomorrow," Dean said, desperately. "We can't just let it go!" Sam and I exchanged a look, but had to agree. We had to make sure.

The moment we got to the set the next day, I knew something was very, very wrong. There were coroners there for one thing, and they were not actors. I stared as they pulled mangled body parts from the set. "C'mon," Dean said, nudging me. "We gotta check it out."

We walked onto the set, where the blood spatter was all around. Police examined the crime scene. There was a giant fan, which apparently Jay had run into. "Run-in with a giant fan?" I asked, confused.

"Same thing happened to an electrician back in '66, a guy named Billy Beard," Sam said from memory.

"What the hell, dude?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam said. "Doesn't seem like Elise this time, either. It's not her M.O."

"No, we already torched her," I said. "So, what, are we dealing with another ghost?"

"Maybe," Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, but these things don't usually tag-team," Dean stated. He sighed, and then frowned. "What's going on out here?"

We walked outside to see McG gathering everyone into a big circle. "Everybody! Gather around, okay! I've got an announcement to make," He yelled. "Everyone! Huddle in!" He waited while everyone got around him. "In light of Jay's accident last night, and in cooperation with the authorities, we're shutting down production for a few days." There was a collective groan. "I know, I know. Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. We've had a few setbacks this week. But we all know what Jay and Brad wanted more than anything. And that was to see Hell Hazers 2: The Reckoning on screens all across America! Now, we owe it to them to go on and to pull together and make this damn movie, huh?" Everyone cheered. "But not today," McG stated. "Go home. Someone will call you."

"What now?" I asked, as everyone dispersed.

"I'll check on the electrician guy, you two watch some more tapes," Dean said. "See if you see anything else weird." And with that, he walked off.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"Wendy, don't," the one girl complained.

"What are you, afraid of ghosts?" Wendy asked. "Come on, it'll be fun."

I scoffed, lying upside down on the couch. I had nearly fallen asleep about eight different times now. "I gotta make a call," I stated, pulling out my phone. Sam just grunted.

"Hello?" Ash asked. "Lexie?"

"Hey Ash," I smiled. "How you been?"

"Been better," he sighed. "Whatcha need?"

"I just wanted to ask if you had heard from a kid named Dylan Porter?" I asked. The grunt I got in response I took as a yes. "Yeah, I know, he's not as great as I am," I smiled. "But I would really appreciate if you could do me a favor by doing him a favor?"

Ash grunted again. "I suppose I can do that if it's what you want," he stated, clearly annoyed.

"Thanks, Ash," I said, happily. "You're the best!"

"I know," he said back, and then hung up. I sighed and looked back at the screen, which was on a new take of the same stupid scene again. How did actors do this all day long?

"Hey," Dean said, walking into the trailer.

"Hey," Sam said. "So, you find out where the electrician's buried?"

"He wasn't. Billy Beard was cremated," Dean sighed.

"Great," I remarked, flipping over so that I rolled off the couch. "Now what?"

"No idea," Dean said. "Anymore ghost cameos in the dailies?"

"Not in the first six hours," Sam sighed. "You know, maybe the spirits are trying to shut down the movie because they think it sucks. Because, I mean, it kind of does."

"I agree," I said, watching the screen play over again. "If I was a ghost and had to listen to this, I would kill people too."

"Come on, it'll be fun," Wendy said on screen again. She went back to butchering the same incantation. Sam grabbed the remote out of my hand, and paused.

"What?" I asked. He rewound and started the incantation over again.

"Listen to the invocation," Sam said, frowning.

"Yeah, she's butchering it," I said, "So?"

"So, guys, that's the real deal - a necromantic summoning ritual," Sam said. "What the hell is that doing in a Hollywood movie?"

"Maybe we should pay Marty the writer a visit," I said, with a nod.

We went over to the offices where Marty was on the phone with some people. "No, dude, we're down for a few days - force majeure," He said. "Yeah. It's cool, though. Gives me time to pitch that time-travel thing. Yeah. All right, get back to me on this, all right? Seriously." He chuckled. "No, I'm serious. Dude, are you serious? 'Cause I'm serious." He smiled and nodded. He looked over at us at the door and sighed. "All right. Cool." He hung up the phone and threw it on the desk. "Guys, we're all shut down. What are you still doing here?" he asked.

"Yeah, uh... sorry, man. We couldn't help ourselves," Sam smiled. "We just had to tell you that we read the script."

"And?" Marty asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah. Uh... it's awesome," Sam said.

"Awesome," Dean agreed.

"Really awesome," I nodded.

"I know, it's pretty rockin', right?" he said, excitedly. "I'm glad you guys liked it."

"Yeah, I really liked all the attention to detail," Sam smiled.

"Dude, right on, that's my thing," Marty smiled. "Color me guilty, but that is me. I'm a total detail buff."

"No, I can tell," Sam said. "I mean, the way you worked in all those Enochian summoning rituals and all the authentic language."

Marty's smile faded. "What, you mean that Latin crap?" he asked. "No, man, that's Walter. Walter Dixon, the original writer. You like that garbage?"

"Wait, "Walter the P.A." Walter?" I asked.

"No, he's not a P.A." Marty said. "He's got a clause in his contract that allows him to come on set."

"But he wrote the invocations?" Dean asked.

"He wrote a whack-job screenplay," Marty stated. "There's no pace, there's no love interest, it's all wackadoo exposition. I had to cut, like, ninety percent of it to make it readable, the other ten percent to make it good." His phone rang again. "Listen, I gotta go, have a good night guys."

We were pushed out of the office. I looked at Walter's script, the very original one, and sighed. "Should've kept Walter's original script. It's actually pretty good," I remarked.

"Yeah. And it reads like a how-to manual of conjuration, like a textbook on how to summon ghosts and get them to do whatever you want," Sam said.

"Yeah, like kill people," Dean added.

"Yep," Sam nodded. "So, let's say somewhere down the line, Walter learned some pretty black magic."

"Yeah," I agreed. "And let's say he's pissed at these people for wrecking his movie."

"Motive and means," Sam said.

Dean shrugged. "It's worth checking out."

I paced around the empty set, looking for Walter. He hadn't been at his house, so we figured that he was on set somewhere. "Find him?" I asked, as I caught up to both Dean and Sam in the middle of the set.

"Oh, God, no! Please, no!" Marty screamed from somewhere.

"You ruined it, Martin! Everything I worked for!" Walter shouted.

"Oh, God!" Marty yelled. "Walter!"

We ran over, to see Marty being dragged towards a big fan just like Jay had been. "Now you're gonna find out what being a ghost is really like," Walter stated coldly.

"Walter, please! Walter, help me!" Marty yelled. Dean shot at the ghost, making it disappear. I pulled the plug out of the fan, turning it off.

"You are one hell of a P.A." Marty said to Dean, relieved.

"Yeah, I know," Dean smirked.

"What are you doing?"Walter demanded.

"We could ask you the same thing, Walter," I said, folding my arms over my chest.

He began climbing up to the scaffolding. "Raising these spirits from the dead?" Sam asked. "Making them murder for you? That's playing with fire, Walter."

"You don't understand," Walter pleaded.

"You know what?" Sam asked. "You're right, I don't understand."

"Just... wait, look," Walter said. "You put your heart and soul into something, years of hard work. It's years, and then they take it! And they crap all over it! And then they want you to smile and say, "Thank you"."

"Walter, listen. It's just a movie," I said. "That's it."

Walter scoffed. "Look... I've got nothing against you, okay. You're not part of this. Just please, please, just leave. But Martin's gotta stay."

"Sorry, can't do that," Dean said. "It's not that we like him or anything, it's just a matter of principle."

"Then I'm sorry, too," Walter said. He raised the weird talisman thing he was using to control the ghosts.

"Walter," Sam warned. "Walter, pl- don't."

Walter started chanting and everything shook. I grabbed Sam's arm to steady myself. Three ghosts appeared. "Sam!" Dean shouted. He raised his gun. "Come on, come on," Dean chanted, but before he could shoot, they disappeared.

Out of nowhere, Sam and I were flung in opposite directions. I landed with a thud on my back, grasping for air to enter my lungs. Dean helped me up. "Come on, come on! Move!" Dean shouted to me, pulling me along.

I ran right behind Dean, into the cabin set, slamming the door behind us. "Come out to the coast! We'll get together, have a few laughs!" Dean said, angrily. I looked behind me and tapped Dean on the shoulder.

"What?" he asked, turning. He looked at what I was looking at. This was a set, and the whole side of the building was taken away. "Oh, man!" he exclaimed.

"I can't believe this," Marty said, ignoring the situation at hand and looking amazed. "Ghosts are real!"

"What makes you say that?" Dean asked.

I kept close to Dean, looking from left to right. "But I don't understand," Marty said. "How is Walter controlling them?"

"Probably that talisman," Sam said. He took out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Marty asked.

"I mean, if film cameras pick these suckers up, then... maybe..." He trailed off, using his cell phone to scan around. He stopped and pointed. "Dean! Right there!" he shouted. Dean shot in the direction Sam pointed. "Got him," Sam sighed. "Hey! Right there!" Dean shot again.

"Up there," I said, watching Walter move around above us.

"Here, you get the idea?" Sam asked Marty, handing him his phone.

"Yeah," Marty said, taking it from him.

"All right, you hold them off," Sam said. "I'm going after Walter, Lex?" I followed after him quickly and as fast as my legs could carry me.

"He's going to the back entrance," I said, pointing to the doors. "We can head him off, c'mon."

We ran to the other doors, and caught up with him as he opened the doors to get out. He stopped in his tracks. "It's over, Walter," Sam said. "Now give it to me."

Walter took one look at Sam's outstretched hand and then threw the talisman on the ground. It shattered, pieces going everywhere. "There, okay? Now no one can have it," he stated.

"Oh shit," I said, staring at the broken glass.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you," Sam said.

"Oh, yeah?" Walter asked.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"And why not?" Walter asked, looking unsure.

"Because you just freed them," Sam said. "We can't stop them now."

He looked confused, so I clarified. "Walter, you brought them back, forced them to murder. They're not gonna be very happy with you."

"Yeah? So, why not?" he asked. He suddenly fell to the ground, and began screaming. Blood seeped through his clothing, he screamed louder. Flesh tore as he slowly was ripped apart. I grimaced, but couldn't look away.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I watched the actors for what seemed like the millionth time. "Oh, God. Oh, God. There!" the girl yelled, holding up her phone so that she could see the ghosts. It was pretty much what happened a few days ago. Mitch shot at nothing.

"But I don't understand. How can the spirits appear in the camera phone?" the girl asked.

"The video must pick up their frequencies in a way that our eyes can't," Mitch explained.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Right there!" Kendra yelled again. Mitch shot again.

"Cut!" McG yelled. "Oh, print that one. That's in the movie! Loved it, kids. Loved it!"

Sam looked to Marty. "You find out there's an afterlife, and this is what you do with it?" he asked.

Marty grinned. "I needed a little jazz on the page." He sighed. "But thanks."

"No problem," I smiled. We walked off. "Where's Dean?" I asked.

The door to a trailer swung open, and Dean came out, clearly disheveled. He just smirked happily. I looked at the door, where Tara was standing in a bath robe. "You're one hell of a P.A." she sighed.

Dean smiled. "Thank you."

"Hi," Tara smiled at us. I just gave a slight nod.

Dean started to walk off, and I followed him rolling my eyes. We walked into a sunset, that turned away into nothing but another set. "God, I love this town," Dean sighed.

I smiled, and then my cell phone rang. "Dylan," I stated.

"Thanks," he said, sounding breathless. "You really helped me out back there."

"I know," I smirked. "But you owe me big time."

"I know, I'll make it up to you," he sighed. "But really, thanks."

I smiled. "Okay, geez wasn't that big of a deal," I said. "It's just what friends do, right?"

There was a long pause. "Right," he said. "I gotta go, but uh, talk again, okay?"

"Sure," I said, and snapped my phone shut. I walked with Sam and Dean, both of them giving me weird looks all of which I ignored. I smiled to myself and sighed. Then, I thought of something. "Guys," I said, looking up at them. "We should totally go swimming now."


	50. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Five

**A/N: Thanks guys for all the reviews! I'm sorry this chapter took me so darn long! You guys rock for putting up with me! haha**

**I own nothing**

**Chapter Fifty**

I watched as lights went from window to window. "Dean, this is the stupidest plan ever," I said into the walkie talkie. "This isn't going to work."

"It'll work," he stated, shortly. "Just tell me when."

"But – "

"Just tell me when, Lex," he said again, with a sigh.

I sighed and held up the binoculars' again. This was going to cause so much freaking problems. I really didn't even see why we couldn't have passed off this case to Bobby or to pretty much anyone else on the planet other than us. I saw them move through to the other window. "Alright," I whispered, as they got closer. "I'm making the call."

"Remember to get out," Dean said, "And behave."

I smirked. "Always do."

"And don't come anywhere near the jail," he stated, "or I'll kick your ass."

"Got it," I remarked, rolling my eyes.

"You know nothing," he repeated for the millionth time.

"Right," I said. "Dean, this would be a lot easier if you would just shut up."

He scoffed. "Just do your job and get out," he said, and I could literally imagine the annoyed look on his face.

"Ditch the walkie," I said, and pulled out my cell. "And be careful," I added as an afterthought.

"See you in a week," he said, and that was the last I heard from him. The channel went silent after that. I dialed 911 and heard the click as someone answered. I started the timer.

"911 what is your emergency?" the lady asked.

"I'm over by the jewelry store?" I said, trying to sound worried. "I think there's someone inside. I see lights moving. You might want to check the alarms."

"Thank you we'll send someone over," she said. "Can I have your name?"

"My name?" I asked. "Sure it's—" I hung up and ditched the phone in the dumpster. I walked away from the building and waited in the car across the street. I watched as cop cars surrounded the area.

They swarmed like flies to honey and ran into the building, causing a huge ruckus. I waited until I heard shouts, and then hit the gas pedal. I sped away, not looking back. Dean and Sam were going to jail, and I was going into hiding. I felt weird being in the Impala all alone. It had nearly killed Dean to let me drive it away. I mean, I couldn't just walk away I had to move fast. Plus we couldn't leave the car there.

Anyway, I made my way all the way into the next town before I stopped driving. I was only about twenty minutes from the jail, but it would take them awhile to find me since they would be looking in the wrong spot. I pulled up to a motel room and went inside. "I need a room," I stated. "For a week."

"A king or two queens?" the man asked me.

"King," I stated. I mean, it wasn't like anyone was joining me. It would be nice to have a huge bed all to myself. I handed him a credit card, and he took it, ringing it up.

"You know," he commented. "You look a little young to be out on your own."

"Thanks," I smiled. "But I'm not. I'm only here on business."

"Really now?" he asked. "Don't get to many people here on business."

"Well," I sighed. "I just go where they tell me." I took my card back, and noticed the apprehensive look in his eyes. "Thanks," I smiled as I walked out. I shook my head as I unlocked the door.

I threw my back on the floor and collapsed onto the bed face down. I now had an entire week to do whatever I wanted. I smiled to myself and picked up the take out menu that was on the side table. I took out Dean's credit card.

"Yeah Chinese Dragon?" I asked. "I have a huge order for you."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I was so full I think I was going to explode. I had eaten my way through every single thing I ordered and then taken a long, long nap. It was nearly dark outside again, and I had the TV on and was watching some stupid movie that I got from the video store down the street. It was supposed to be scary, but so far I was disappointed.

There was a knock on the door that scared the shit out of me though. I jumped nearly a mile in the air. I grabbed the pistol that Dean told me to keep on me at all times. I had rolled my eyes at him. Now I was thanking the man upstairs that I had decided to listen. I got up off the couch and stood in front of the door. Should I even bother to open it? Or ignore it? I bit my lip. Why didn't these stupid doors have peep holes? I sighed, as they knocked again. I put the pistol slightly behind my back and opened the door a crack.

"Winchester?" a voice asked, sounding amused. "You might want to open the door more. Just a suggestion."

I opened the door, only slightly relieved. "Dylan?" I questioned. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?"

He smirked. "You going to shoot me?" he asked, answering me by asking a question. I looked at the pistol in my hands, and then back at him.

"I might," I shrugged. "What do you want?"

He ignored me and looked into the room. "You're alone," he commented. "Why? Where are Sam and Dean?"

"None of your freaking business," I sneered, getting annoyed. "Goodbye." I went to slam the door in his face, but he stopped me.

"You really shouldn't be alone," he said, softly.

"I'm a big girl," I scoffed, pushing against him.

"I asked Bobby where you were," he said quickly. I stopped shutting the door on him. I looked up, waiting expectantly. "I wanted to thank you for that favor you did me last week," he added. "In person."

I blinked. "Uh, you're welcome," I said, slightly taken aback. I stood there awkwardly for a minute. "You, um, want to come in?"

He nodded slightly, walking past me into the motel room. "So where are Dean and Sam?" he asked, as I shut the door behind him.

"Jail," I stated.

He turned to me, looking bewildered. "What?" he asked, shocked. "And you're just sitting here? Can't you do something?"

"No," I laughed. "They're exactly where they want to be. They're on a case." I sat back down on the couch and sighed.

"What kind of case?" he asked, sitting next to me.

"To tell the truth, we're not really sure," I admitted. "We think it's a ghost or entity of some sort, but I suppose it could be something else. We're just doing it to help out a friend."

He nodded. "And the ghost is in the jail," he sighed. "Isn't Dean wanted by the FBI?"

I smirked. "You see our dilemma here."

He sighed. "You really shouldn't be here alone," he said. "Why don't I stay here with you for now?"

I glanced at him. "Dylan, I'm sixteen. I think I can handle a few days on my own." He shrugged, and I realized that he wanted to stay. However, I was not in the mood for his attitude. "I'm good," I repeated, shaking my head. "Thank you."

"I'll get a room," he said, going to the door.

I shrugged. "Do whatever you want, it's a free country."

He smirked. "I'll be back," he said. He sauntered out the door, and I closed and locked it behind him. He might be back, but that didn't mean I was going to let him in.

I got into shorts and a t-shirt after taking a nice long shower. I collapsed back on the couch and went back to the movie. Nearly an hour later, there was another knock on the door. I ignored it, focusing on the movie. There was a long pause, and then the phone rang.

I answered it curiously. "Hello?"

"Open the door I have a peace offering," Dylan said, and then hung up before I could protest. I sighed irritated and then got up. I opened the door to see Dylan standing there holding a box. "I brought Pizza," he smiled.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen," Dylan complained, snacking on his eighth piece of pizza. "Why in the hell doesn't the father smack some sense into his kid?"

"Shh," I protested shutting him up. I watched the guy wake up again in the middle of the night and hear a dripping faucet. He slowly made his way to the bathroom, where written in blood was "now look what you did." My eyes widened as the little girl appeared behind him.

"Dude," Dylan said, throwing his hands up. "Apparently she's possessed or some—"

"Shut up," I said, smacking him on the thigh. "I want to know what happens." I watched as the kid insisted that her imaginary friend had done it. She seemed so lost and confused. My phone rang, and I picked it up.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Hey," Sam said. "You get out alright?"

I cleared my throat. "Yep," I said. "I'm in the next town over. How the hell are you calling me?" I stood up and went over to the kitchen area. "Aren't you in jail?"

"We are, but I got Deacon to give me his phone so I could warn you," Sam stated. "Hendricksen is here."

"Hendricksen?" I asked, feeling my stomach drop. "Shit."

"Exactly," Sam sighed. "Stay clear, okay? And remember you know nothing about anything. We drag you around."

"Gotcha, Sammy," I stated. "Oh, but what about getting out? Still a week?"

"As long as they don't extradite us," Sam scoffed. "I swear to god I am never listening to one of Dean's stupid plans again. Ever."

I smirked. "Yeah you will," He only scoffed. "Call me if I need to move," I said.

"Don't worry I will," he replied. "See ya."

"Bye," I sighed, and hung up.

"Who's Hendricksen?" Dylan asked, coming up behind me. He leaned on the counter. "Is he after you or something?"

"Yeah, we've uh…pissed off the FBI a few times," I smirked. "He wants us all on death row." I paused. "He's probably wondering where the hell I am right now, actually."

"He won't find you," Dylan said.

I shrugged, and looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. "It's getting late. I should probably get to sleep," I sighed. I looked to him expectantly. He looked uneasy. "You got a room right?" I asked accusingly.

"Uh…no," he sighed. "I have like eight dollars to my name."

I stared at him for a minute. I threw him a pillow and a blanket. "Crash on the couch," I stated, getting into bed. "Because you're an idiot."

He smirked, and set himself up a small bed. I watched him from the bed and then flipped over onto my side. "Hey," I said, and he just grunted. "You ever going to tell me what the favor Ash did for you was?"

He said nothing for a long time. I nearly thought he had ignored me and fell asleep. "I asked him to find my mom," he said quietly.

I said nothing back.

I woke up the next morning to my cell phone ringing loudly in my ear. "Answer your damn phone!" Dylan grunted.

I grumbled and reached over to grab it, knocking it to the ground. "Damn it," I swore, and got out of bed. I answered it as fast as I could. "Hello?"

"It's Deacon,"

"Oh," I said, moving the rampant hair out of my face. "Hey, everything okay?"

"You're brother got into it with an inmate this morning," he sighed. "I swear that boy is nuts." I smiled. He didn't have to tell me which brother he was talking about. Dean was such an idiot.

"You have my permission to sock him if he bothers you," I sighed.

Deacon chuckled. "I called to tell you that Hendricksen is trying to force your brothers into telling him where you are."

"And?" I asked.

"They might have to," Deacon said. "Just a fair warning."

"Alright, well thanks Deacon," I sighed. "Tell them that if they have to tell to just tell and I can handle myself."

"Will do," he sighed. "Bye."

"Bye," I said, and then flopped backwards back onto the pillows. I sighed and closed my eyes again.

"They're not going to tell where you are," Dylan scoffed, sitting on the bed. "That would be stupid."

"If it stops them from being extradited it's not," I replied, sitting up. "I can handle it. I'm good with authorities." I got up. "I'm going to take a shower," I said. He opened his mouth with a smirk across his face. "And no you cannot come," I said, cutting him off. He just laughed as I closed the door.

I showered and got dressed. I came out of the bathroom to Dylan playing around with my knife that had been my father's that I kept with me ever since Dean had given it to me. I walked up and watched him for a moment. "It's not nice to touch other people's things," I stated.

He smiled and handed it back over. "It's nice."

"Thanks," I said, putting it back on the table. "It was my dad's."

He nodded and stood up. "Well I'm starving," he commented. "Want breakfast?" He pulled out a credit card.

"I thought you said you had eight dollars to your name," I scoffed.

He smirked. "I lied." He opened the door behind him. "Shall we?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed him through the doorway. Then I realized that he was heading for his bike. "I'm not riding on that," I stated, shaking my head.

He stopped and turned. "Why?"

I searched for my mind for a response. To be honest, I really didn't have one. "Because," I stated, still thinking. I pulled the car keys out. "I can drive the car."

He scoffed, and put his helmet back. "Fine," he relented. "Let's go then." He got into the passenger seat and I hesitantly got into the car. I couldn't believe I was driving the Impala for my own use. This never, ever under any circumstances happened.

I put the keys in the ignition and the engine turned. I put my hand on the brake, and then stopped. "Are we going to move sometime today?" Dylan asked.

I scoffed, and hit the gas. "Diner down the street?" I questioned. He nodded, and fiddled with the radio. I drove for a few minutes in silence, and then sighed. "So, your mom?" I asked.

He looked up, surprised. "Yeah," he said. "My mom."

"Oh," I said, and decided not to push it any more. I pulled into the parking lot. He sighed and we got out of the car. We walked up to the diner in silence. He grabbed the door for me, and I walked in hesitantly. He didn't seem to think much of it. We sat down at a corner booth. "So, uh, you ever hunt a Wendigo?"

He smirked. "A few times, you?"

"More than I would like," I scoffed. "Last time, I got taken by it and tied up in a mining shaft." He gave me an expectant look to go on. "I was hurt beforehand. We were doing a hunt and I became a hellhound's chew toy. It took me to its little home, tied me up, and left me there for a day and a half bleeding out before Sam and Dean found me."

"Wow," he remarked. "I never got taken by one. I always just took it out."

I shrugged, sipping at my juice. "We're never that lucky," I stated. I thought for a moment. "We're lucky if we get a case done without any fatal injuries."

"That bad?"

"Worse sometimes," I shrugged again. "We take a lot of crap."

He cocked his head and stared at me. "Like what?"

"Like the fact that the demon that killed my mom got my dad, and now is after me and Sammy," I replied quietly. I wasn't quite sure why I was laying all this on him, but it felt…safe. "Nearly got me about a month or so ago."

He paused. "What happened?"

"I…" I trailed off, staring at my shoes. "I just, I don't really want to talk about it. It was just one huge…nightmare. Literally."

He nodded. "I hate demons," he remarked. "They're just assholes."

"Yeah," I chuckled, "Tell me about it." The food was delivered and I took a small bite of the eggs. "You know…back with the werewolf?" I asked. He nodded, remembering. "Why?"

"Why what?" he asked.

"Why shouldn't life suck?" I asked.

He took a bite of food, and looked down, as though mulling it over. It took him a minute to think of a good response. He really didn't have one. "Because," he said finally. "If life only sucked…." He trailed off, lost in thought. "There would be no point." He took another bite of food. "It would all just be…pointless."

I nodded. "I get what you're saying," I stated.

He pointed to my nearly uneaten food. "You might not want to starve yourself," he commented. "You're brothers would be pissed if you didn't eat."

"My brothers are in jail," I stated, picking up my fork.

"Not forever," he chuckled, shoveling more into his mouth.

"I really don't need you bossing me around," I stated, eating some more anyway. He just smirked and shook his head. We ate the rest of the time in near silence.

After another whole afternoon of doing nothing, I was bored to tears. Being completely alone isn't as much fun as you think it's going to be. Dylan had disappeared. I went out to the car and grabbed a shotgun and some ammo, and headed off to the woods. I lined up cans on a log, and practiced shooting.

"You know I think there are laws against this."

I jumped nearly a mile in the air and pointed the shotgun at him. "Do you really need to sneak up on people like that?" I asked, taking a deep breath. "I think I just had a heart attack."

"Maybe you should be ready," he said, sitting next to me. "What are you shooting at?"

I pointed across the field to the cans lined up. I lined up another shot and gently squeezed the trigger. A bullet shot out, whizzing across midair into the right most can. I smiled and looked up at Dylan. "Wanna shoot?" I asked.

He took the shotgun out of my hands. He lined up to shoot the middle can and let a bullet go. It hit the can dead on. "My dad taught me to shoot when I was nine," he stated, handing me the gun back.

I nodded. "I was eleven," I sighed. I took another shot, this time missing. Dylan took my elbow, propping it up more. He nodded at me to shoot again. I squeezed the trigger. The hit was right on. "Thanks," I said, softly. He smiled and let go of my elbow.

We headed back to the motel room, and I anxiously lounged around. "Okay," I said, after another whole day. "I gotta go to the jail."

"What?" he asked, surprised. He stood up, glaring at me. "You can't do that."

"Why?" I asked, "They have to let me visit them, right? They can't just keep me away."

"Aren't they in there for like three murder counts?" Dylan asked. "I don't think they let them have visitors." I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off. "Besides, what do you need them for anyway?" I had no response for that.

I grabbed the keys off the table, and went to the door. "I can go if I want to, okay?" I questioned, dangling the keys. "You can either come, or stay behind. I really don't care." He shuffled on his feet, thinking about it. I rolled my eyes and walked out. I got in the car, and waited approximately a minute before Dylan was in the car with me.

"I just want you to know that if you get into trouble that I had nothing to do with this," he stated.

"Got it," I smiled, and drove.

I stayed in the street across from the jail, peering into the courtyard. I could see inmates outside, and Dean caught my eye. He was sitting at a small table, playing cards and collecting cigarettes. I rolled my eyes. "Oh great," I scoffed. "He's assimilated."

"Seriously?" Dylan asked, from the passenger seat. "What are we even doing here?"

"They have visiting rights," I stated again. "I checked."

"You said that the lawyer or whoever was looking for you," he said. "How are you not going to get arrested or something?"

"They got nothing on me," I said, "They can't pin me to any of the crimes. As far as they know I was nowhere near there. Trust me. Dean made sure. "

He sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Just wait a day or so," he pleaded.

I sighed and put the binoculars down. "Fine," I said. "I'll wait."

"Really?" he asked, sounding shocked. I said nothing. "I think this is the first time you've actually listened to me without some sort of fight."

"Uh-huh," I said, ignoring him and starting the car. I took one look back at Dean and Sam, who had appeared. "Just don't expect it to happen that often."

"Right," he remarked. "Of course not."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I got back to the motel room and got a call soon after. "I saw you," Deacon said, sounding amused. "You're not very inconspicuous in that car."

I laughed. "I was curious."

"Yeah well," he sighed. "Listen, Dean wanted to talk with you, but can't get to a phone. You think you can get up here?"

"Yeah," I said, already halfway to the door, Dylan following me curiously. "I'll be up in an hour. Are you sure this is okay?"

"Yeah, he's in the infirmary," Deacon said.

I stopped and my jaw dropped. "What?" I asked. "Why?"

"Just…" Deacon sighed. "I'll let him explain."

I shook my head. "Alright, I'm on my way." Dylan followed me to the car without a word. He apparently was able to figure out what was going on without me having to tell him. Either that or he really didn't care. I sped down the road, going way faster than the speed limit.

We pulled up to the jail once again, and I hopped out of the car. "Wait here," I stated, and walked to the back of the building like Deacon had told me to. I looked around, confused as to what I was looking for when I saw Deacon waving me over. I ran up to him, and he pulled me in a door way.

"Put his on," he said, handing me scrubs that a nurse would wear.

"Why?" I asked, taking them out of his hands.

"You're now a nurse," he stated. I pulled the pants on over my jeans. "I'll get you in, but you need to get to the infirmary. When you're done leave through the employee entrance at the front. They'll let you through."

"Thanks," I said, pulled the shirt on. "I will Deacon."

He smiled and opened the door into a long hallway. I walked down it alone, looking around. Inmates stared at me as I walked past them. I pretended that I didn't care that all these huge scary men were staring me down. I kept my eyes ahead of me, head up and confident.

I turned left when I saw the infirmary sign. The room was gross and dirty. This was not very sanitary at all for a place where you sought medical attention. I could see Dean facing the other way in this small cell. There was another man there was well, who was just looking at me. His face was cut up slightly. I grabbed some gauze and opened his cell door.

"Hi," I said, and slowly made my way to him. "I'm a nurse, my names..Annie." Well I totally pulled that name out of my ass. "You mind?" He shook his head. I poured the antiseptic on the gauze and dabbed at his face. He winced. "Sorry," I sighed. I covered it with bandages, and then gave him a small smile.

I then went out of the cage he was in, and into the other cage where Dean was. He still wasn't looking at me. "Hi," I said. He looked at me and his eyes widened in shock. "My names Annie, I'll be taking care of your pathetic ass." I looked him over. "Orange is not your color," I stated.

"What are you doing in here?" Dean demanded in a hushed whisper. "I thought I told you to stay out of here."

"Deacon got me in," I sighed.

"If you get caught—"

"Just let me see your forehead," I said, kneeling next to him. "Would you like to share with the class why you're picking fights with huge men twice your size?" I poured antiseptic on his head and he grimaced. "Suck it up," I sighed. I got the dried blood off his head.

"Sam needed a distraction," Dean replied.

"For what?" I asked, handing him the gauze to hold against his head.

"Burning bones," Dean smirked.

"So you leaving tonight?" I asked, pulled the gauze away and fixing the wound with a bandage of sorts.

"We gotta see if it works," Dean nodded. "But probably."

"Okay," I said. I decided to warn Dean about Dylan. "Oh and uh, Dylan's here."

"_Here_ here?" He asked.

"Outside here," I said. "He has been for a few days and refuses to leave me alone." Dean just smirked. "Don't even go there."

He just smiled. "You better get out of here," he said, with a nod. I got off the ground and went to the cage door. "And behave yourself, you got me?" he said. I smiled and locked him back in.

I walked out the front door of the jail without much of an issue just like Deacon told me. I still had the stupid scrubs on as I got back into the car. "Nurse?" Dylan asked, with a smirk. "Kinky."

"Shut up," I said, pulling off the pants and throwing them in the backseat. "They're going to be getting out tonight I think so we have to be ready."

Dylan grumbled slightly, but nodded. We went back to the motel room and waited by the phone for awhile. It rang close to eight o clock. "Hello?" I asked.

"Hi, it's Deacon," he said, "They're not coming out tonight."

"Why?"

"Whatever they did wasn't right apparently," Deacon said. "So don't worry about it tonight, okay?"

"Okay thanks," I said, and hung up. Dylan looked at me expectantly. "Well, now we have nothing to do."

He shrugged, and stood up. "We could go to the bar down the street," he suggested.

I looked up at him like he was crazy. "We're sixteen and seventeen, Dyl," I said, rolling my eyes. "What the hell are we going to do there?"

"Don't tell me you don't have a fake ID," Dylan remarked.

I stood up and folded my arms. "Well I do, but—"

"Good," Dylan said, with a smile. "Let's go then."

"I'm not supposed to use it," I said, shaking my head. "Dean would strangle me with his bare hands and then bury me himself."

"He's in jail," Dylan stated. "You've said that at least eight times yourself. He won't find out, and if he does just blame me, okay? Please?"

I thought about it for a long moment. Well, really what's the worst that could happen? Dean and Sam drank all the time and I knew for a fact both of them were drinking before 21. I sighed. "Alright fine," I said. Dylan's face lit up. "But we're walking."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I changed into a nicer pair of jeans and a lower cut top. I wanted to look halfway decent if I was going out in public. I brushed my hair and came out of the bathroom. "Ready?" I asked, grabbing the room key and my cell phone.

"You look nice," Dylan said, sounding surprised. I squirmed unsure of whether to take that as a compliment or not. "C'mon let's go."

We walked down the street into an out of the way bar. There were people inside, but it wasn't overcrowded. He sauntered up to the bar like he knew what he was doing an ordered two beers. The bartender eyed him wearily. "ID?" she asked.

Dylan pulled it out and handed it to her without a word. I did the same. She eyed it and then walked away to get the beers. He looked at me and smirked. She handed him the two beers and he handed the one to me. He took a long sip, and I did the same. The amber liquid burned as it hit my throat.

I choked down the entire bottle in a few minutes, eager to feel the buzz already. My head spun a little, and Dylan stared at me. "Enjoying yourself there Winchester?" I nodded and hiccupped. He smiled and laughed. He looked to where there were some kids dancing in front of a jukebox. "Shall we dance?" he asked, offering me his hand.

I scoffed, but took it anyway. He led me over and put his hands on my hips, guiding me in circles. I was feeling really dizzy for how slow we were moving. Alcohol was stupid.

After a few minutes, we sat down at a secluded bench in the back. "You like hunting?" he asked, taking a sip of his second beer. "Like really like it?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I mean, I guess."

"That wasn't very confident," he smirked.

"Well I like it," I sighed. "It's just…hard." He nodded in agreement. "Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it, but saving people." I took another long gulp of alcohol. "Most of the time it is."

"What about the other times?" he asked, staring at me with those bright blue eyes. I stared back for a moment, before looking down.

"The other times I pretend it's worth it anyway," I replied finally. I watched as the room spun a little. "It's easier that way."

"Is it?" he asked, shrugging.

I smirked. "I haven't fully decided yet," I admitted. "I'll let you know." He downed the rest of his beer. I looked around the bar. "I think we should head back to the room," I said, as my head got fuzzier.

"Whatever you say," he smirked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Uh, not like that."

"Just say it," he said, smiling happily. "I'm starting to grow on you."

I nodded. "Like a fungus."

"No," he frowned. "I'm much sexier than a fungus." I laughed again, and just shook my head. "But really," he said, leaning closer. "You hunt a lot?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "All kinds of things." I could feel his breath on my neck. His eyes seemed sleepy, like he was high. "Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons…" I trailed off.

"You any good?" he asked, barely even whispering.

"I'm amazing," I said, with a small smile.

"Huh," he said, and his lips met mine. I pulled away abruptly and punched him. He grabbed at his face. "Ow, Winchester," he growled. "What the hell?"

I glared at him, wiping my lips. "I didn't want you to kiss me you idiot!" I yelled back. He only stared at me like I was crazy. I got up and walked out.

"Hey!" he called. He ran after me, following me out of the bar. "Wait up!" He said nothing as we headed back to the motel. He just swore and kept touching his eye. "I think you gave me a freaking black eye…"

"Sorry," I stated, not really sorry at all. I opened the door and got into bed. He just scoffed and flopped onto the couch. I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling really sleepy.

I slept until I woke up ready to vomit. I ran into the bathroom and let it all out. "Ugh," I groaned, lying on the cold floor. My head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. It was throbbing inside my skull.

looked around in shock. She had half expected the portal to take her somewhere dangerous, drop her there and the wolf would never look back. When she saw where she was she just sighed. The slums were a familiar area for her. She had spent many a night in one of the makeshift shacks sleeping off a demon fight or some other ailment. No one spent much time here, and it was sort of nice to be all alone with just yourself and your tiny shack. She turned behind her, waiting for the wolf to come through and meet her on this side of the portal.

"Here," Dylan said, coming in the bathroom. He handed me a cup of water and three little white pills. "Advil," he said, as I gave him a confused look. I downed the pills in one gulp and then drank the water.

"Thanks," I moaned, getting up and flopping back down in bed. "You're eye is black."

He blinked at me and then frowned. "Gee, really?" he asked. "I hadn't noticed." He touched it and winced. "You really didn't have to punch me you know."

"Sorry, I was drunk," I smirked. I closed my eyes and fell back onto the pillows. "And now I'm hung over so leave me alone." He snorted and lay back down on the couch. I fell back asleep again for awhile until I woke up again to my phone going off.

"What?" I asked, not even saying hi.

"Well hello to you too," Dean scoffed. "Listen, we're in jail and our lawyer wants you to come. To talk." I could hear the tension in his voice, telling me that this wasn't a social call. He was being forced into this.

"Jail?" I asked. "Why are you in jail?"

"We got caught," he stated. "I need you to come here and talk with her and tell her everything you know."

"Alright," I said, "I can be there at noon."

"Thanks, Lex," he sighed.

I hung up the phone, and looked to Dylan. "I gotta go and you gotta stay here."

"Whatever," he said, waving me away. "Just leave."

I rolled my eyes and took a shower before leaving the motel. I drove all the way to the jail and went in through the front door. "Hi," a lady with blond hair said. "You're Alexis Winchester I take it?"

"Yes," I said, putting on my innocent face. "Are my brothers okay? Can I see them?"

"I'm sorry sweetie, you can't" she said sympathetically. "I need you to answer a few questions for me."

"Okay," I said, choking on fake tears.

She lead me into a little room, and I sat down at the table she pointed at. "Are you okay?" she asked me. "You've been alone for a few days now, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "I was okay. I was just worried."

She nodded. "Alexis, do you know what you're brothers have been up to? Do you know why they are in here?"

"Uh, no," I said, shaking my head. "They don't tell me what they do. They just leave me behind usually."

"Right," she nodded. "So you have no idea why Dean and Sam are wanted? None at all?"

"Is it because of Dean not paying that speeding ticket on time?" I asked, trying to look terrified. "Because I told him he should've paid it."

"Uh, no sweetie," she smiled. "He's in a lot more trouble than that. Dean is the leading suspect in a few murder cases."

"Murder?" I questioned. "He didn't kill anyone!"

"I don't think so either," she said. "But I need you to do me a favor. I need you to give me the address of where you're staying, okay? And stay in touch with me if I need you."

"Okay," I nodded, giving her the real address. She would more than likely be checking after all. "I will." She led me back out. "But are my brother's okay?"

"They're fine," she smiled. "I'll be in touch." I nodded and walked out the door. I got in the car and sighed. That was completely pointless. I wondered if she really bought my act.

I went back to the motel room, only to have Dylan back on my case. "Where did you have to go?" he demanded.

"To talk with the lawyer," I sighed. "I didn't say a word about you so relax. We're good." My phone rang, and I saw it was Sam. "What?" I asked, answering it. "I talked with your stupid lawyer."

"I know," Sam said. "But we have a problem."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"The ghost is still here," Sam said. "I need you to research nurse named Glockner that used to work here? And get it to me asap?"

"And how am I supposed to do that?" I asked. "Your lawyer has no clue that I know anything. What do you want me to do? Mail it?"

"Give it to her," Sam said. "She'll give it to us."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Just…trust me."

I sighed. "You got it."

SPNSPNSPSPNSPNSPNS

I walked back to the jail, where the lawyer was waiting. "Here," I said. "Can you get it to them for me?"

"I can't believe you really expect me to do this," she commented, taking it out of my hands. "What is it anyway?"

"Info on a grave," I replied.

The lawyer narrowed her eyes. "Why would you tell me that?"

"You would look at it anyway," I shrugged. "Read it, it doesn't matter. Just get it to them." She stared at it, and slowly nodded. I smiled and left.

Dylan and I waited until that night. I was still slightly hung over. I parked the car in the alley by the jail and waited for them to come out. Dylan brought his motorcycle. I smiled as I saw both of them hop over the fence and come over. "Oh, man are you a sight for sore eyes," Dean smiled.

"I hope you're talking about me," I grinned. Dean just scoffed and ruffled my hair.

"You know, I almost wish I could see Henricksen's face," Dean smiled.

"Really?" Sam asked, throwing his orange jumpsuit in the back next to me. "Cause I'd be happy if I never saw him again. You know, we're not really out of the woods yet Dean, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean scoffed. An alarm started to go off. "Good point." He got into the car and looked back at Dylan and I. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "And what happened to your face?"

"What happened to yours?" Dylan asked, pointing to the wound on Dean's forehead. Dean smirked, and drove off.

We made it to the cemetery pretty fast. I grabbed a shovel. "We gotta move it, if Henricksen gets to the lawyer-" Sam warned.

"I thought she couldn't say anything," Dean said, surprised. "You know, that whole lawyer-client privilege thing."

"The privilege doesn't apply, Dean," I sighed.

"So, she'll talk?" Dean asked.

"She has to," Dylan said. "Especially with you two escaping."

"Oh, that's friggin' super," Dean scoffed. He stuck the shovel in the dirt. "We better start digging then."

I held the flash light as Dean and Sam dug. Dylan kept an eye on the road for the cops. After a few hours, Sam hit something solid. "Got her," he said.

We threw on the salt and fluid and lit her up. She burned for awhile. We left the grave open, too lazy to close it up. "You thought we were screwed before," Sam said.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, we gotta go deep this time," Dean said.

Sam shot him a look. "Deep, Dean?" he asked. "We should go to Yemen."

"Oh, I'm- I'm not sure I'm ready to go that deep," Dean sighed. He smiled and got into the car. Sam snorted and got into the car as well.

I looked to Dylan, who was looking at his motorcycle. "Thanks," I said, "And I, uh, I'm sorry that I—"

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged. "I shouldn't have done it. I was drunk too." He picked up his helmet. "See you around Winchester."

"Bye," I said, watching him leave. He drove off into the darkness. He had kissed me, I had punched him, and even though I would never admit it.

I wanted him to kiss me again.

**A/N: Just a quick question I would be really happy if you guys could answer! As you may have realized, this next chapter is What is and What Should never be! I'm going to do it from Dean's POV with the djinn, but also Lexie's POV! She is also going to be taken by the Djinn! My question…**

**Which first? Dean's POV? Or lex?**

**Thanks!**


	51. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Six

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews guys! I love you all so much! You rock! Oh and Happy Easter! **

**I own nothing bu Lexie!**

**Dean's POV won out, so his is first. I think it's better anyway, since it'll help set up Lexie's more. Anyway...**

**Chapter Fifty One**

I stared out the rainy window, exhausted. I leaned back into the seat and closed my eyes. "Don't fall asleep," Dean said, "I'm not carrying you inside in the rain."

"Gee," I said, not opening my eyes. "What a great and awesome brother."

"I know I am, shut up," he said. His phone started ringing, and he searched for it blindly in the dark. I scoffed and reached under the seat. I handed it to him. "Yeah?" he asked.

"There's a cop car outside," I heard Sam whisper urgently.

"You think it's for us?" Dean asked, worriedly.

"I don't know," Sam replied.

"I don't see how, I mean we ditched the plates, the credit cards..." Dean sighed.

Sam said nothing but grunted. He then breathed a sigh of relief. "They're leaving. False alarm."

"You see," Dean said, trying to sound smug. I could see the relief on his face though. "Nothing to worry about." he added.

"Yeah, being fugitives," Sam sighed. "It's a fricking' dance party."

"Hey man, chicks dig the danger vibe," Dean smirked.

"So, you got anything yet?" Sam asked.

Dean scoffed. "Are you kidding me? How could I? You got me sifting through like 50 square miles of real estate here!"

"Well, that's where all the victims disappeared," Sam replied.

"Yeah well, I get at least squat," Dean said. "What about you?"

"Just one thing," Sam replied. "I'm pretty sure of it now. We're hunting a Djinn."

"A fricking' genie?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"What? You think these suckers can really grant wishes?" Dean asked.

I don't know," Sam sighed. "I guess they're powerful enough. But not exactly like Barbara Eden and the harem pants. I mean, Djinn have been feeding off people for centuries. They're all over the Koran."

"My God," Dean sighed. "Barbara Eden was hot, wasn't she? Way hotter than that Bewitched chick."

"Are you even listening to me?" Sam demanded.

I pulled the phone out of Dean's hands. "I am," I said. "So uh, what do the Djinns lair at?" I asked, shooting Dean an annoyed glance.

"Ruins usually," Sam commented. "Uh. Bigger the better, more places to hide."

"Yeah, I think I saw place couple miles back," Dean said, taking the phone back. "I'm gonna go check it out."

"No, no, no, no. Come pick me up first," Sam protested.

"No. I'm sure it's nothing. I just wanna take a look around," Dean said. He hung up before Sam could protest more.

"Why don't we just go grab him?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "What if we need him?"

"We won't," Dean smirked. "I can handle myself. You on the other hand…"

"Aright, let's go," I sighed, getting out of the car. I grabbed a flashlight and headed to the door of the old factory. It was dark and damp inside. I kept a close eye on Dean, who was coming up right behind me. He had the knife dipped in the lamb's blood after all.

We walked slowly down the long corridor, pacing ourselves for something to jump out at us. Then, Dean stopped me and gave me a look. Something was following us. He gripped the knife tighter, ready to kill the Djinn if it popped out. He stepped in front of me, and then gave me a nod. I took a step back. He jumped out into the hallway next to us.

There was nothing there. He looked around, and then looked to me and shrugged. "False alarm," he whispered. He came back over by me again. We went back to walking, looking around for some sign of life.

Out of nowhere, this tattooed man jumped out. He pinned Dean to the wall. I whacked him over the head with my flashlight, but it barely seemed to notice. He only let go of Dean for a moment to force me out of the way. I fell back a little, wavering slightly. Dean struggled to stab him with the knife. He eventually dropped it. Its hand started to glow in a light blue haze. He brought it to Dean's face.

"Lex, run!" Dean shouted, as his eyes rolled up in his head.

He was out in moments.

I grabbed the dropped knife, but the Djinn was quick. He knocked me over, sending me flying. I tried to get up, but he pinned me down be my throat. His hand glowed again, and he raised it to my forehead. I struggled to remain conscious. The warmth from the blue glow was burning on my head. It was like fire that went through my entire body. "Wish granted," He whispered.

The only thing I saw was darkness.

_Dean's POV_

Dean opened his eyes, and his hand immediately went to his pillow, reaching for the knife that he kept there at all times. When nothing was there, he sat up and looked around the room. It was dark, apparently late. The TV blared some old black and white movie, something that Dean was sure he had seen before but wasn't sure what it was. He scanned the room for where he was, and what his eyes landed on was completely unexpected. It was a woman, and she was…attractive. He wondered if he was possibly at her place or something. The last thing he remembered though was hunting that Djinn in that old factory and then…

He got out of bed to see if there was something that would help him figure this out. Dean exited the bedroom, and went into a living room. He flipped the light switch and stared around like someone was just going to pop out and tell him what the heck was going on. There was a cell phone on the couch, which he immediately picked up, went to Sam, and dialed.

"Dean?" Sam asked, sounding confused.

Dean sighed in relief. "Sam?" he whispered.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

Dean was thankful that Sam seemed as lost as he was. Maybe that was a sign that he wasn't crazy. "I don't know. I don't know where I am," he stated.

"What? What happened?"

"The uh, the Djinn, it attacked me," Dean replied, rubbing his forehead in irritation.

"The Djinn?" Sam asked, lost. "You're... drinking gin?"

"No, asshat. The Djinn," Dean said, annoyed. "The uh, scary creature. Remember? It put its hand on me and I woke up next to some hot chick…"

"Who? Carmen?" Sam asked.

Dean looked back towards the bedroom. "Who?"

"Dean, you're drunk" Sam stated matter-of-factly. "You're drunk dialing me."

"I'm not drunk" Dean said, now wondering what was going on again. Maybe he wasn't as lucky as he thought he was. "Quit screwing around!" he added, hoping Sam would fess up to screwing with him.

"Look, it's late," Sam said. "Alright, just get some sleep and I'll…see you tomorrow. Ok?"

Dean started to panic. Sam wasn't going to confess that he was screwing with him. He wasn't screwing with him. "Wait, Sam! Sam!" There was a definite click as Sam hung up the phone.

Dean sighed and closed his phone. What the hell was going on here? What had happened to Lexie? She had been with him in the factory. He opened the phone and found her number and dialed it. He crossed his fingers.

"Hello?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Lex?" Dean asked, hopeful. "Where are you?"

"Uh," she asked, bewildered. "Home…"

"Home?" Dean asked. "Whatever, just—the Djinn, do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Jin?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, Dean, I'm familiar with Jin. Have you been drinking it?"

"What?" Dean asked. "No, I'm not drunk, I mean a Djinn like the monster?"

She scoffed. "Call me when you sober up." Then she sighed. "Or just don't call me at all. Whatever. Bye."

The phone clicked off again, and Dean was at a loss for words. He slipped the phone in his pocket in defeat. Dean sort of just sauntered over to the mail, and looked at the address.

CARMEN ANDERSON

#53 BARKER AVE

LAWRENCE, KS 66044

"Lawrence?" Dean thought aloud. The next few envelopes were addressed to Dean himself, and it was the very same address as this Carmen person. "What the hell?" He asked himself.

"Honey?" Carmen asked, walking out of the bedroom. She gave him a sleepy smile. "What are you doing up?"

Dean abruptly put down the mail, and turned to look at her. He smiled weakly. "Hey. Carmen," he said nervously. "Carmen, uh, I just uh…"

"Aw, you can't sleep, huh?" she asked, giving him another smile.

"Yeah," Dean laughed uneasily. Couldn't sleep was an understatement.

"Well, why don't you come back to bed and let's see if I can do anything to help," she said seductively, walking over to him.

In any other situation other than this, Dean might have taken advantage of this. However, right now, he was way too freaked. No matter how incredibly hot she was. "Sure. Yeah," he choked out. "In a minute. You-you go ahead."

Carmen smiled. "Ok. Don't stay up too long."

"No," he shook his head. Carmen kissed Dean, who just half kissed her back. He then watched her walk away. He gave her another half smile as she turned back around, but then it faded. He was really confused now.

He looked around, and saw photos. Two were of him and Carmen, who, from the looks of it, were in a relationship and definitely had been for awhile. He looked at another where they were both smiling, and finally at the last one. He frowned, in near shock at the sight of it.

He dropped it immediately, glass shattering. He nearly ran the door down, barreling down the stairs to the garage. He had to make sure he wasn't crazy.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean silently pulled the Impala up to his childhood home. (He had been thankful that the car had still been the Impala. He couldn't lose his baby, after all) He shut the engine off, getting out of the car. He walked up to the door.

For about thirty seconds, he just stood there. He wasn't sure if it was because he was afraid of what he was going to find out, or whether he was scared it wouldn't be what he wanted. After a big breath, he banged on the door. He also rang the doorbell twice, just for good measure.

The porch light came on, temporarily blinding him. He blinked away the light, trying to focus. The door opened, and the sight nearly made him faint in shock right there. It was his mother. "Dean," Mary said, in confused.

Dean just opened and closed his mouth, not letting himself believe that this was real. He had dreamed this before, and it usually didn't end well. "Mom?" he asked his voice hoarse.

Mary just gave a small smirk. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

Dean fought to gain his voice back. "I don't know."

"Well..." Mary sighed. She opened the door for him. "Come inside."Dean stepped inside, not taking his eyes off of his mom. He was still wondering if he was going to spontaneously wake up. He hoped he wouldn't. "Carmen just called and said you just took off all of a sudden," Mary went on.

"Carmen? Right…" Dean said, coming out of the surprise. "Let me ask you a question. When I was a kid, what did you always tell me when you put me to bed?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"Dean, I don't understand –"

"Just answer the question," Dean said, cutting her off.

"I told you angels are watching over you," She replied, at a loss.

"I don't believe it," Dean sighed. He hugged her as tight as he could, scared that she was going to disappear.

"Honey, you're scaring me," Mary said, hugging him back apprehensively. "Now just tell me what's going on."

"I'll tell you what's going on," Lexie scoffed, coming down the stairs. "He's drunk out of his mind."

"Alexis," Mary warned.

"He called me like an hour ago," Lex said, shaking her head. "Trust me mom, he is."

"Dean?" Mary asked, turning back to her son.

Dean sighed. "You don't think that wishes can, can really..."

"What?" Mary asked, ready to hear whatever the heck Dean was about to say.

"Forget it," Dean said, looking over at Lexie for a moment. She looked weird. She looked more like…a normal teenage girl. She was in pajamas, if it even counted as that. It was more like shorts that barely covered her butt and a tank top. How was she not freezing her ass off?

He hugged his mom again. "I get it. I'm just uh... I'm happy to see you, that's all," he said happily. He paused as he let her go. "You're beautiful." He chuckled.

Mary smiled, amused. "What?"

"Hey, when I was uh… When I was young was there ever a fire here?" Dean asked, walking towards the shelves in the living room. It was filled with pictures.

"No," Mary said, watching him curiously. "Never."

"I thought there was," Dean said, looking from picture to picture. There was one of the entire family; he only could've been maybe twelve. Sam was only a kid, and Lexie was little. "I guess I was wrong." he added. He looked to another of just him as a teenager. He had gone to prom apparently. There was one of Lexie and Sam sticking their tongues out comically, and Sam in a graduation cap. He smiled.

He picked up the last one on the left, with John in a softball uniform. "Dad's on a softball team," Dean sighed. He turned back to Mary. "Dad's…dad's softball team it's... That's funny to me."

"He loved that stupid team," Mary mused.

Dean frowned. "Dad's dead?"

"Welcome to earth, genius," Lex scoffed.

"Alexis, go back to bed," Mary said, sternly. Lexie cast her an annoyed look, but went back upstairs without any more of a fight.

Dean watched her go, semi amazed that she had listened, and confused as to why she was being so bitchy to him. He turned back to Mary. "And the thing that killed him was a..."

"A stroke," Mary said, staring at Dean like he was slow or something. "He died in his sleep, you know that."

"That's great," Dean sighed, relieved.

Mary frowned. "Excuse me?"

"That-that's great," Dean stuttered, realizing that he had just said that aloud. "That he went peacefully, I mean. That…that sure beats the alternative."

"You have been drinking," Mary said, shaking her head.

"No, I haven't. Mom," Dean said.

"Just gonna call Carmen and have her come pick you up, ok?" Mary asked carefully.

"Wait. No, no!" Dean said. He put a hand over hers to stop her from picking up the phone. "Don't-don't do that. Don't do that. I wanna stay here."

Mary's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because I-I miss the place," Dean struggled. "It's ok, you-you got to bed. Ok?" He sat on the couch and looked around.

Mary smiled, and stroked his face lovingly. "Are you sure you're alright?" Mary asked worriedly.

"I think so," Dean replied.

Mary sighed. "Ok." She kissed his forehead, and went to leave the room. "Get some rest. I love you."

"Me too," Dean called, lying down.

Out of nowhere there was footsteps running away. "I thought I told you to go to bed, Alexis," Mary sighed, amused.

"I am," she called, and the door to her room closed. Mary shook her head and went into her own room. Dean looked around one last time, catching all the photos again, noting all the ones of Lex and him and Sam and how happy they were. He smiled confused, but was happy nevertheless. He closed his eyes.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean woke up the next day to Lexie smiling down at him. "Here," She said, handing him a glass of orange juice and a pill. "For the hangover."

He pushed it away. "I'm not hung over," he said. "Because I wasn't drinking."

"High then?" she asked, setting the glass down. "Alright, fine. Whatever floats your boat."

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, getting annoyed. "Why are you being so bitchy? What did I do?"

Lexie frowned. "You're kidding, right?" Dean just shrugged. "Um, last year? You left me stranded in the city?" Dean frowned. "Right," she said, getting up and walking off.

"Wait," Dean said, getting off the couch. Then he stopped. "What are you wearing?"

She turned back to face him, confused. She looked down at her cheerleading uniform. "What do you mean? It's Friday. Game night?"

Dean just shook his head. "I never thought I'd see the day." He blinked a few times. "My sister, a cheerleader."

"Dean, I know you think it's dumb. Just shut up, okay?" she said, frowning. "I gotta get to school."

"Hey," Dean said, following her to the door. "I gotta talk to uh, a teacher up at the college. Why don't I take you?"

Lexie gave him a confused look, and slowly nodded. "Fine," she said, wearily. "Let's go."

Dean took her to the car, where she sat silently in the passenger seat. "Hey," he said after a moment. "Uh, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry." She scoffed, but nodded. "Where's Sam?" he asked.

Lexie looked at him. "He's coming," she said, and shrugged.

The rest of the ride was abnormally silent. He dropped her off, and she ran off into a bunch of girl's in similar uniforms. He watched her for a moment, amused. She was so…normal. It was odd to see her interacting with people her own age.

"Who's that?" one of her friends asked.

Lexie looked back at Dean. "My brother, Dean."

Her friend waved and smiled. "He's cute."

"Ew, Megan," Lexie laughed. "C'mon."

He swung over a block to the college, parked the car and went inside. He walked down the hall until he found the mythology teacher. "Hi," Dean said, knocking on the door. "I'm in your one class? I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."

"But I don't think I've seen you in my class before," the professor said, narrowing his eyes at Dean.

Dean smiled. "You kidding' me? I love your lectures," he said, shaking his head. "You... You make learning fun."

The professor laughed. "So, what can I do for you?"

Dean became serious. "What can you tell me about Djinns?"

The professor went over to his desk, opening a book. "A lot of Muslims believed the Djinn are very real. They're mentioned in the Koran," he started.

"Yeah yeah," Dean said, shaking his head. "I know. Get to the wish part."

The professor frowned. "What about it?"

"Do you think they could really do it?" Dean asked.

"Uuh... Uh, no," he replied. "No I don't think they can really do it. You understand these are mythic creatures?"

"Yeah, I know. I know," Dean said, annoyed. "But uh... I mean in the stories. You know. Say you had a wish uh. But you never even said it out loud. You know, like that ah... that a loved one never died. Or that ah, something awful never happened?"

"Supposedly, yes. I mean they have Godlike power," the professor explained. "They can alter reality however they want. Past. Present. Future."

"Why would the Djinn do it?" Dean asked, now talking to more himself than the teacher. "It was self-defense? Or maybe it's not really evil."

"Son?" the professor asked. Dean looked up. "You been drinking?"

"Everybody keeps asking me that," Dean sighed. "But uh… No." He sighed again, and nodded. "Thanks," Dean said, walking out. He went back to the Impala, and stared at it for a moment. He opened the trunk up. There was no fake bottom. Some garbage and magazines, and other random things, but no guns, no holy water, no stakes. He laughed to himself. "Who'd a thought, baby. We're civilians," he said.

He closed it up, and then looked around. There was a girl in white clothing across the street, just staring at him. She was creepy, her hair hanging in her face. He walked towards her. A car screeched in front of him, stopping him. Dean looked to the stopped and angry driver. "Sorry," he said, and then looked back. The girl was gone.

He made his way back to the house that afternoon, entering to see his mom at the table. "Hey, uh, mom," he said, the words feeling weird in his mouth. He was happy to see her though, and he wasn't sure he would ever get used to it. "How are you?"

"Fine," She replied, looking curiously. "Thanks for taking your sister this morning…that was…nice."

"No problem," he smiled, ignoring her weird glances.

"You want something to eat?" she asked.

Dean brightened, and sat down at the table as she directed him to. "Sure," he said. She smiled and pulled out a sandwich from the other night. He took an enormous bite. "This is the best sandwich, ever!" he called out with a grunt.

"Thank you," Mary laughed.

"I tried to get hold of Sam earlier," Dean went on. "Where's he?"

"Oh," Mary said. "He'll be here soon."

The front door opened and Lexie walked in, still in uniform. "Mom!" she screamed. "I'm home!" She threw her bag on the floor by the steps and then entered the kitchen. "I told them about missing the game tonight."

"And what did they say?" Mary asked, curiously.

"Well Megan was not happy," Lex scoffed, going in the fridge and grabbing water. "But she'll just have to get over it." She looked over to Dean, who was sitting at the table. "I see Dean is still here?"

"Yeah," Mary said, turning her attention back to Dean. "Sweetie, I... Don't get me wrong. I am thrilled you are... hanging out here... all of a sudden." She smiled, and put her hand on Dean's head. "But uh... shouldn't you be at work?"

"Work?" Dean asked his mouth full of sandwich.

"At the garage," Mary said, eyes furrowing.

"Right. The garage. It's where I work, yeah," Dean nodded. "No I-I've got the day off. Good thing." He looked outside, and smiled. "That lawn looks like it could use some mowing," he remarked.

"You wanna mow the lawn?" Mary asked.

"You kidding?" Dean asked, "I'd love to mow the lawn."

"Knock yourself out," Mary said. "Could think you never mowed a lawn in your life."

Dean looked all kinds of happy about this, and immediately headed for the garage. Lexie looked over at her mom. "Has Dean gone off the deep end?" she asked. Mary just smiled and shook her head.

Outside, Dean excitedly started up the lawnmower. He mowed the lawn happily, waving to his neighbor, who waved back confused. Dean just smiled and kept going. Eventually, when he was done, Lex came out and handed him a beer. "You wanna do my chores while you're at it?" she smirked. "I wouldn't mind."

A car pulled up to the house, and Lex grinned. I don't believe it." Dean said, getting up. He walked over ahead of Lex, and pulled Jess into a bear hug. "Jessica."

"You're uh... Good to see you too, Dean," Jess said, obviously taken aback. "Can't breathe." Dean let go and went over to Sam. "Sammy," he sighed.

"Hey," Sam said, unenthused. He looked to Lex, who mouthed crazy.

"Look at you. You're with Jessica, it's- I don't believe it," Dean laughed.

"Yeah," Sam said, looking at Lex again for some sort of explanation. Lexie shrugged helpless.

"Where'd you guys come from?" Dean asked.

Sam frowned. "We just flew in from... Califor- "

"California!" Dean said, cutting him off and answering his own question. "Stanford. Huh? Law school, I bet."

Sam looked at the beer in Dean's hands. "I see you started of mom's birthday with a bang as usual"

"Wait," Dean said, with a frown. "Mom's birthday, that's today?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Dean. That's today. That's why we're here," Sam said. He frowned. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Wha..." Dean said, at a loss. "No, of course not. That's why I was here too." He looked to Lex, glaring at her for not telling him it was his own mother's birthday. "Let's go inside, huh?"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

That night, Dean and everyone else went to a nice restaurant for Mary's birthday. All were dressed up nice and smiling happily. "Wow that... looks awesome." Dean said, as he was served his food. It actually looked disgusting.

"Alright. To mom," Sam said, raising his glass. "Happy birthday." Everyone clinked glasses and agreed, wishing her a happy birthday as well.

"Thank you." Mary said.

Carmen looked over at Dean. "I was really worried about you last night."

"Oh I'm... I'm good. I'm really good," Dean said.

"Ok," Carmen said, watching Dean eye his food wearily. "What do you say, later we get you a cheeseburger?"

"Oh God, yes," Dean sighed. He smiled. "How did I end up with such a cool chick?"

"Just got low standards," she shrugged. Dean laughed and kissed her.

"Alright. Jess and I actually have another surprise for mom's birthday," Sam said. He looked to Jess. "Ah... You wanna tell 'em?"

"They're your family," Jess laughed.

"What? Tell me what?" Mary asked excitedly. Sam held out Jess' hand, showing her the ring on her finger. "Oh my God! That's so wonderful." Everyone rose and hugged Jess and Sam.

Lexie hugged Sam's waist. "Will you be a bridesmaid?" Jess asked as she hugged Lexie.

"Really?" Lex asked, and Jess nodded. "Of course!"

Mary hugged Sam. "I just wish your dad was here."

"Yeah," Sam smiled weakly. "Me too."

Dean finally got up and shook Sam's hand. "Congratulations Sammy," He grinned. Sam smiled back. "I'm really glad you're happy."

Dean peered over Dean's shoulder, and saw the girl again. She was filthy. Her hair was ragged and her dress was muddy and torn. He let go of Sam's hand and walked towards her. As he neared, he bumped into someone. When he looked back, she was gone again.

"Dean?" Lex asked, walking over. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I saw…" Dean trailed off. "Never mind, c'mon." They enjoyed the rest of their dinner, except for Dean, who kept looking around.

Everyone headed back to the house for the night. "So, Dean, what was uh... what was all that back at the restaurant?" Sam asked as they headed through the door.

"Ah... I-I thought I saw someone," Dean shrugged. "Sure it's nothing."

"Well, I had a lovely birthday. Thank you," Mary said, going towards the stairs. "Good night."

"Good night, mom," Lex and Sam called.

"Alexis, go to bed at a decent hour!" Mary called as an afterthought.

"I will," Lex smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, well I'm beat," Sam said. He looked to Jess. "Ready to turn in?" Jess nodded. "Alright. Good night guys."

"Wait a second," Dean said. "Come on, it's not even nine o'clock yet. Lets uh... Let's go have a drink or something."

"Yeah, maybe another time," Sam said.

"Come on, man. Look at us. Huh?" Dean asked. "We both have beautiful women on our arms. You're engaged. Let's go celebrate."

"Guys, can you excuse us, I just want to talk to my brother for a sec," Sam said, looking to the women.

"Sure," Jess said, "Come on, Carmen, Lex." The three of them left, Lexie casting glances behind her.

"Ok," Sam said, pulling Dean aside. "What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, confused.

"He means this whole warm, fuzzy ecstasy trip thing," Lex said, walking over. "It's freaking us out."

"I'm just happy for you, Sammy," Dean said. "And Ankle Biter, you're happy too, it's great."

"Yeah, right. That's another thing," Sam added. "Since when do you call me Sammy?"

"Or ankle biter?" Lex asked. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Dean, come on," Sam said. "We don't talk outside of holidays."

"We don't?" Dean asked. He shrugged. "Well, we should. I mean, you're my brother."

""You're my brother"?" Sam asked.

Dean gave a weak laugh. "Yeah."

"You know, that's what you said when you snaked my ATM card, or when you bailed on my graduation, or when you hooked up with Rachel Nave," Sam listed.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"Uh, my prom date," Sam said. "On prom night."

Dean opened his mouth, but then just smirked. "Yeah, that does kind of sound like me," he said.

"Or what about you coming to my eight grade graduation plastered?" Lex asked. "And stealing my jewelry?"

"Whoa, hey guys, I'm sorry about all that." Dean said, walking towards us.

"No that, look, that's alright man, I-I just..." Sam said. "You know I'm not asking you to change. I-I just I... I don't know, I... guess we just don't really have anything in common. You know?"

"Yes we do," Dean argued. "Yes we do."

"What?" Lex asked.

"Hunting," Dean replied, as though it were obvious.

"Hunting?" Sam asked. "I've never been hunting in my life, Dean."

"Yeah, well," Dean struggled. "We should go at it sometime. I... I think you'd be great at it."

"I'm not shooting anything," Lex said, walking away.

"Get some rest," Sam said, patting Dean on the shoulder and walking away as well.

Dean stood at a loss in the living room. "You ready?" Carmen asked, walking towards him with a smile. "We should get home."

"Yeah," Dean said, looking after his siblings with a loss. What had he done? How could he fix it? "Yeah," he said again. "Let's go."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS

Dean sat on the couch in his apartment, thinking. Who the hell was that girl, and what was she doing stalking him? What did she want? Dean wished that she would get the hell away. She was like a constant reminder that this wasn't supposed to be real. She reminded him that this place wasn't really his.

Carmen came and sat next to him, handing him a beer. "My favorite," he said, taking it with a weak smile. "I guess you know me pretty well."

Carmen smiled. "Afraid so," She sighed, and watched him for a moment, worriedly. "You alright?" she asked, noting the destroyed look on his face.

"Sammy, Lexie and I..." Dean said, at a loss. "You know we don't get along."

"Well, you don't spend a lot of time together," Carmen said, with a shrug. "I mean, I just think you don't know each other all that well." Dean just hummed in reply. He could have guessed that one on his own. "For the record: He doesn't know what he's missing," Carmen stated.

"I can fix things with Sam," Dean said. "I can make it up to him and Lexie. To everyone."

Carmen frowned. "Ok. What's gotten into you lately?"

"This isn't gonna make a lick of sense to you. But I kind of feel like I've been given a second chance," Dean stated. "And I don't wanna waste it."

Carmen shook her head. "You're right, that doesn't make any sense..."

Dean smirked to himself and kissed her. "You know, I get it."

"Get what?" Carmen giggled.

Dean just grinned. "Why you're the one."

"Well," She replied. He kissed her again. "Whatever's gotten into you...? I like it." Dean took his chance and started to kiss her again, moving her hair out of the way. She pulled away. "Ohm... come on. Don't do this to me now. I've gotta get ready for work."

She got up off the couch, walking towards the bedroom. "Go to work now?"Dean asked, confused.

"Yeah, I told you," Carmen called. "I've got the nightshifts on Thursday."

Dean followed after her, beer in hand. "You work nights at the uh…" He stopped, realizing he didn't know. Carmen pulled out scrubs. "...hospital," he finished. He smirked. "I'm dating a nurse. That is so...respectable." Carmen just smiled and went back to changing. Dean smiled and took another sip of beer.

After Carmen left, he sat back on the couch with a sigh. First it was some stupid cooking show. Dean nearly laughed at himself when he realized that he was actually watching it. He usually didn't have time to watch TV much. He was either too tired, or didn't get cable in the stupid motel rooms.

He shook his head and switched it to the news. There was something about a plane. "And today marks the anniversary of the crash of United Britannia Flight 424," the reporter said sadly. Dean frowned. Hadn't that been the name of the flight he saved? "Indianapolis residents held a candlelight vigil in memory of the hundred people who lost their lives…" The reporter went on.

"No no," Dean said, confused. "I stopped that crash." He went on the computer and realized that he needed help. He was going to dial Sam, but then stopped. He wouldn't answer him.

He dialed Lexie instead. She at least was receptive to what he had to say. "Lex?" He said. "I need your help."

Lexie groaned into her pillow. "At one in the morning?" she questioned.

"Please?" he asked, praying to who ever wanted to listen to him that she would come anyway.

"Fine," She sighed after a minute. "I'll be there in a few." She hung up the phone, and slowly got out of bed and dressed. Dean waited impatiently. She knocked on the door nearly fifteen minutes later, and Dean was quick to open it. He pulled her in, and she sat on the couch and watched him pace back and forth. "What?" she asked.

"Alright, here," Dean said, desperate. "Look up flight 424, and uh, Fitchburg Wisconsin, and Pierpont Hotel in Connecticut, and um, that one…Medford Wisconsin!"

Lexie just stared at him. "Why?"

"Just do it, okay?" Dean demanded.

Lexie sighed and started to look up all the things Dean had told her to. "Flight 424 went down a year ago, it crashed and 108 people died. Uh, Fitchburg nine kids went comatose? A girl drowned at that hotel...and parents were…mutilates in their beds in Medford," Lexie listed. She looked up. "What's going on, Dean? What's with the morbid stories?"

Dean shook his head, and then stopped. He looked over his shoulder. He thought he saw… He walked into the bedroom, and found no one. He opened the closet, throwing the doors open. There were two dead bodies, old ones that were dried out. They were bound by their wrists. Dean gasped, and turned around to see the girl again. Her forehead was bleeding. She flickered out, disappearing.

"Dean?" Lexie asked, walking in. "What the hell?"

Dean looked back into the closet, but it was empty. "Nothing," He said, shaking slightly. "I wanna go…uh, visit dad." He looked to Lexie, whose face had gone white.

"I'm going home," She said, walking away.

"Wait," he said, catching her arm. "Come with me."

"No," She said. "I'm not…just no." She gave him one last worried look, and then left. Dean sighed, and grabbed his coat.

He went to the cemetery alone, finding his dad's lot number and then heading to the place where he was buried.

JOHN E. WINCHESTER

1954-2006

LOVING HUSBAND & FATHER

REMEMBERED FOREVER

"Dad," Dean choked out, barely able to speak. "All of them. Everyone that you saved, everyone Sammy, Lexie, and I saved. They're all dead." He ran his hand through his hair. "And there's this woman that's haunting me. I don't know why. I don't know what the connection is, not yet anyway. It's like my old life is coming after me or something. Like it like it doesn't want me to be happy." He scoffed. "Course I know what you'd say. Well, not the you that played softball but..." He trailed off, wishing he was talking to his real dad and not this…other softball playing one. "So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people's lives, no contest. Right? But why?"

Dean kicked at the dirt, mad. "Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero?" He felt the tears welling up again, threatening to spill. "What about us, huh? Mom's not supposed to live her life. Sammy's not supposed to get married. Lexie can't be normal? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, dad?" He paused, shaking his head. "It's..." The sky rumbled overhead, a storm brewing to the west. Dean felt a tear fall. "Fine," he said, and turned away.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Lexie sat in her room, unable to sleep. Dean was really starting to bother her. For the last two years, they had barely spoken hell they barely even pretended the other existed. And now, out of nowhere, he wanted to be her brother. Well that just wasn't going to work.

She heard a noise downstairs and panicked. Her heart raced. She grabbed a bat from softball, in her closet, and went into the hallway. Apparently, Sam had heard it too, because he was standing there. He smirked at her bat, but then there was another noise. She handed the bat to Sam, and he took it heading to the steps.

They silently made their way down the steps, skipping the ones that creaked. Lexie let Sam go first, keeping her distance. There was a shape beneath the window. Sam swung at it, but the man stood up and had him pinned in seconds. Dean smirked. "That's was so easy, I'm embarrassed for you."

"Dean? What the hell are you doing here?" Sam demanded. Dean got off of him, letting Sam get up.

"I was looking for a beer," Dean replied.

"In the china-cabinet?" Lexie asked, switching on the light.

Sam stared at the floor, where the silver was lying open. "That's mom's silver," Sam accused.

"Sam," Dean sighed.

"What you... broke into the house... to steal mom's silver?" Lexie asked, staring at him.

"It's not what it looks like," Dean said, surrendering. "Ok, I didn't have a choice."

"Oh really? Why?" Sam asked, angrily. "What's so damn important you gotta steal from your own mother?"

Dean thought for a moment. "You want the truth?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah I do," Sam replied, folding his arms over his chest.

Dean stared at him, wishing he could tell Sam the real answer. That would only get him a one way ticket to an insane asylum though, so instead he just shrugged. "I owe somebody money."

"Who?" Lex asked.

"A bookie," Dean replied. "I lost big on a game; I gotta bring him the cash tonight."

"I can't believe we're even related," Sam sighed.

"Sam, I'm sorry," Dean said. _For everything…_

"Yeah," Sam scoffed.

"I'm sorry we don't get along," Dean said, going on. "And I wish to hell I could stay and fix it. But I gotta do this. People's lives depend on it." Dean took a knife out of the silver box.

"What are you talking about, Dean?" Lexie asked, frowning.

Dean looked at her, trying to tell her what she should have already known. "Nothing. Forget it," Dean stated. "Just uh... hey, tell mom I love her."

"Dean," Lex said, stopping him.

"I'll see you, Ankle biter," He smiled. "Bye, Sammy."

Lexie looked up at Sam, who was staring dumbfounded. "Well?" she asked. "Now what?"

"We're going with him," Sam said, throwing on jeans that he had in the hall. "If you want to come, get dressed."

"Sam, this is stupid," She complained, putting on clothes anyway. "He said he just owed bookie money. What are we going to do?"

Sam looked at her. "You really believed him?" She thought for a moment and then opened the front door. Sam went out, and she followed.

He opened the passenger door, and hopped in. Lexie got into the back. "Get out of the car," Dean stated.

"We're going with you," Sam replied.

"You're just gonna slow me down," Dean complained.

Sam shrugged. "Tough."

"This is dangerous and you could get hurt," Dean added.

"Yeah, and so could you Dean," Lexie said, glaring at him.

"Lex!"

"Look, whatever stupid thing you're about to do, you're not doing it alone," Sam said. "And that's that."

"I don't understand. Why you doing this?" Dean asked.

"Because Sam's an idiot," Lexie grumbled, shooting Sam a look. "And because I am not getting left behind."

Sam sighed. "Because you're still my brother."

Dean smirked. "Bitch."

Sam looked at him confused. "What are you calling me a bitch for?"

Dean looked hurt. "You're supposed to say jerk."

Sam shook his head. "What?"

Dean sighed. "Never mind." He put the car in gear and started to drive. Dean couldn't help but just imagine that this wasn't going to completely ruin what he had going for him here. He was going to give it all away, everything that he wished for, just to save those lives. Didn't he deserve to be happy? Didn't he deserve to have a chance?

"What's in the bag?" Sam asked after awhile. Lexie had nearly fallen asleep.

Dean shrugged. "Nothin'."

"Nothin'?" Sam asked, in disbelief.

Dean shot him a warning glance. "Yeah, nothin'."

"Fine," Sam said, and grabbed the bag. He started to unroll the top to open it, but Dean shook his head.

"You don't wanna do that," Dean warned.

"Oh really?" Sam asked, and kept going. He pulled out a jar, and his face went white. The jar was full of sticky, red liquid. "What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"Blood," Dean replied, matter-of-factly.

"What?" Lex asked, getting up. Her eyes widened. "Oh my god, Dean. Ew!"

"We can see that it's blood, Dean!" Sam exclaimed. "What the hell is it doing in here?"

"You don't really wanna know," Dean stated.

"No I-I do really wanna know. I really, really, do," Sam said, bewildered.

"Yeah, well you're gonna find out sooner or later," Dean sighed. "I needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood."

"You needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood," Lex repeated, in shock. "Why?"

"Because there's this creature. A Djinn," Dean explained. "And I have to hunt it."

"Ok," Sam sighed. "Um... stop the car."

Dean was not planning on stopping the car. "I know how it sounds…"

"Great," Sam nodded. "Just... stop the car."

"It's the truth, Sam," Dean said. "Alright, there are things out there in the dark. There are bad things. There are nightmare things. And people have to be saved and if we don't save them, then nobody will."

"Look, I wanna help you, alright. I-I really, really do, but you're having some kind of psychotic breakdown so... just-"

"I wish," Dean sighed.

Lexie picked up her phone and started dialing. Dean reached behind him, plucked the phone out of her hand, and threw it out the window. "What the hell was that, Dean? That was my phone!" She shouted.

"I'm not going to a rubber room, Lex," Dean said. "And we've got work to do."

"What?" Lex asked.

"We were just trying to help you out, Dean," Sam explained. "I don't I don't want you to get yourself hurt."

"What? You protect me?" Dean scoffed. Sam nodded vigorously, as did Lexie. Dean laughed. "That's hilarious. Why don't you just sit tight and try not to get us both killed." And then, before Sammy or Lexie could protest more, Dean turned the radio on.

"Mom's going to kill us," Lexie remarked, laying back down in defeat.

After another several hours of driving, Dean finally made it back to the old factory that he had first gotten stuck in this world in. He was actually a little relieved that he had found it. Dean had been worried that it wasn't here for some reason.

Both Sam and Lexie were asleep. He threw a paper back on Lexie and woke Sam up as well. Both of them darted awake, looking around confused. "Where are we?" Sam asked.

"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore," Dean smiled. Neither Sam nor Lexie smiled back. "Illinois," He sighed, his smile fading.

Lexie looked to the old factory, biting her lip nervously. This did not look like a place that she wanted to go in. "And you think something's in there?" she asked.

"I know it is," Dean stated, getting out of the car. He walked on ahead, sauntering quietly along. He was just waiting for him to attack.

"See?" Sam said after a few minutes. "There's nothing here, Dean."

"Uh-huh," Dean remarked, ignoring him. He knew where to look this time. They were almost there.

"Look, Carmen's gotta be worried sick about you, Dean," Sam went on.

"Yeah, Dean, come on, let- Let's just go," Lexie stated, glancing around nervously.

"Shh!" Dean whispered, waving his hands. There were sounds of movement.

Lex's face fell. "What the hell is that?"

"Stay behind me and keep your mouth shut," Dean insisted, pushing her out of the way. For once in her life, Lexie listened.

They moved into a big room, and that was when Dean knew he was in the right place. The bodies that he had seen in the closet were there, hanging from the ceiling. There was a drained blood bag next to one of the bodies. "What the hell?" Sam demanded.

Dean looked around, and saw the girl that he had been seeing everywhere. She looked nearly dead. "It's her," Dean breathed.

Sam touched her wrists where she was bound. "Dean, what's going on?" Sam asked.

Lexie started to tear up in fear, whimpering. "Shh!" Dean said, covering her mouth. There was movement, and Dean whisked them both behind the wall. The Djinn came out, and walked over towards the girl.

She had woken up now, and was crying. "Where's my dad? I wonder how..." She saw the Djinn, and stared. "Don't," She insisted, trying to movie. "Where's my dad?"

The Djinn touched her face, blue light coming out of his fingers again. "Sleep," the Djinn said. "Sleep." Her head immediately fell forward, and she relaxed. He then went over to her blood bag, putting a straw in the receiving end. He took a long sip, drinking it in.

Sam coughed in disgust, and Dean shot him a look. Lexie looked like she was about to scream out in fear. Dean pulled them to a different wall. The Djinn looked around, and then went up the stairs. "This is real?" Sam asked, as soon as it was gone. "You're not crazy?"

"She didn't know where she was," Dean said. "She thought she was with her father." He walked back over to the woman. "What if that's what the Djinn does? It doesn't grant you a wish, it just makes you think it has," Dean mused.

"Look man," Sam said, frightened. "That thing could come back, alright?" Dean ignored him and looked up at the light bulb. It flickered, and suddenly, he knew. He could barely breathe. "Dean, please," Sam said.

"What if I'm like her? What if I'm tied up here someplace? What if all this is in my head?" Dean asked, looking at the woman again. "I mean it could, you know, maybe it gives us some kind of supernatural acid, and then just feeds on us slow."

"No," Lex said. "Dean, that doesn't make sense. Ok?"

"What if that's why she keeps appearing to me?" Dean asked. "She's not a spirit. It's like more and more like I'm catching flashes of reality. You know, like I'm in here somewhere. I'm catatonic, and I'm taking all this stuff in but I, but I can't snap out of it."

"Yeah, ok, look," Sam said, "Yeah, you're right. I was wrong. You're not crazy but we need to get out of here. Fast." He grabbed Dean and started to pull him with him. Dean quickly pulled away.

"Dean!"Lex shouted, desperately.

"I don't think you're real," Dean stated, just staring.

Sam looked agitated. "Dude, you feel that?" He grabbed Dean by the shoulders and shook him a little. "You feel this? I'm real. This is not an acid trip. I'm real, and that thing is gonna come down here and kill us for real. No please."

Dean pulled away again. "There's one way to be sure," he sighed. He pulled out a silver knife.

Lexie gasped, backing off. "What are you doing?"

"It's an old wives tale," Dean said, staring at the knife. "If you're about to die in a dream, you wake up."

"No, no," Sam said, shaking his head. "That's crazy. Alright?"

"Maybe," Dean said, gripping the knife tighter.

Sam took a step to Dean this time. "You're gonna kill yourself-"

Dean stopped him. "Or I'm gonna wake up. One or the other."

"Ok. This isn't a dream, alright," Lex said. "We're here, with you, now. And you're about to kill yourself, Dean."

"No, I'm pretty sure. Like 90% sure. But I'm sure enough," Dean said. He determinedly turned the knife to himself, ready to thrust it in.

"WAIT!" Lex shouted.

Suddenly, Mary appeared, and Dean stopped. "Why'd you have to keep digging?" Sam accused. Now Carmen and Jess were also there. "Why couldn't you have left well enough alone?" Sam asked. "You were happy."

Mary walked up to Dean. "Put the knife down, honey."

Dean felt the tears in his eyes. He had to do this. "You're not real," he accused. "None of it is."

"It doesn't matter," Mary said. "It's still better than anything you had."

Dean frowned. "What?"

"It's everything you want," Mary said. "We're a family again. Let's go home."

Dean vigorously shook his head. "I'll die," he said. His voice was breaking. "The Djinn'll... drain the life out of me in a couple of days."

Mary smiled. "But in here, with us. It'll feel like years. Like a lifetime." Mary smiled, convincing him. "I promise," She stated. Dean looked to Lexie, who gave him a huge smile and nod. "No more pain," Mary added. "Or fear. Just love and comfort. And safety. Dean, stay with us." She stroked his cheek lovingly. "Get some rest."

Jess stepped forward. "You don't have to worry about Sam anymore." Dean looked at her. "You get to watch him live a full life."

Mary stepped away, and Carmen took her place. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. "We can have a future together. Have our own family," she said. "I love you, Dean. Please."

Lexie walked up. "Please, Dean," she sighed. "We want you to be happy. We want to be happy."

Sam walked up to him. "Why is it our job to save everyone? Haven't we done enough?" I'm begging you." He took a breath and stuck his hand out. "Give me the knife," he said.

Dean looked from Carmen, to Sammy, to Lexie and Mary, and sighed. He backed away, tears falling down his face relentlessly. He stared at the floor for a minute. He knew what he had to do. He looked up, at Sam and Lexie. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

He took a breath and thrust the knife into himself, a white hot pain searing through his middle. He felt the blood coming out, coating his fingers. Blood poured out of his mouth.

"DEAN! DEAN!"


	52. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Seven

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys! You're all awesome! I hope you enjoy this latest chapter! The next one will be the season 2 Finale! Woo! It is going to be so epic, you'll be amazed! =D**

**I do not own anything but Lexie. If I did, I would be in Vancouver drooling over Jared and Jensen daily. **

**Chapter Fifty Two**

My eyes fluttered open, and I inwardly groaned. I refused to open my eyes for another moment. My whole body ached for some strange reason. It felt like I had been through the ringer. I thought about what I had been doing last night. That was when I remembered the Djinn.

I abruptly sat up and realized that I had no idea where I was. The room was decorated in a girly fashion, with purple walls and other random crap. It was messy, clothes strewn everywhere. I threw the covers off and got out of bed. I looked down at myself. My clothes were…tiny. I was only wearing the shortest shorts I had ever seen and a top that barely covered my stomach. I frowned when I noticed that the scar from when I was stabbed was not present.

I heard footsteps and panicked. I went out into the hall, wishing I had some sort of weapon on me. I got to the stairs, and suddenly I knew exactly where I was. I was in our old house in Lawrence, Kansas. I stared at the entry hall for a moment, memories flooding back. Another sound came from the kitchen area.

I moved slowly over there, scared of what I was about to see. I cautiously stepped into the kitchen, to see my mother standing there frying bacon. She turned around, and smiled. "Finally," she chuckled. "I thought you were never going to get your butt out of bed."

I couldn't even say anything. My mind drew a blank in the words department. I grabbed onto the chair in front of me for support. "Am I dreaming?" I asked.

She gave me an amused smile. "I don't think so sweetie," She laughed. "Why don't you go run up and get ready? I hung up your uniform in your closet."

"Uniform?" I asked.

She frowned. "Yeah, it's game day, remember?" I just slowly nodded, wondering what was going on. She put her hand on my cheek. "Are you okay, sweetheart? You look pale."

"Fine," I smiled, happily. "I'm just…I'll go get dressed." I turned around, going back to the steps to go see what I was supposed to be wearing. I stopped before I left the kitchen, looking at my mom one more time. "I love you, mom," I sighed.

She gave me a confused look. "I love you too, Alexis."

I grinned and went upstairs. I stopped for a moment at the top of the steps. If I still lived here, where were Dean and Sam? I took my chance and opened the first door on the left in the hall just for the heck of it. There wasn't much in it except for a bed and a few other pieces of furniture. It looked like someone had vacated it. I opened the closet, to see a safe. I had no idea the combination, but just sighed.

I went into the next room that was right across from mine. It was definitely my parent's room. The one side of the bed was messy and unmade, while the other looked untouched. I frowned, but brushed it off.

I went back into my room and closed the door behind me. It was messy, like I had seen before, and sort of…girly. I looked around, picking up a pair of jeans. They were skinny jeans, and low riders. I threw them back down. I opened the closet, and saw the uniform my mom had been talking about.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Nearly ten minutes later, I stared at myself in the mirror in annoyance. My hair was up, since I figured that was what I was supposed to do with this outfit. I pulled the skirt down. Why the heck was it so high up? I fidgeted some more, before giving up. "I cannot believe I am a cheerleader," I stated, turning and looking at my butt.

It didn't look half bad.

I sighed and headed back downstairs. "No makeup?" my mom questioned, looking at me curiously. I shrugged. I hadn't even realized I needed to put it on. "You look nice," she commented. She put a plate in front of me, which I picked at. She sat next to me sipping coffee. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. "You alright?" she asked, after a moment.

"Yeah," I said, quickly looking away. "I'm okay." I ate a bite of food to make my point. "What's in the safe?" I asked

"Uh, some papers and that gun that your father insisted we have," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "You knew that."

"Right," I laughed. "Just drawing a blank." I took another bite. "Where are Sam and Dean?"

She gave me a confused look. "Sam's not flying in until later, you know that," she said, shaking her head.

"Right," I said, with a nod. "Flying in from…"

"California," My mom answered.

"And uh, dad?" I asked. "Is he—"

"Lexie," my mom said sadly, and I knew my fear was confirmed. "I thought you said you didn't want to talk about daddy. You haven't said a word about him since the funeral." She put her hand on my forehead. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, mom," I said, grabbing her hand. I choked back the tears that had been forming about my dad. At least I had her now. "I'm great. Perfect even." She sighed, but gave me a small smile. There was a knock on the door, and then it opened.

"Hey Lex, you ready?" a voice asked, walking inside. Logan sauntered into the kitchen. "Hey, Mrs. W. What's up?"

"Good morning, Logan," my mom smiled.

Logan smirked at me. "You're actually ready, Lex. I'm shocked."

"Yeah," I laughed slightly. On the inside, I was screaming. How in the world was Logan here? If I never hunted, which so far I was guessing I hadn't, I shouldn't know him. I decided not to worry about it right now, and be far more concerned with the fact that I was apparently going out with him. "So, uh, school?" I asked, standing up.

"Yeah, see you later Mrs. W!" Logan called, grabbing my hand. I let him hold it and we left. He smiled at me as we got out of the house. He leaned down, kissing me. "What?" he asked when I pushed him away.

"I just...uh, nothing," I said. I would deal with this more when I figured out what was going on. "You wouldn't happen to, um, know anything about hunting?"

He gave me a weird look, and shrugged. "Like deer hunting?" he asked. "Not really."

"Oh," I said, "So…you don't know anything about guns."

"Why?" Logan laughed. "You need to shoot somebody?"

I smirked. "Not yet," I mumbled. "C'mon," I said louder, getting in the car. "We're going to be late."

He drove in silence, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. I watched him curiously. "How long have we been going out now?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"A year or so," Logan replied, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Was that a test?"

I thought that was a really good excuse for me asking so I laughed and nodded. "You passed," I stated. He pulled up to Lawrence High School, and I got out of the car. He went to grab my hand again, but I coyly made myself busy in my purse. I used to like Logan, but now…I just couldn't.

I went inside, and a girl in a uniform very similar to mine came running up to me. "Hey Lexie, you get your mom to let you skip dinner and come to the game?" she demanded.

"Uh…" I stuttered. "..No?"

"Ugh," she groaned. "I can't believe she won't let you skip her stupid birthday dinner! It's not like you're never going to see her again or something."

I couldn't help but glare at her. "I'm lucky to have my mom, okay?" I demanded. "I want to go to the dinner."

The girl looked taken aback. "Um, alright," she said. "You're still coming to practice though, right?"

"Yeah," I said, with a nod. "I'll uh, be there I guess."

"Whatever," she said, and walked off, casting me confused glances.

I was pulled into my first class with Logan, who sat next to me. I squirmed slightly, having no clue what class this even was. I had just sort of followed Logan in and sat down. There was nothing more terrifying than high school after all. The teacher started to write out math problems on the board. Apparently it was math class. Fantastic.

I copied it all down silently, trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing with all these numbers. I then sighed when I knew that I had learned this already. I did all the problems and then went back into my little daze. Alright, so I knew that the Djinn had something to do with this, right? But if it was the Djinn, weren't they evil? How was granting my wish evil?

"Miss Winchester," a voice said, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see half the class staring at me amused, and the teacher glaring at me. "Would you like to tell us what you got for number thirteen?"

I looked down at my paper. "Uh, seventeen," I stated, reading it off my paper.

The teacher narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "Correct," he said. He turned back to what he had been doing.

I sighed in relief, Logan giving me a huge grin. "Nice guess," he remarked.

"Wasn't a guess," I whispered, pointing to my paper. I went back to thinking, coming up with nothing. As we exited class, I had an idea. "Hey, uh, Logan," I said, stopping him. "We have mythology class here, right? Or something like it?"

Logan shrugged. "Yeah I think so, why?"

"Who teaches it?" I demanded. He shrugged again, and I decided to go to the office. "See you later!" I called, as he asked where I was running off to.

I entered the office and found out who taught the small mythology class in the school. The teacher's name was Mr. Vaughn. As I neared the classroom, I sighed. I stopped outside the door. Did I really need to know? Couldn't I just…live this way?

I knocked on the door. "Come on in," a voice called back. I walked in, opening my mouth to say something, but he stopped me. "Winchester right?" he asked, "Head Cheerleader?"

I looked down in shock at my uniform again. "Uh, right," I said, nodding slightly. "Um, I was wondering, do you know what a Djinn is?"

Mr. Vaughn gave me a confused look. "The genie thing from Muslim folklore?" He asked. I nodded vigorously. I think I remembered Sam saying something about that. "What about them?"

"Tell me everything you know about them," I said, walking over to his desk. "Please."

"Well the Muslims believe that their real," he started, opening a book. He pointed to a picture of what Djinn supposedly looked like. "And that they could grant wishes of sorts. They supposedly had Godlike powers."

"Right," I nodded. "But the wishes, could they actually do it?"

Mr. Vaughn narrowed his eyes. "You know this isn't real, right?" he asked, standing up straight. "There are no such things as Djinn."

I smiled, slightly. "I know," I laughed, "I just mean hypothetically, could they you know, grant you a wish that someone never died, or something never happened?"

Mr. Vaughn shrugged. "I suppose hypothetically they could, yes."

"But why?" I asked, thinking more aloud than actually asking him. "Why would they grant wishes? What do they get out of it?"

"I don't think they get anything. Maybe they get something after the wish is granted, but it's all just speculation on philosopher's parts," he replied. He gave me a weird look. "What's with the sudden interest with mythology?"

"Oh, uh," I laughed. "I read it in a book, and just was curious." I walked to the door, figuring this was my time to go. "Thanks a lot!" I called, running out.

I ran out of the classroom, heading to the cafeteria. That was when I remembered something. What about Dean? Did he know what was going on? I pulled out my purse, hoping that I had a cell phone in here somewhere. I dug around for a minute until I found a phone. I went through the contacts until I found Dean's number.

"Hello?" Dean asked.

"Dean," I breathed. "Thank god, where are you?"

"Um, at my apartment," he replied, sounding confused. "Why? Are you okay?"

"No," I said, a little lost. "Dean, something's wrong."

"I know," he said, and my heart swelled. Yes! I wasn't crazy! "Something must be really wrong if you're willingly calling me up."

"What?" I asked, my heart now sinking into my stomach.

"Alexis, you only call me if you need a ride or you're in trouble. So which is it?" he asked.

I sighed in defeat. "You don't know anything either, do you?" I asked. "Just like Logan…"

"Um, no, I have no idea what the hell you are talking about," Dean said sounding annoyed. "And I need to get to work, so if you don't need anything…"

"Right, work," I snorted.

"That's funny?" he questioned.

"Oh, you have no idea," I sighed. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw someone staring at me. I looked over to see a girl in a dirty dress glaring at me. She was pale and looked almost dead. I hung up on Dean without even bothering to say goodbye, walking towards her. Out of nowhere, she disappeared into nothing. She was gone. I sighed and then sat down next to Logan at the table. He gave me a funny look, but I ignored him. I looked around, waiting to see if the girl appeared again.

"So you really have to go to dinner tonight?" the same girl from earlier asked. "Like you can't get out of it at all?"

"Megan, give it a rest," Logan sighed. "She can't."

Megan huffed. "I wasn't trying to be bitchy," she said with a small smile. "But this is playoffs!"

"I have to go to dinner," I said, with a sigh. "I'm sorry." I barely got through the rest of the day, and then realized that I still had to go to practice. I went to the gym, and Megan came running up to me. "What?" I asked.

"Uh, you have to lead the cheer," she scoffed, giving me a short laugh. "God, what is up with you today?"

"Nothing," I said, with a sigh. "Since I'm not going to be here tonight why don't you lead?" I suggested. It wasn't like I had any clue what I was supposed to do anyway.

"Really?" she asked, clearly shocked. "Alright, I guess." She ran back over to the girl's and smiled. "Okay, guys um, since Lex isn't going to be here tonight, I'm leading, so get ready." She gave me a look and I smiled encouragingly.

I went to the back, and pretended I knew what I was going the entire time, just doing the same moves as the people in front of me. I was messing up a lot. "Want to run stunts?" Megan asked me. I shook my head, having no clue what she meant by that.

"I uh, gotta go," I said, backing off. "I gotta get ready for dinner. Can you handle the rest of the practice?"

Megan huffed. "I guess."

"Great," I said, and ran out only to run into none other than Dylan. "Oh," I said, with a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, looking for you?" he smirked, leaning in for a kiss. I pushed him away. "What?" he chuckled.

"I'm dating Logan," I accused, backing away.

"Uh-huh," he said, "And I'm the dirty, dirty man you're cheating on him with. Now c'mon don't you have that dinner tonight? We only got a set amount of time."

"I'm a whore," I mumbled.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Look, I gotta get home, okay? I'll talk to you later." I quick ran off, more confused than I think I ever have been in my entire life.

"Alright," He called, sounding confused. It seemed that I was confusing a lot of people lately. I ignored him and walked all the way home. It wasn't too far of a walk anyway. I ran into the house to see Sam and Jess in the kitchen.

"Sam!" I called, and ran in. I pulled him into a hug. Thank god, finally someone I actually was close with for once.

He gave me a weird look. "Uh, hey Lex," he said, frowning. "You okay?"

"I'm great," I said, with a smile. "I just, you know, missed you."

"Right," he said. "So um, how are things?" He squirmed uneasily like making small talk with me was the worst thing in the world.

"What?" I laughed lightly.

"Well we haven't talked since our birthdays," he smirked.

I narrowed my eyes, a little taken aback. "Why not?" I asked, shaking my head. "You're my brother, right? We should talk…"

"Then how come every time I call you…" he trailed off, putting a hand off. "You know what, whatever. I don't want to argue with you right now." He looked to Jess, giving her an apologetic smile.

"Okay," I said, a little lost. Why was Sam acting like this? I couldn't remember him ever being so… short with me. We usually got along well. What had this other me of this world done?

The front door opened and Dean walked in with some girl. She had dark hair and a pretty face. He held her hand happily. "What's going on?" Dean asked, with a smile. "How are you, Sammy?"

"Hey Dean," he grinned. "Carmen."

"Hi Sam," the dark haired girl grinned.

"Carmen?" I questioned, and then realized I should know her. "I mean, hey Carmen. Dean. What's up?"

Dean gave me a weird look. "We're fine," he said. He looked to Sam, who shrugged. "Are you okay? What was with that call earlier?"

"Nothing," I said, walking to the stairs. "I'm going to go get ready!" I called, and ran upstairs. I closed the door behind me, breathing heavily. Walking to my bed, I sat down and felt something under my butt. I reached under me and pulled out a small notebook.

Curious, I opened it only to realize that it was my diary. I leaned back in the bed onto the head board and began reading. After about 30 minutes of going through it, I knew more about this other self of mine than ever. I had started dating Logan more than a year ago, mostly for the sake of dating someone on the football team. I broke up with him, and during that time met Dylan. I got back together with Logan, and stayed with Dylan.

I never talked to Sam after he left for college because I thought he was and I quote: An ass who thought he knew everything anyway. He and I hadn't gotten along since he left. Dean married that Carmen girl a little less than six months ago, and I didn't like her very much. I wasn't close with Dean either, which I blamed on the fact that he was so much older than me and we had nothing in common.

I sighed in annoyance. I couldn't believe what a little brat I was. I huffed, and put the diary back. I would fix it, I had to. This was my dream after all. I would start now, and soon we would be close like we were supposed to be.

The door opened, and my mom looked in. "You alright, sweetie, Sam and Dean said you were acting weird." She walked in and closed the door behind her.

"I'm okay," I smiled, as she sat next to me. "I guess I've just been having an off day."

"Alright, well I'm here if you want to talk about it," she smiled slightly. "I put the dress you asked me to wash in the closet this afternoon. You feel up to dinner?"

"Yeah," I said, pushing the hair out of my face. "I wouldn't miss it, mom." She smiled, and got up to go. "Thanks mom," I said as she left. She smiled again, and left.

I changed into the slinky black dress. Even though I wasn't the nicest person apparently, I had good taste in clothes. I went to the window with a sigh, and saw the girl standing out there by the woods. I gasped and stared at her. I ran downstairs to the kitchen to see if I could still see her, nearly knocking Dean over in the process.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Dean asked, stopping me from going outside.

I looked at him a little annoyed. "I just…" I glanced outside again. She wasn't anywhere in sight. "She's gone."

"Who's gone?" he asked, turning and looking to where I had been.

"No one," I said, shaking my head. I looked to everyone else who was dressed and ready. "Are we going now?"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I sat at the table, fidgeting a little as they placed the food in front of me. It looked like something you only saw in movies that people ate at those extremely fancy parties. I took a small bite and grimaced. I decided to politely not eat any of this food.

Sam happily raised his glass for a toast. "To mom," he smiled. We all held our glasses up as well, saying the same in agreement. "Happy Birthday," Sam said. We clinked glasses and my mom grinned.

"Thanks," she laughed slightly.

"Alright. Jess and I actually have another surprise for mom's birthday," Sam said. He looked to Jess. "Ah... You wanna tell 'em?"

"They're your family," Jess laughed.

"What? Tell me what?" my mom asked excitedly. Sam held out Jess' hand, showing her the ring on her finger. "Oh my God! That's so wonderful."

"Sammy's growing up!" Dean teased, shaking Sam's hand.

I watched for a moment before standing up as well. "Congrats Sammy," I said, giving him a small hug. "I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks," he said, patting me on the shoulder. I smiled slightly sad. I wanted things to go back to normal, just for that split second. The only problem was that I didn't want to take away everything everyone else had. I sat back down and picked at my food.

"You okay?" Carmen asked, nudging me on the arm. She looked genuinely concerned, which was sort of weird coming from someone I hardly knew.

"Yeah," I grinned. "Just tired." She nodded, and went back to talking to Dean. I went back to staring moodily into the food.

We got back to the house, and I was immediately confronted by both Sam and Dean. "Ladies," Sam smiled. "Will you excuse us for a minute?" Carmen and Jess exchanged glances, and left the room. I looked at him, a little lost.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"What is wrong with you?" Dean demanded, "You after something?"

"Uh, no," I frowned. "Why?"

Sam and Dean exchanged another look. "Because you're being…decent," Sam said. "That just doesn't happen."

"I just…wanted to be nice," I shrugged, sitting on the couch. "Is that wrong?"

"No," Dean stated. "Just…odd."

I shrugged again, looking around the room. I hadn't noticed all the pictures around. There were some of the family all together, ones of just us alone, and some of all three of us. I picked up one of Dean, Sam and I all making faces at the camera when we were younger. "I want us to be happy," I said. I turned around. "I'm going to bed," I said, walking out. "Goodnight, guys." I shot them a smile and left.

I left them both staring after me, confused.

I went into my room and flicked on my laptop. My front page was Yahoo. I read the headline, "Girl who drowned at Pierpont Hotel memorial service, today."

I frowned, clicking on it. "What the—"I said, reading it. It was the girl, Tyler that I had saved. I began clicking around some more, researching our other past cases. They were all dead. The boy from the lake had drowned. The kids who were in the coma because of the shtriga died. The plane had crashed. They all had died.

I looked up to see movement. I jumped as flashes of images passed before my eyes. The girl that kept appearing stared at me. There were other bodies too, but they were dead. I burst awake seconds later, my laptop on my lap. I had fallen asleep.

I groaned, and then sighed. I knew what I had to do now.

I got out of bed, pulling on jeans and an old sweatshirt. I went into the room with the safe, and busted it open like Dean had shown me how to. I took the gun, putting it in my pants. I ran downstairs, going into the kitchen. I had a feeling that these normal knives weren't pure silver. I paced for a moment. Didn't people usually have nice silverware that was pure silver?

I went into the cabinet and found a box. I smiled to myself and picked out a knife. "What are you doing?" a voice asked, flicking on the lights.

"Nothing," I said, putting the box back. "I just found a good knife mixed in with the others and put it back." Sam narrowed his eyes. I slipped the knife into my sleeve, and he couldn't see it. "Goodnight," I said, walking past him.

He grabbed my arm. "Why are you moving things at two am?"

"Sam, let it go," I stated, pulling away.

"No," he said. "You're going somewhere. So where the hell are you going?"

"Look," I sighed. "It's none of your business, okay? Just drop it, and let me go." I pulled my arm out of his grip and went for the door. "I'm sorry," I said, and left.

I got out the door, and he followed quickly behind. "You're not going alone," he insisted, getting in the passenger seat. "I'm coming."

"Sam, get out," I said, glaring at him. "You don't want to come, trust me."

"Then where are you going?"

I sighed. "I just…have some business to take care of, okay?" He did not seem satisfied, and folded his arms over his chest. "Fine," I stated. "But don't say a word."

I drove down the road for a long time until we came across a butcher shop. I pulled into the parking lot. "You snuck out to go to a deli?" Sam questioned, looking at me like I was crazy.

"Just stay here, I'll be right back," I stated, and got out of the car. I went around back, and busted in the door. I went inside, and went to the back until I got to the meat leftovers. I pulled out all the lamb I could find and then drained it all of blood. I grimaced the entire time, trying not to think about what I was doing.

I put it in the jar and then washed my hands about five times. I made it back to the car. "What the heck were you doing?" Sam asked, picking up the bag I put the blood in. He pulled the jar out. "What is this?"

"Blood," I stated, starting the car again.

"Why?" he demanded, putting it down like it was poison. "Are you nuts?" I said nothing. "I called Dean," he said. I stopped the car.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you're crazy!" he exclaimed. "Lex going off in the middle of the night and bringing back a jar of blood isn't normal!"

"I'm not normal!" I said back, glaring at him. A car pulled into the lot, and I knew it was the Impala without even having to look.

Dean hopped out of the car, glaring at us as he walked over. "What the hell do you two morons think you're doing?" he demanded. "It's freaking three in the morning!" He peered into the car. "Is that blood?"

"Look," I said, putting the blood in the glove compartment. "I'm going whether you two like it or not, so either get in the car, or get away!"

Dean and Sam both mumbled things under their breath at me. Dean made Sam get out of the passenger seat and get in the back. I put the car in drive, and started to move. They both said nothing for a long time, until they realized that I was headed way out of state.

"Where are you taking us?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Illinois," I stated. He opened his mouth to complain, but I shot him a look and he stopped. I drove until I was back to where this had all started. I sighed as I pulled up to the decrepit building. "Okay," I sighed. I pulled out the blood and the knife. I dipped it in, Dean watching me with wide eyes. "There's something in there," I stated. "You coming in with me?"

Dean nodded, as did Sam, and I got out of the car. I put the knife in-between my teeth and hopped the giant metal fence without much trouble. I landed with a thud on the other side. Dean and Sam both struggled, but I waited patiently.

"They teach you that in cheerleading camp?" Sam groaned.

I smirked. "C'mon," I said, "And be quiet." I kicked in the door, and looked around wildly. We had been towards the big room in the center of the building when I saw it last time. I went that way.

"I don't think there's anything in here, Lex," Dean said, holding the flashlight up. "It's just an abandoned building."

"Uh-huh," I said, ignoring him. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. "Hide," I said, pulling Sam with me behind a wall.

Dean followed, and the Djinn walked out. He went over to some person he had tied up. It took me a moment, but then I knew who it was. It was the girl I had been seeing everywhere. "You," I whispered.

"Who?" Dean demanded, glaring at me.

"What is that thing doing?" Sam asked, pointing. I watched as the girl woke up slightly, glancing around wildly.

"Where am I?" she asked. "Where's my dad?" she asked.

"Shh," the Djinn said, putting her back to sleep with her blue electric hands. Her head fell forward, and she was out again. The Djinn smiled and drank some blood out of a tube in her neck. I turned away, disgusted.

The Djinn left, walking away. I walked out, going to the girl. I looked up to the light, the single light bulb that was swinging back and forth. "Oh god," I said, pacing. "I'm like her."

"What?" Sam asked, looking to where the Djinn disappeared through. "What are you talking about?"

It was all making sense now. "She's not a ghost, she's real," I said. I looked at Dean. "This isn't real. This is in my head." I felt tears welling in my eyes. "I'm like her. I'm asleep."

"No," Dean said, pulling my arm. "This is real, and we have to go. That thing could come back."

"No," I said, pulling away. "This is a dream." I pulled out the gun that I stashed in my pants and stared at it. "I can't…" I mumbled.

"Lex, what are you doing?" Sam asked.

I cocked the gun, feeling the cool metal in my hand. "If I'm dreaming, then maybe I can wake up." I gripped it tightly, my hands nearly white.

"What?" Dean asked. "No, Lex put the gun down."

"No," I said, backing away. "I want to wake up."

"Alexis," my mom said, stepping out from nowhere. "Don't do this. You can be happy here. We can all be happy here." She smiled lovingly at me.

"You couldn't just leave it alone," Dean sighed, shaking his head. "You had to know the answers, right?"

"I know that if I don't do this I'm going to die," I accused, shaking my head.

"But you can be with us," Sam said, grinning. "We can all be happy and be together. The whole time."

"Sam can marry me, and we can grow old together," Jess said.

"And Dean and I can have kids, be in love," Carmen added.

"And you can find the one too," my mom said. "We can be a family. It'll feel like years in here."

"Why can't we forget about everyone else?" Dean asked. "Why can't we stop sacrificing everything, and just live?"

I looked from Carmen, to Jess, to my mom and finally to Dean and Sam. "I-I-"I stuttered, backing up. I knew what I had to do. "I'm sorry," I said, and lifted the gun.

"LEX!"

I took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

"Lex!" Sam shouted. "Dean!"

I was confused as to why he was screaming Dean's name, but the frantic tone in his voice was making me cringe. "Hey!" he shouted, grabbing my shoulders. I could only groan. "Oh God," he sighed. "Come on. Hey. Wake up. Wake up, damn it!"

I started to see him, focusing on a very real Sam. My arms were tied above my head. "Sammy," I smiled. "Thank god."

Next to me, Dean grunted. He looked at Sam and smiled a lot like I had a second ago in relief. "Ahh… Auntie Em. There's no place like home," he remarked.

"Thank God," Sam said in relief. "Thought I lost you for a second." He pulled the IV tube out of my arm, and untied my arms. I fell to the ground in a heap. My whole body was screaming in protest.

"You almost did," Dean remarked.

Sam bent down to help me, but I pushed him away. "I'm fine," I insisted. "Help Dean down."

"Let's get you down," Sam said, turning back to Dean. He had to cut through his ropes, because they were knotted extra tight. Dean winced, as the roped cut into his hands. His eyes widened. "SAM!" He shouted.

I looked to see the Djinn behind Sam, ready to attack. Sam spun around; the Djinn already too close for comfort. The knife went flying. I groaned in pain as I tried to crawl over to where it went. This stupid Djinn had taken all my strength. I felt like I had been asleep for years. I groped on the ground for it, feeling the cool metal finally.

I jumped up and looked to where Sam was struggling against the Djinn. It had him by the throat, the blue electricity coming closer to his forehead much like it had mine. I leaped to the Djinn, stabbing it in the back without a second's hesitation. Its eyes rolled back and it fell to the ground.

I leaned back on the wall, breathing as heavily as Sam was. I thought I was going to puke for a second. Sam took the knife from me and cut Dean down the rest of the way.

Dean rolled his shoulders. "Stupid as son of a bitch," he remarked, looking at the Djinn. He sighed, and looked to the girl, who I was staring at. Dean walked up to her, feeling for a pulse. "She's still alive," Dean stated. He looked to Sam, who cut her down like he had Dean. "I gotcha," Dean said, catching her as she fell. "I gotcha. We're gonna get you out of here, ok? I gotcha."

She barely made any noise as we carried her to the Impala. "Why don't I take her?" Sam asked. "And you two can rest?"

Dean and I shared a look. "I don't want to rest," I stated, sitting in the back with the unconscious girl. "I want to make sure she's okay."

We took her to the hospital, claiming that we had "found her" passed out. They took her back but wouldn't let us go with her. "We'll call you with updates," the nurse said, taking Sam's cell phone number.

We left after that, figuring there was nothing left to do. We went to the motel room, and Sam went to go and get some food. "Dean," I stated, as soon as the door closed. "What did you see?"

He sighed. "Nothing good."

"What does that mean?" I asked. He said nothing, so I told him about what I saw. "Mom was alive," I stated. "And we didn't…get along. You thought I was just a brat. But you were married, and Sam was engaged, and …it was…surreal." I sighed when he still said nothing. "I wanted to stay."

He looked at me. "I did too," he admitted. "I…had to nearly force myself to get out." He paused. "Mom was… great. Everyone was happy, even you. You were normal. A cheerleader." He smirked at me. I didn't say a word about how it was the same in my dream world. I wasn't going to tell him that unless I wanted to get teased for the next three years. "I just wish that it wasn't completely messed up by the fact that everyone we saved was dead."

"Part of me didn't even care," I said, realizing that Dean had probably felt the same way. "I wanted to be selfish and stay there anyway."

Dean smiled slightly. "Let me guess, all you heard in your head was dad telling you that they were more important than us. That it was worth it to save them."

"Yeah," I laughed. "Exactly." I paused. "Well that and I figured out that I was being eaten by the Djinn."

"Right," Dean sighed.

Sam came back in, holding food. He placed it on the table, about to say something as his cell phone rang. I sighed and looked down to the laptop in my lap. "Ok, uh, thank you so much for the update. Ok, bye." Sam said. He looked at us. "Girl's been stabilized," he said. He sat down at the table. "Good chance she's gonna pull through."

Dean nodded. "That's good."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "How 'bout you? You two alright?" I looked up and shrugged. I wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. I was more tired than anything else.

Dean cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm alright," he said, and paused. "Should have seen it, Sam. Our lives. You were such a wussy."

Sam smiled. "So we didn't get along then, huh?"

"No…" Dean sighed.

"We hated each other," I stated from the bed.

"Yeah... I thought it was supposed to, to be this perfect fantasy," Sam said.

Dean shook his head. "It wasn't," he sighed. He put the magazine he was reading down. "Was just a wish. I wished for mom to live. That mom never died, we never went hunting and you and me just never uh... You know."

"Same," I added.

"Yeah..." Sam said softly. "Well, I'm glad we do. And I'm glad you dug yourself out, both of you. Most people wouldn't have the strength, would have just stayed."

"Yeah…lucky us," I stated, rolling my eyes. "We're the stupid ones who don't know how to stick with a good thing."

"You're smart though," Sam sighed.

"I gotta tell you though, man," Dean said getting up. "You know, you had Jess. Mom was gonna have grandkids..."

"Yeah, but... Dean...it wasn't real."Sam said.

"I know," Dean stated. "But I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay so bad. I mean, ever since dad... all I can think about is how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much." He shook his head sadly. "We've...sacrificed so much."

I looked down, not wanting to listen to him say that. I had to believe that I had gotten out for a reason. That I sacrificed that dream for a reason. "But people are alive because of you," Sam said. "It's worth it, Dean. It is. It's not fair, and… you know, it hurts like hell, but…it's worth it."

"Worth it," Dean laughed slightly. "Right."

I sat there quietly for a moment, and then stood up. "I'm going to take a walk," I announced. They said nothing in protest, so I grabbed my jacket and walked out. I walked to the back of the motel, wanting a moment to myself. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath for a moment. All I could think about was what Sam had said; that all of this pain was worth it. It rang through my head like a chant, and I could really only think of one response.

This had to be worth it, because I didn't have anything else.

**I put a poll on my profile, and i'd appreciate it if all you readers out there could take the time to answer it! Thanks!**


	53. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Eight

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! Sorry this took awhile, but I added, then took out stuff...I was having a hard time writing it. Anyway, it's here now! So enjoy Season 2 Finale Part UNO!

I own nothing but Lex!

Chapter Fifty Three

I lay in the backseat of the Impala, ignoring most of the world. I had my IPod on, and was blasting the music as loud as it would go without busting my eardrums. The only problem was that every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was my mother, smiling at me. I sat up with a sigh. "What?" Dean asked, pulling into the diner.

"Nothing," I stated, with a yawn. "Absolutely nothing. Where are we?"

"Looks like we're at Sunnyside Diner," Dean stated, stopping the car.

I looked outside at the extremely tiny diner. It was pouring rain. "Ironic," I remarked, lying back down. "Get me chicken tenders please!"

"Chicken?" Dean asked. "You're boring."

I scoffed. "Chicken is universally good, Dean."

"Yeah, well," Dean sighed. "I want the cheeseburger. And don't forget the extra onion this time, huh?" He held up money for Sam to take.

Sam grabbed it out of his hand. "Dude, we're the ones who are gonna have to ride in the car with your extra onions."

Dean just smirked. Sam got out of the car. "Hey, see if they got any pie," Dean stated. Sam gave him an annoyed look, and walked away. "Bring me some pie!" he yelled after him. "I love me some pie."

I grimaced, a sharp pain shooting through my head. I sat up, my eyes closed in pain. "Dean," I said, worriedly.

"What?" he asked. "Is it-?"

"Hang on, I don't know," I said, holding my forehead in pain. Dean turned the radio on, and all we heard was weird static and feedback. "Okay, I think that's a yeah," I said.

Dean was getting out of the car without another word. "Leave the car running, do not move," he said, walking off. There was no one in the diner. I could see through the windows.

"De," I complained, but he ignored me. I waited, hopping into the front seat. As soon as I saw Dean draw his gun, I sighed. "Screw this," I stated, and got out of the car.

I went inside, looking around at the dead people. I cautiously made my way over to Dean. The only problem was that there was no one alive and more importantly, no Sam. "Sam?" I called.

I got no response except for a glare from Dean. "I thought I told you to wait in the car?" he asked, not looking at me. He was glancing around the diner cautiously.

"I didn't want to," I shrugged. "Sue me."He shook his head, walking around the counter. There were two more dead people there, the waitress and cook. They're throats were slit.

"Sam?" Dean called, opening the back door.

I looked down. "Dean," I said, picking up some yellow stuff. I rubbed it in between my fingers. I held one up to him. "Sulfur."

Dean just ran to the entrance now frantic. "Sam? Sammy? Sam?" he called.

"Sammy!" I screamed over the roar of the rain. Thunder roared. "Sam!"

"Sammy?" Dean screamed. "SAM!"

"Dean," I said, my head still pounding. It was subsiding now, going back into more of a dull ache. "He's gone."

"Shut up," he growled. "SAM!" He walked towards the woods. "Sammy!"

"Dean!" I shouted. He ignored me, walking back to the diner full of the dead people. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, not that you could see it in this pouring rain. I was soaking wet now, my clothes clinging to my body like saran wrap. My hair fell in my face. I watched Dean rampage around, demanding to know where Sam was.

He eventually came back by the car, where I was standing and gave me this look. He looked lost and scared, like he didn't know what to do. He pulled me into this death grip of a hug, as though I might be going next. "C'mon," he said, opening the car door. "We gotta get out of here."

I got into the passenger seat of the car, wringing my hair out before I sat down. I closed the door and Dean started the car without a word. I held my head in my hands, visions passing before my eyes like I was having a seizure or something. I saw an old town, with buildings that looked like they were falling down. Was Sam there? I had no idea.

I reached into my bag behind me and pulled out the Excedrin. I popped like four pills with nothing to drink. "Hey," Dean said, glaring at me. "Take it easy. I need you alive, Lex."

"It hurts," I said, massaging my temples. "It's a freaking demon headache." I threw the pill bottle in the glove compartment. Dean was going about a million miles an hour down the highway. "Where are you going?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't even know."

I looked out the window. "We can't just run to nowhere," I complained.

Dean slammed his hands down on the steering wheel, giving me a heart attack. He glared at me. "Well what do you suggest we do then oh wise one?"

I felt tears welling up in my eyes again from the frustration. "Don't be a dick, okay? I'm freaking out too."

Dean sighed. "Yeah? Well you're not showing it."

"You're showing it enough for the both of us," I said.

He growled as the rain came down harder. "I can't freaking see anything," he complained, pulling over into the rest area that we were passing. He stopped the car, and put his head in his hands. "Alright," he said, "Why don't we call Bobby?"

"Do whatever you want," I said, throwing his phone to him. I opened the car door, and went to get out. He grabbed my arm. "What?" I asked, glaring at him. "I have to use the restroom."

"I'm coming with you," he stated, getting out of the car.

"De—"

"If you think I'm letting you out of my sight for even a minute you're nuts," he said, narrowing his eyes. I said no more, and let him follow me to the bathroom. He walked right in with me. I went to the stall and gave him a look. "I'm not following you in there," he said, with a shrug.

I scoffed and did my business as fast as I could. Then I opened the door, smacking it into Dean. "Sorry," I said.

"Yeah I bet you are," he rolled his eyes.

I turned to him. "Really?" I asked. "Stop taking this out on me, Dean. You're driving me up a wall, okay? This isn't my fault. This isn't anyone's fault. So stop or I swear to god-!"

"Lex," Dean said, sounding worried.

"What?" I screamed. He only pointed behind me to the trashcan, which was erupted in flames. I looked to him, in shock. "Was that me?" I asked.

"I think so," he said, making a move to start to put it out. He dumped water from the sink on it. "How the hell—"

"Just," I put my hand up to shut him up. "Let's call Bobby." I walked to the door and we got back into the car. I handed him his phone again, and then held my head in pain again. I saw the same town as before, except it was a different building.

"What?" Dean asked, watching me.

"Nothing," I said, "Just the same as before." I was going to tell him about the whole "vision," but it's not like it was going to help anything. I didn't have an address or anything.

He gave me a concerned look, and dialed Bobby. "Bobby," Dean said. "Sam's missing. He was—Yeah he was taken. No, I have no idea. I found sulfur. Alright. Right, meet you there." He hung up the phone and looked to me again. "I wonder why he didn't try to take you."

I scoffed. "He wants to kill me, Dean, not take me someplace." I took a deep breath. "We should call Ash too."

"You do that one," Dean said, handing me his phone. "He likes you."

I took the phone and dialed. "Ash," I said. "I need a favor."

"Do you ever call just to say hi?" he asked, with a scoff.

"Ash, Sam was…he's missing," I said, "Can you just tell me if you got anything? Anything at all?"

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Are you okay? You don't need to worry, we'll find him."

"I hope so," I sighed. "Thanks, Ash." I hung up, putting the phone on the dashboard. Dean just stared at me for a moment. "Drive, please," I stated.

He sighed and started up the Impala. I closed my eyes and leaned over, putting my head down. It was still pulsing, even after all the drugs I took. I saw the town again, like flashes before my eyes. I whimpered as my head pounded.

"Lex," Dean said, nudging me. "Ankle biter, Bobby's here wake up." I opened my eyes to see Dean staring at me worriedly. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh," I said, sitting up. I looked over Dean's shoulder. "Hey, Bobby."

"Hey, darling," he said, with a small smile. I got out of the car. Thankfully it was no longer raining.

"Whatcha got for me Bobby?" Dean asked, as Bobby pulled out a map.

"This is it," Bobby said, spreading the map on the hood of the car. "All demonic signs and omens over the past month."

Dean looked up at him like he was nuts. "You jokin'?" he asked. He pointed to the empty map. "There's nothin' here."

Bobby shrugged. "Exactly."

"Oh come on, there's gotta be something," I said. "I mean, what about the-the-the normal low level stuff. You know exorcisms, that kind of thing?"

"That's what I'm telling you guys," Bobby sighed. "There's nothin'. It's completely quiet."

"How are we supposed to look for Sam?" Dean demanded. "What? Do we just close our eyes and point?"

My phone rang. I reached into my pocket and saw it was Ash. I shut Dean up. "Ash, what do you got?" I asked.

"Ok, listen," he said. "It's a big negatory on Sam."

"Oh come on, man," Dean said grabbing the phone. "You gotta give us something. We'r-we're looking at a three thousand mile haystack here."

"Listen! Dean," He said, exasperated. "I did find something," he said quietly.

"Well, what?" Dean asked.

"Can't talk over this line, Dean," Ash whispered.

"Come on! I don't have time for this," Dean scoffed.

"Make time! Ok? 'Cause this-" he cut off. I took the phone back from Dean, shooting him a glance. "Not only does this definitely help you find your brother. This is... It's huge. So get here. Now."

"I guess we're going to the Roadhouse," I said, with a shrug. "Come on." Dean got into the car after me and I sat in the back since Bobby was with us. Out of nowhere, my head started to pound again, sending near flames across my head. I yelped and held my head in pain.

"What?" Dean asked, turning around.

"Oh god," I said, as more severe visions passed my eyes. I watched them flicker in and out. There was the half destroyed town, a bell with something weird on it, I saw a big black guy in an army uniform, I saw Ava.

"What?" Bobby asked, gripping my shoulder.

"I keep getting visions," I struggled.

Dean glared at me. "And you didn't tell me?"

"It's nothing, I mean I can't make it out," I said, shaking my head. "It's like a town or something."

"Could you be any less specific?" Dean asked, rolling his eyes.

"Hey," I said, my eyes starting to wander. "You want the weird psychic powers you can have them, Dean."

"Would both of you idgits shut up," Bobby growled. "What are you seeing?"

"I don't know, some town," I said. "Its abandoned." It soon stopped, the pain subsiding. I let go of my head, looking around and blinking away the pain. "That's all I got."

"Great," Dean sighed. "Alright, let's get to the Roadhouse." He pushed the gas pedal down and went as fast as I had ever seen him go.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We pulled up to the Roadhouse, and I knew something was very wrong the moment that we were close. As we came up the drive, all I could see was the smoke that was still coming up from the remnants of the building. I jumped out of the car before Dean or Bobby could stop me.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, walking up next to me.

I felt tears immediately welling in my eyes as I scanned the rubble. Please tell me that Ash and Ellen made it out alive. I didn't care about anyone else, even though that sounded really bad. I took another step towards the smoking rubble, Dean trying to hold me back by my arm. I quick pulled away from him. I wanted to see for myself.

I walked towards the center, noting all the random wood and other crap that was smoking. So far I saw nothing but smolders. "My God," Bobby remarked, glancing around.

"You see Ellen?" Dean called.

"No," Bobby shook his head. "No Ash either."

I looked down to see a hand sticking out. I thought I was going to puke. "Dean," I said. He came over and stared at it for a moment.

He bent down and touched it. Dean pointed to the watch on the wrist. He didn't even have to say anything and I knew. "Ahh, Ash, damn it," Dean stated, sadly.

I nearly burst into tears right there. I walked away from the rubble, my arms folded over my chest. I took deep ragged breaths. "Calm down, it's going to be okay. We have to focus on Sam," I mumbled to myself. But this was not okay.

"Darling," bobby said, walking to me and putting an arm around my shoulder. "You alright?"

"Fine," I said, bringing up a weak smirk. "I'm fine."

Bobby nodded once and then turned back to Dean. "This is..." He struggled.

Dean sighed. "What the hell did Ash know?" he asked. "We've got no way of knowing where Ellen is... or even if she's still alive. We've got no clue what Ash was gonna tell us. Now how the hell are we gonna find Sam?" I flinched after that little speech.

Bobby eyed me carefully. "We'll find him," he stated.

A wave of pain came over me for the millionth time, this time the picture crystal clear. "Alexis?" Bobby asked, grabbing onto me. "Dean?"

I tried to open my eyes, the sunlight blaring in my face. I fluttered my eyelids open a little and saw Dean struggling in pain as well. Then, Dean was gone and all I saw was that stupid bell again, but this time I could make out what was on it better.

"What was that?" Bobby asked us.

"I don't know," Dean said, looking at me. "Headache?"

"You get headaches like that a lot?" Bobby asked.

"I do," I scoffed, using his shoulder to keep myself up straight.

"No... must be the stress," Dean laughed a little. He then grunted again as the pain flooded back. "I could have swore I saw something."

"What do you mean? Like... uh, like a vision?" Bobby demanded. "Like what Sam and Lexie get?"

"What?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "No."

"I'm just sayin'," Bobby shrugged.

"Come on. I'm not some psychic," Dean scoffed.

The pain was there again, and Dean held onto the car for support. I fell to my knees. I could see Sam now, standing there looking worried. There was the bell again, a tree on it. The logo was a tree. "Dean?" Bobby asked. "Alexis!" When I opened my eyes, I was on my knees. "Are you two with me?" Bobby asked.

I nodded, unable to speak. "Yeah.. I think so," Dean gasped. He rubbed his forehead a little. "I saw… Sam," Dean choked out, looking at me to see if I saw the same thing. "I saw him, Bobby."

"It was a vision," I said.

"Yeah..." He said, with a nod. "I don't know how, but yeah." He groaned and looked to Bobby. "That was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."

"Welcome to my world," I scoffed, running a hand over my face with a sigh.

"What else did you see?" Bobby asked us.

"Uh.. There was a bell," I said, looking at him.

"What kind of bell?" Bobby asked.

"Like a big uh, big bell," Dean stated. "With uh.. some kind of engraving on it, I don't know."

"Engraving?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah," I said, "A tree,"

"Like an oak tree?" Bobby asked, narrowing his eyes.

Dean and I exchanged a glance. "Yeah, exactly," I breathed.

Bobby smirked slightly. "I know where Sam is," He stated, nearly in shock. Dean nearly jumped to the car, running as fast as he possibly could. I wasn't even sure it had registered in his brain. He just heard Sam and went with it.

I however couldn't help but look back at the cinders of the Roadhouse again, wondering if we should really _just_ leave this here. We had to go after Sam however… I sighed and backed away. "I'll send someone," Bobby whispered to me. I nodded, and got into the car again.

"Take I-72," Bobby instructed. Dean pulled onto the highway. I yawned, trying to keep myself awake. I didn't want to fall asleep.

Dean looked at me in the rearview. "Just go to sleep, Lex," he said, with a small smile. "I'll wake you up in a few hours, okay?"

"Thanks, De," I said, lying down. I stared at the roof of the car for awhile, and soon found myself dead asleep.

_I walked down the road, holding the gun steady ahead of me. This stupid werewolf had to be here somewhere. I had already seen him when he tried to escape last time. _

"_Alexis," a voice sneered. "Nice to see you again."I spun around, looking for the source. The gun in my hands went flying and smacked into the wall. "I was wondering when I was going to catch you without those stupid charms on you," he said. _

"_Where are you?" I demanded, scanning the entry of the alleyway. I turned the other way, and there he was. Yellow eyes was staring me down, his eyes catching the moonlight and shining brightly. "What do you want?" _

"_I know you're brother and you are on your way," he smirked. I narrowed my eyes. "That's right, I've been watching you." I shrugged a little, trying to look like this wasn't a big deal. His little smile faded, and he was serious. "If you two interfere, I will kill you. No torture like last time, no fooling around. I'm just going to snap your little neck." _

"_Bring it," I said, "Kill me now, I don't care." _

_He stared at me. "You know I can't do that," he stated, shaking his head. He smirked, suddenly and looked over his shoulder. "You wanna see Sammy?" he asked. _

"_I swear to God, you hurt him—"_

"_Calm down," he chuckled. "I wouldn't hurt your lil Sammy. I need him." He paused. "C'mon, let's go get him."_

_He disappeared, and I just sort of stood there extremely confused. Out of nowhere, Sam appeared in the alley. "Sam," I breathed. _

"_Lexie," he said, running up to me. "What's going on? Where's Dean?" _

"_Well isn't this just the cutest little family reunion," Yellow eyes said, leaning on the wall. "We got the two little Winchesters reunited." He stood up and walked over. "You two done?" he asked. "I have things to do after this, you know."_

"_What do you want?" Sam demanded, stepping in front of me like he was protecting me or something. _

"_I'm gonna show you both, Sammy," Yellow eyes said, and snapped his fingers. _

_I closed my eyes and the next time I opened it I saw that we were in the nursery. It wasn't me in the crib this time however, it was Sammy. "Look familiar?" Yellow eyes asked. "It should." _

_Sam stared for a moment, exchanging a glance with me. I said nothing. He started towards the crib, where yellow eyes was standing over it. "Relax, Sam," he said. "This is just a high-def instant replay." He looked to me. "Just like I showed you're sister here. Enjoy the show."_

"_John?" A voice said, from the door of the room. "Is he hungry?"_

"_Mom," Sam breathed. _

_The yellow eyes demon from the past shushed her. _

"_Okay, okay," my mom said, walking out. _

"_Hey, mom!" Sam screamed, taken aback. "MOM!" _

"_What did I just tell you, Sam?" Yellow eyes said. "She can't hear you. This isn't real." He nodded back at the bed. _

_The demon cut his wrist and dribbled blood down his wrist into Sam's mouth. "What the hell are you doing to me?" Sam demanded. _

"_Better than mother's milk," Yellow eyes remarked. _

_Sam looked disgusted. "Does this mean I have... demon-blood in me?" he asked. I grabbed his hand out of fear, trying to tell him that it didn't matter, but he just wrenched away. "Answer me!" he demanded when yellow eyes said nothing in return. _

_My mom walked back in, "No, not you," she breathed. _

"_She knew you?" I stated, confused. How would she know him?_

_Yellow eyes flung her to the wall, as the room erupted in flames. My father ran in, as soon as Yellow eyes disappeared, and pulled her off the wall and dragged her out. He ran back in after Sammy, grabbing him from the crib. "I think we've seen enough," Yellow eyes said, and snapped his fingers again. _

I burst awake, Dean's hands on my shoulders. I breathed heavily, trying to gain my breath back. "Dean," I choked. I coughed, panting and struggling to get up. I was outside of the car on the ground. "Dean, I saw Sam. I talked to Sam."

"What?" he asked, confused. "You weren't breathing. What happened?"

"Yellow eyes," I said, "He, he talked to us."

"About what?" Dean asked, curiously.

I opened my mouth to respond, and then closed it again. This was Sam's business, I wasn't sure I should really tell Dean about it. "He told me that if I came and interfered with what he was doing, he would kill me for real this time," I replied.

Dean swore and stood up straight. "We've got to get there fast," he said. "We'll can swing by Bobby's and drop you off I guess, but—"

"No," I said. "Dean, you can't do that."

"Why not?" he asked. "I can't put you in danger like that. He's going to kill you, Lex. We'll keep you away and—"

"Bobby's is like two hours back that way," I complained. "Dean, Sam is more important, I'll be fine." To make my point, I stood up even though it made me extremely dizzy. "C'mon," I got back to the car, opening the door. "We're so close."

He sighed, glancing at Bobby. Bobby only shrugged as though saying it was his call. "Fine," Dean said, getting back in the driver's seat. "But you listen to me, okay?"

"When do I not?" I scoffed, sarcastically.

"Uh-huh," he said, rolling his eyes. "Right."

"Just drive," Bobby stated, slamming the car door shut which earned him a glare from Dean. However, Dean said nothing and just started up the car again. He started back up driving.

I stared out the window as the sun went down. Eventually, we finally hit the town. It was blocked off however, abandoned years ago due to the fact that it was supposedly cursed. A fitting choice for the demon to pick, in my opinion.

We got out of the car, just sort of staring at the road block. "It looks like the rest of the way is on foot," Bobby remarked.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, going to the trunk. He pulled out a two guns, handing one to me. I shoved it in my pants. Dean grabbed a flashlight, and handed one to Bobby.

He looked at me for a moment, and then sighed. "Lex, you're staying behind."

"No, I'm not," I said, shaking my head. "I've got a gun, I'm coming."

"Get your ass in the car, Alexis," Dean said sternly. "Don't make me force you in."

"This is my fight too, Dean," I complained. "You don't get to leave me behind."

He sighed, and then out of nowhere, grabbed me. I fought tooth and nail, not caring if I hurt him at all. I really didn't want to be left behind. He got his hands under my arms, dragging me to the backseat. Before I could kick him, he had metal handcuffs around my wrist. I was so surprised I stopped fighting long enough for him to cuff it to the car and put the key in his pocket.

"Damn it, Dean," I screamed, as he slammed the door. "You can't do this!"

"I just did," he yelled back. "And if you break the handle of the car I will kill you!" He looked to bobby, who almost looked taken aback. "Let's go."

"I'll get out!" I yelled after him.

"I'll be back by then," he stated, not even looking back. "Behave!"

"Behave my ass!" I screamed, kicking at the car. He deserved it the stupid idiot. I couldn't believe he locked me in here! I struggled with the cuffs for a long time, until my wrist was red. I scoffed.

I then smirked as I saw the paper clip on the floor of the car. "I'm always prepared, Dean," I smiled. I had to bend at an awkward angle to reach it, nearly pulling my arm out of the socket. It slipped out of my fingers twice before I pulled it up.

I bent it to be straight with my teeth. Then, I started to pick the lock on the handcuff. It took me a good ten minutes, until I got it to pop off. I smirked in triumph, and got out of the car immediately. I ran in the general direction of where Dean had gone, trying my best to catch up as fast as I could.

I saw them ahead of me in mere minutes since they were walking and I was running at top speed. Dean turned around, gun pointed as he heard me approaching. "Alexis Marie!" He yelled. "I told you to stay put, dammit!"

I shrugged, not really caring how mad he was. "Did you honestly expect me to listen?"

He struggled for words, and then just gave up. "Fine," he said. "But when this mess is over, you are dead, you hear me?"

"Gotcha," I smirked to myself. We went back to walking towards the desolate town. I couldn't really see it clearly yet, but it was there.

Dean cleared his throat. "Lex," he said, "You, uh, getting anything?"

"My head hasn't stopped hurting since the diner," I stated, shaking my head. I looked ahead, suddenly seeing the giant that was my brother. I just stopped walking and pointed.

Dean spun around and looked at Sam. Sam was standing over some guy. "SAAM!" he yelled. "Sammy!" Sam turned around, and a grin lit up his face.

"Dean!" he screamed back, walking towards us.

My head seared and I gasped as I saw the guy he had been standing over moving. I looked to Dean, who seemed to have seen it as well. Dean took off at a sprint. "Sam! Look out!" he yelled.

Before Sam could even react, the guy thrust the knife into Sam. "NOOOO!" Bobby, Dean and I all screamed together. The knife came out, and Sam wobbled on his feet. The guy took off without a second glance.

Dean and I kept running, him ahead of me thanks to his stupid longer legs. He threw his arms around Sam, catching him as he fell forward. I caught up as Dean lowered him to the ground. Bobby kept going, to get the guy. I stopped with Dean, kneeling next to him. Sam grunted in pain.

"Sam," Dean said, "Whoa, Whoa, Sam, Hey, Come here, come here, let me look at you." He pulled Sam's face up. Sam looked completely out of it. I looked at the wound on his back. It was deep and big. Tears started to form in my eyes. Dean looked at the blood on his hand. "Oh, hey look, hey look at me it's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, alright?"

"Sammy," I said, as his jaw went slack. He was dying….no, he was going to be okay. He was my older brother, I needed him, so he was going to be okay. I got up to go after that guy who stabbed him. I needed my revenge.

"No," Dean said.

"I'm going to kill him," I stated coldly, pulling my gun out.

"No way in hell are you going anywhere!" Dean said, trying to keep Sam alive and upright. "Sammy, Sam! Hey, listen to me, we are going to patch you up, okay... You'll be as good as new. Huh?" Dean asked, desperately. Sam couldn't even hold his head up anymore. Dean held his face up, forcing him to look at him. "I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to take care of you. I gotcha. It's my job, right, watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother... Sam... Sam... Sam! SAMMY!"

"No," I said, shaking my head. I fell back to my knees in realization. "No!"

Sam slowly closed his eyes. "No.. no-no-no-no-no-no. Oh god... Oh god..." Dean stuttered. He clung to him desperately, not wanting to believe it. I think my own heart stopped.

It occurred to me a second later that I was hyperventilating. "No, Sam…" I cried. "Don't die, don't be dead, Sammy…"

"SAAAM!" Dean screamed.

But Sam couldn't answer, because he was dead.


	54. Season 2, Chapter Twenty Nine

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter took me forever because of school and also I rewrote it three times. It wouldn't come out like I wanted it to, but I think this is near perfect. So thanks for putting up with me =) I hope you like the end of season 2! **

**I do not own supernatural, but I do own Lexie, Logan, and Dylan. Thanks.**

**Chapter Fifty Four**

Sam was dead.

That was all I could process in my mind. It was like there was some sick and twisted chant playing those three words in my head over and over until I couldn't take it anymore. Dean was still rocking and holding Sam on the ground, blood all over him. I had blood on me as well. Everything was just…bloody.

I stood up and ran over to the brush and puked. I heaved a couple times, trying to give my body what it wanted. Dean didn't even look over. He just sat there, Sammy in his lap. I joined him again, staring wide-eyed at Sam. He was so…young looking. His eyes were partially closed, and his mouth was open. Dean scared the heck out of me by grabbing onto my shirt and holding on tight. He had a death grip on it, like he was scared to leave me be or I might die too. Tears poured down both of our faces at first, and then slowly went to nothing but choked sobs that wouldn't come.

My heart was aching in the most painful way. I found that after awhile I could barely look at Sam. It hurt too much and every time I did my heart would skip. I couldn't believe that Sammy, my older brother, who taught me how to read and to write my name, who always helped me with my homework and annoyed the crap out of me half the time, who played "who can annoy Dean the fastest" with me, was gone.

He was gone.

I gripped onto Dean's wrist, needing some sort of contact. I just needed anything to help me out, to fill the void. Bobby walked up, narrowing his eyes like he was about to cry himself. "He got away," he stated, pointing behind him at the kid who had done this.

I said nothing and to be honest I wasn't sure if Dean registered it. He just picked up Sam, carrying him like a baby. He took him into one of the houses that was here, busting in the door easily. He laid Sam down gently on the table in the one room, and then stared at him.

I stood silently next to him. After a long moment, I left and went all the way back to the car. I grabbed the colt, wanting to have it on me just in case. I picked up the bottle of whiskey as well, and sighed. I walked back into the house. Dean was still in the same position. "Here," I said, handing him the bottle.

He barely registered what I said, but took the bottle. He took a long gulp, not peeling his eyes from Sam's body. I watched him for a moment. "What are we going to do?" I asked after a minute.

He twitched. "I don't have all the answers Alexis, back off," he stated coldly. He took another sip of whiskey.

I was a little taken aback by this, not knowing how to fix it. I couldn't bring back the dead after all. I backed away until I hit the wall. I slumped down and put my head between my knees. I felt more tears coming for about the millionth time. It was like every time I finally got a moment to breathe all I wanted to do was cry my eyes out. It hurt. Everything just hurt.

The door opened, sending a wave of light into the house for a moment. Bobby walked in, Logan with him. He stepped in shutting the door behind him. "Darlin?" he asked, giving me a small and weak smile. I didn't smile back at all. I went back to staring at my feet. Bobby came over and pulled me into this monster hug. I barely breathed. "You okay?" I said nothing. One, because I couldn't breathe, and two, I had nothing to say.

"Hey," Logan said, once Bobby let me go.

I stared at him, wondering why the hell he was here. I hadn't talked to him in weeks. "Hi," I said, glaring at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you were okay," he said, stepping towards me. I stepped back.

"I'm fine," I said. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"I just—"

"Logan, we're not going out anymore, I don't want to see you anymore, get out," I snapped, leaning back on the wall. I regretted saying all that, because he really didn't deserve it. But I needed to be left alone right now. I couldn't deal with him. Logan looked at Bobby, and then went out the door without a word.

"Where is he?" Bobby asked after a long moment.

I pointed to the other room where Dean was standing and staring at the body of Sam. Bobby went over, and I went back to putting my head between my knees. "Dean?" Bobby asked. He held up a bucket of chicken he brought with him. "Brought you this back."

"No, thanks. I'm fine," Dean stated coldly.

"You should eat something," Bobby insisted.

"I said I'm fine," Dean growled.

"Dean...I hate to bring this up, I really do," Bobby said uneasily. "But don't you think maybe it's time...we bury Sam."

"No," Dean said without a second of thought. I was kind of glad for that. I wasn't ready to bury Sam either. I didn't even want to think about Sam with piles of dirt on top of him. It just didn't compute in my head.

"We could…maybe..."

Dean cut Bobby off. "What? Torch his corpse?" he demanded. He paused, gaining control of his emotions. "Not yet."

"I want you to come with me," Bobby said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Dean said.

"Dean, please," Bobby pleaded.

"Would you cut me some slack?" Dean asked, irritated.

"I just don't think you should be alone, that's all," Bobby shrugged. "I gotta admit- I could use your help." Dean just scoffed. "Somethin' big is going down- end-of-the world big."

"Well, then let it end!" Dean screamed, not even looking at Bobby. I flinched and whimpered a little bit without even realizing it.

Bobby stared at the back of Dean's head for a moment. "You don't mean that."

"You don't think so? Huh?" Dean asked. "You don't think I've given enough? You don't think I've paid enough? I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, turn around, and get the hell out of here." Bobby barely moved, so Dean turned around finally confronting him. He pushed Bobby's shoulder. "Go!" Dean then looked at his hand like it was a foreign part of him. He apparently hadn't meant to do that. Bobby just stared at Dean with tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Dean pleaded, "Please, just go."

Bobby sighed. "You know where I'll be." Bobby turned around and walked out, giving me a small glance on his way.

I waited awhile, until Dean had finished the bottle of whiskey and tossed it aside. He stared at Sam for a long, long time, while I sat huddled in the corner trying not to cry any more. I listened to my heart pound in my chest, knowing that Sam's wasn't anymore. His heart had stopped.

I walked into the same room as Dean, staring at the back of his head. "We'll get him back, Lexie," he said, not taking his eyes off of Sam. "Mark my words."

"Don't you dare do anything stupid, okay?" I said, choking on the words. "I need you too."

Dean said nothing, which scared me a little. I didn't know what was going through his head at the moment, or even if he had heard what I just said. He slammed his fist down on the table and stood up. "I need air," he stated, and walked out for the first time all day.

I stared at Sam for a moment. "Sammy," I sighed, going over to him. Even though he was dead, I grabbed his hand like he was just sleeping or something. I always thought touching a dead person was creepy, but it wasn't really bad. He was cold and clammy though, like a rock instead of my brother.

"You were always a great big brother," I stated, squirming a little. "You taught me everything you could. You taught me that there's more to life than hunting, even if I didn't want to listen. I can have anything I want, even if maybe yours didn't work out. I'm sorry Sam, I'm so sorry." I struggled to keep my tears in, not wanting to cry again. "I wish I could fix this. I wish there was a way."

Dean came back in, and gave me a small glance. I immediately backed away. He flinched at this, like he was sorry, but he couldn't fix it right now. He looked at Sam and finally took a seat next to him, with a sigh. "You know, when we were little- you couldn't been more than 5- you just started asking questions," Dean stated, and I knew he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to Sammy. "How come we didn't have a mom? Why do we always have to move around? Where'd Dad go when he'd take off for days at a time? I remember I begged you- "Quit asking, Sammy. Man, you don't want to know." He chuckled softly. "I just wanted you to be a kid...Just for a little while longer. I always tried to protect you...Keep you safe...Dad didn't even have to tell me. It was just always my responsibility, you know? It's like I had one job... I had one job..." His voice started to break. "And I screwed it up. I blew it. And for that, I'm sorry."

His breathing was ragged. He wiped a tear. "I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love. I let Dad down. And now I guess I'm just supposed to let you down, too. How can I? How am I supposed to live with that? What am I supposed to do? Sammy. God. What am I supposed to do?" He inhaled sharply, trying to hold it in but unable to any longer. "What am I supposed to do?" he screamed. He spun around and nearly ran towards the door, car keys in hand.

"Where are you goin?" I demanded, stopping him.

"To fix this," he said, refusing to meet my eyes.

"How?" I asked. He ignored me. I tried to slow him down, but he was dead set on leaving. "Dean, how do you fix this?" I called as he ran out. I ran after him desperately. "Take me with you."

"No, stay here," he instructed, pointing back to the house. I looked back towards the house for a moment, knowing Sam was in there. "I'll be right back."

I tried to get in the car anyway, but he had locked the doors. He narrowed his eyes at me, but I just glared back. "You're going to do something stupid," I accused.

"Get out of the way," he said, starting the car. He hadn't told me I was wrong. Even though I really didn't want to, I backed away so he could leave. He revved the engine and took off, tires squealing. I went back inside angrily, new frustrated tears running down my cheeks. I punched into the wall, needing to feel something, anything that would make it better.

All it did was make my hand hurt.

I yelled in annoyance, and held my hand as I fell against the wall. I leaned my head on it, just so mad and annoyed I didn't want to move. I didn't move for a long time, until I felt eyes on me. I turned around to see familiar eyes looking at me. "Dylan," I stated. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard from Bobby," he shrugged, nonchalantly. "I wanted to see for myself, make sure you were okay."

"If I didn't want to hear from my ex, why would I want to see you?" I demanded, angrily.

He didn't seem offended at all. "Because I've been through this before," he said lightly. "I thought maybe I could help."

"I don't want your help," I said, turning away. "Please leave me alone."

"Alright, whatever," he said, coolly. "Call me if you need anything then." He gave me a supportive smile, and then went to the door without another word. I didn't even have to fight him on it. I was slightly amazed that he left like that so easily. It took me yelling at Logan to get him to even consider leaving.

I went back to waiting for Dean, staring at Sam. I was getting really uncomfortable as the sun started to go down. So, I started to talk again. "I was five," I started, watching Sam. "Dad wouldn't let me start school yet, so you started to teach me things yourself. You taught me to read that stupid Dr. Seuss book from the library that I'm pretty sure I more memorized than read." I stopped, laughing a little, which felt sort of weird. "I was so excited to show Dean and dad, I don't think I stopped to thank you." I paused, smiling a little. "So thanks, Sammy." I stood up and went to walk out of the room, wanting some air or something.

Sam shot upward, nearly giving me a heart attack. He took in a huge breath, inhaling since he had no air in his lungs. He looked around wildly, eyes darting from left to right. I backed into the wall in surprise, looking at him like he was a ghost. "What happened?" he asked, looking at me. I sputtered, not able to answer his question. "What?" he asked, he grabbed as his back as he moved.

"Christo?" I asked, quietly. Sam acted like he didn't hear me at all so I took that as a good sign. "You feel okay?" I asked, louder.

"My back hurts I guess, but I don't feel sick," he said. "What the heck happened?" he demanded. He swung his legs over the table, getting up. "And why are you looking at me like that?"

"Hey, uh," I said, ignoring his question. "You thirsty?"

He gave me a funny look. "Sure," he shrugged. He got up and went towards the mirror. I grabbed a water bottle that I knew had holy water in it, put it in a glass, and handed it to Sam in the hall. He took a long gulp, not even flinching. I relaxed a little, realizing that he was really back.

"You're…back," I whispered. I pulled him into a tight hug.

"Ow," he remarked. "What are you doing?" he laughed.

"Nothing," I said, as he pulled me off. "I just was worried about you is all." He gave me a funny look. "You were out for awhile."

"Right," he said, going back to the mirror. He lifted up his shirt in the back, examining the stab wound. It was fairly large, crossing over his spine. There was a light pink scar in the place of where the wound used to be.

I heard the Impala come up and ran to the door. I opened it as Dean came up the steps. "He's awake," I stated, glaring at him.

He said nothing to me, just going in excitedly to see Sam for himself. Sam was still looking at his back in the mirror. "Sammy," Dean breathed, his face lighting up. Apparently he hadn't believed me.

"Hey," Sam said, not even realizing how huge this was. Dean pulled Sam into a hug much like I had, refusing to let him go. "Ow. Uh, Dean..."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, man. I'm just...I'm just happy to see you up and around, that's all," Dean said, grinning like a mad man. "Come on, sit down."

We walked over to the table and sat around it. I didn't take my eyes off of Dean, demanding an answer as to why he ran out of here, and what the hell he had been up to and why Sam was talking to me right now. "Okay. Dean...what happened to me?" Sam asked.

I looked at Sam, and then glared back at Dean. "Well, what do you remember?" Dean asked, avoiding my gaze.

"I-I saw you and Bobby, and...I felt this pain," Sam said, flinching as he recalled the memory. "This sharp pain, like...like, white-hot, you know, and then you started running at me, and...that's about it."

"Yeah, that- that kid, stabbed you in the back," Dean started. "You lost a lot of blood. It was pretty touch and go for awhile."

"Very touch and go," I stated, wondering why Dean wasn't telling the truth.

"But Dean, you can't patch up a wound that bad," Sam said, "And Lex can't either."

"No, Bobby could," Dean said quickly, trying to sound natural. I could see the lie right on his face, but it didn't seem Sam could. Either that, or Sam wasn't showing it. "Who was that kid, anyway?" Dean asked.

"His name's Jake," Sam said, shaking his head. "Did you get him?"

"No, he disappeared into the woods," I replied, a little irritated. He wouldn't have gotten away if I was allowed to go after him.

"We got to find him, Dean," Sam said, determinedly. "And I swear I'm gonna tear that son of a bitch apart." He stood up, going to exit.

Dean stood up and stopped him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there, Van Damme," Dean said. "You just woke up, all right? Let's get you something to eat. Huh? You want something to eat?" Sam slowly nodded, giving in. "I'm starving. Come on."

We got into the car, and Dean drove to the next town over, grabbing a quick pizza. We went right back to the house, Dean and Sam munching on the pizza like there was no tomorrow. At first, I was a little too upset to eat, but then I realized how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten in a long time.

"So what happened?" I asked, as we ate. "From the diner onwards I mean?"

Sam sighed, taking a bite. "Well, I woke up in some house, like this one," he started. "There were other people here, like Ava and Andy, and Jake."

"All the other psychic children?" I asked.

"I guess," Sam shrugged. "He brought us all there." He took another bite of the pizza. "And apparently Ava had been here for months, she had been killing everyone off, and then my group came. She killed Andy, and this other girl Lily, and then Jake killed her…"

"Sounds like a blood fest," Dean said.

"And that's when you guys showed up," Sam finished.

"That's awful," I stated. "Poor Andy." Dean gave me a funny look. "What?" I asked. "I liked him."

"The demon said he only wanted one of us to walk out alive," Sam added.

"He told you that?" Dean asked.

"Yep," Sam scoffed. "He appeared in a dream. Lex was there."

"He tell you anything else?" Dean asked, looking at either of us.

I looked to Sam. Sam slowly shook his head. "No. No. That was it. Nothing else," Sam said. I looked away, just nodded a little in agreement. If he didn't want to tell Dean, I wasn't to judge. "You know, what I don't get, Dean, is if the demon only wanted one of us, then how did Jake and I both get away?" Sam asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I mean, they left you for dead," Dean said. "I'm sure they thought it was over." He took a large bite of pizza. "So now that Yellow Eyes has Jake, what's he gonna do with him?

"I don't know. But whatever it is, we gotta stop him," Sam said.

"Well, hold on," Dean said, putting a hand up to slow him down. "You need to get your rest. We got time."

"No, we don't," Sam stated.

Dean sighed. "Sam, oceans aren't boiling, okay? Frogs aren't raining from the sky. Let's get you your strength back first."

"Well did you call the roadhouse?" Sam asked desperately. "Do they know anything?"

"Yeah," Dean said slowly, and I bit my lip.

"...what is it?" Sam asked, looking from one of us to the other.

Dean looked at his feet for a moment. "The roadhouse burned to the ground. Ash is dead. Probably Ellen- a lot of other hunters, too."

Sam's face hardened as he took it in. "Demons?"

"Yeah, we think so," Dean nodded. "We think because Ash found something."

"What did he find?" Sam asked.

"Bobby's working on that right now," I replied.

"Well, come on then. Bobby's only a few hours away," Sam said, standing up. Dean stopped him by grabbing his shoulders again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, Sam, stop. Damn it," He glared at him. "You almost died there. I mean, what would I have- you just take care of yourself for a little bit, huh? Just for a little bit?"

Sam stared back at him, and then sighed. "I'm sorry. No."

"Right," Dean said, shaking his head. "Of course not." He picked up the now empty pizza box. "I'm going to go pack up then."

"I'll help you," I said, following him. I was going to get him alone, I needed to know what he had done. Dean gave me a knowing look as I walked right behind him outside. He opened the trunk, and I let him have it.

"Dean, what the hell?" I demanded, pointing back to the house. "What the hell did you do?"

"I saved Sam, okay?" he said, with a shrug that told me he clearly was not telling me the truth.

"You brought him back from the dead, Dean. You don't just do a rain dance and have someone magically come back," I accused.

"Let it go," he said, as Sam walked out.

I scoffed and got into the car. Sam got in after me, shooting me a weird look. I waved a dismissive hand at him. Dean glared at me. "Don't take it out on Sam," he accused. I went to flick him off, but he grabbed my arm. "Show me the finger, I cut it off," he smirked.

I wrenched my wrist out of his grip, and lay down so that I couldn't see him. I went over in my mind all the ways he could have possibly brought Sam back to life. I honestly wasn't coming up with any answers except…

I sat bolt upright in the backseat, suddenly knowing what Dean had done. "No way," I said, "Dean…"

"You're right," Dean said, glaring at me to shut up. "Why don't you call Bobby to tell him we're coming."

"Sure," I said, after a moment. "I'll call him right now." I picked up my phone, and dialed Bobby. "Hey," I said, as he answered. "So we're on our way to your house."

"You got Dean to leave?" Bobby asked, in shock.

"Wasn't hard," I said. "Sam's with us. He's up and around now."

Bobby said nothing for a long time, and then started cussing. "Sam's alive?"

"And kicking," I stated. "So uh, we'll be there in," Dean held up a finger. "An hour," I finished.

"Got it," he said. "I'll be waiting."

I flipped the phone shut. "Bobby's happy to hear you're feeling a lot better, Sam," I said, not even looking at Sam, but at Dean. "He says he's waiting for us."

Dean nodded once. I nodded back. I was going to get this out of him one way or another so help me God.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

I knocked on Bobby's door since it was locked. Bobby opened the door and his eyes fell on Sam with astonishment. Apparently he hadn't believed me on the phone. "Hey, Bobby," Dean said, to get him to stop staring.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam said.

"Sam," Bobby said, a little breathlessly. "It's good to see... you up and around."

"Yeah, well... thanks for patching me up," Sam said, with a small smile.

"Don't mention it," Bobby said, blinking in confusion.

"Well Sam's better. And we're back in it now, so..." Dean said, trying his best to make it less awkward. "What do you know?"

"Well, I found something," Bobby said, shaking his head. He turned to walk into the living room. "But I'm not sure what the hell it means," he added.

"What is it?" I asked, following him in.

"Demonic omens...like a frickin' tidal wave," Bobby replied. "Cattle deaths. Lightening storms. They skyrocketed from out of nowhere. Here," He pointed to the map on the desk of Wyoming. "All around here, except for one place...Southern Wyoming."

"Wyoming?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. That one area's totally clean – spotless," Bobby said. "It's almost as if..."

"What?" Sam asked, interested.

"The demons are surrounding it," I said, looking at the map. Bobby nodded at me in agreement.

"But you don't know why?" Dean asked.

"No, and by this point my eyes are swimming. Sam, would you take a look at it? Maybe you could catch something I couldn't," Bobby suggested.

"Yeah, sure," Sam said, sitting at the desk.

"Come on, Dean," Bobby said. "I got some more books in the truck. Help me lug 'em in." He gave Dean a look.

Dean sighed. "Yeah," he said, and followed him out.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, looking confused. "What am I missing?"

"Not sure," I lied, with a shrug. "I'm going to go spy and find out." I smirked at Sam, trying to make my point.

He smirked back. "I expect details when you get back!"

I walked out to see Bobby yelling at Dean. "You stupid ass! What did you do? What did you do?" Bobby asked. He pushed Dean slightly to make his anger known, as though it wasn't before.

"Dean…" I said, walking up. "You made a deal...For Sam, didn't you?"

Dean said nothing, looking at the ground. That was how I knew I guessed right, no matter how much I wanted to be wrong. "How long did they give you?" Bobby asked.

"Bobby," Dean said.

"How long?" Bobby yelled.

Dean wavered a little. "One year."

"What?" I demanded, backing away. "That's it?" Dean looked at me like he wanted to say something, but I ran away before he could even react. I took off at a high speed run back to the house. First I lose Sam, and to get him back I have to lose Dean? How in the hell was that fair?

Sam looked at me when I entered in the house. "Well?" he asked, and frowned at my expression.

"I got nothing," I stated, shrugging again. I hid the anger and tears that were threatening to spill over. "They saw me. Told me to leave." I felt a tear near the brink and wiped it.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," I laughed slightly. "It just hit me that you almost were gone forever." I took a straggling breath. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Uh, thanks, I'm glad too," he laughed uneasily. "You wanna help me?"

"Sure," I said, walking over. I looked down at the map, and the books barely even reading it. I was too busy trying not to think about Dean's deal to think about much else.

A couple minutes later, Bobby, Dean and Ellen walked in. "Ellen," I said happily. "I thought you died!"

"I almost did," she stated, with a small smirk.

"Sit," Bobby said, pulling a chair out from the table. She sighed and sat down. Bobby sat opposite her, and handed her a shot from a flask. I knew it was Holy Water. He pushed it to her.

"Bobby, is this really necessary?" Ellen asked.

"Just a belt of Holy Water, shouldn't hurt," Bobby said.

Ellen lifted the glass, taking the shot without a flinch. "Whiskey now, if you don't mind," she said, tossing the shot glass back.

"Ellen, what happened?" Dean asked. "How'd you get out?"

"I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be in there with everybody else," She said. She then scoffed. "But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. It was just dumb luck." She took the whiskey Bobby poured her and sighed. "Anyway, that's when Ash called. Panic in his voice. He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back, the flames were sky-high. And everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes."

"Sorry, Ellen," I choked out.

Ellen was tearing up. "A lot of good people died in there. And I got to live," she stated. She scoffed again. "Lucky me."

"Ellen, you mentioned a safe," Bobby said.

Ellen nodded. "A hidden safe we keep in the basement."

"Demons get what was in it?" Dean asked.

Ellen shook her head this time. "No," she said. She pulled out a map, spreading it out on the table. She backed off, letting us make sense of it.

"Wyoming," I stated, looking at Bobby.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked. He pointed at the lines that had been drawn on the map. I touched them, tracing from one to the other absentmindedly.

Bobby looked at them and then picked up a book. He flipped through it for only a minute, and then looked up in disbelief. "I don't believe it," he remarked.

"What? You got something?" Sam asked.

"A lot more than that," Bobby said excitedly. He pointed to the X's. "Each of these X' is an abandoned frontier church- all mid 19th century. And all of them built by Samuel Colt"

"Samuel Colt?" I asked.

"The demon-killing, gun making Samuel Colt?" Dean asked.

"Yep," Bobby nodded. "And there's more." He looked back down at the map. "He built private railway lines connecting church to church. It just happens to lay out like this." He grabbed a marker and drew in the rail lines on the map. They made a star shape.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Dean said, in surprise.

"It's a Devil's Trap," Sam and I said together. "A 100-square mile Devil's Trap," Sam added.

"That's brilliant. Iron lines demons can't cross," Dean said with a huge grin.

"I've never heard of anything that massive," Ellen said.

Bobby shook his head. "No one has."

"And after all these years none of the lines are broken?" Dean asked. "I mean, it still works?"

"Definitely," Sam said. I looked at him to explain. "All those omens Bobby found. I mean the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in."

"Yeah, well...they're trying," Bobby said.

"Why? What's inside?" Ellen asked.

"That's what I've been looking for," Dean said. "And, uh, there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle."

"Well what's so important about a cemetery or...what's Colt trying to protect?" Sam asked.

"Well, unless..." I trailed off. I was thinking about…but…

"Unless what?" Bobby asked.

I frowned. "What if Colt wasn't trying to keep the demons out? What if he was trying to keep something in?"

"Well that's a comforting thought," Ellen remarked.

"Yeah, you think?" I asked, with a small smirk.

"Could they do it, Bobby? Could they get inside?" Sam asked.

"This thing's so powerful, you'd practically need an A-bomb to destroy it," Bobby shook his head. "No way a full-blood demon gets across."

"No," Sam said, looking at me. I knew what he was thinking. "But I know who could."

The door to Bobby's opened and shut, making everyone jump. "Singer?" a familiar voice said. Joshua, Logan's dad, walked in. He stopped in front off all of us. "Need some help?"

"Hey Josh," Bobby said, with a nod. "We'd sure appreciate it, thanks." Logan walked in behind his father, avoiding my gaze. His eyes widened when he saw Sam. "Yeah," Bobby said, to shut him up quick. "Sam's healed. Shocker, I thought he was a goner too."

Logan frowned and then finally looked at me, like I really had something to do with that. I looked at Dean, with a sigh. "Well," Sam said, completely oblivious to the situation. "We should probably head out."

"Lex," Dean said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Will you call Dylan? Tell him we some more reinforcements to come?"

"Sure," I said, a little confused. I wasn't sure why we needed so many freaking people, but whatever. I went into the other room and dialed Dylan's number. "Hey," I said, as he picked up. "How far away are you from Bobby's?"

"Like ten minutes," he replied.

I scoffed. "What, are you stalking me now?"

"I was…" He trailed off. "I knew you were around and I wanted to make sure that you weren't going to need me before I took off."

"Well guess what?" I said, rolling my eyes. "Turns out I do."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Well…" I looked over to where Sam was sitting next to Dean at the table. Dean was looking at the floor sadly and defeated. "You might want to come here."

"I'm on my way," he stated, without another question.

I hung up the phone and turned around to see Logan staring at me. "What?" I asked.

"Who is Dylan?" he asked curiously.

"A friend," I replied, pushing past him. I went back into the kitchen. "He's coming," I said. "He's close too. Should be here in a few."

"Awesome, we'll head out when he gets here," Sam said, grabbing the map and packing it up into his duffel.

"Well don't you know, take a minute to think about it," Dean said, rolling his eyes. Sam ignored him and went to the car without a word. "We don't even have a plan!" Dean shouted after him.

"So what's going on?" Dylan asked, walking in. Sam walked past him, and stopped. Sam left out the door without a word. Dylan looked at me, wide-eyed. "Wasn't he dead about eight hours ago?"

"We've got bigger fish to fry," Dean said, cutting off my response. He sent me a warning glance to keep my mouth shut. "We'll fill you in, but we've got to go."

"Where are we going?" Dylan asked.

"Wyoming," We all said together.

"Oh," Dylan said, following me out. Logan shot him an angry glance as he shoved out the door in front of him. He looked from him to me and smirked. "He's your ex, ain't he?"

"How'd you know that?" I asked. Dylan grinned, and patted me on the shoulder. He walked off without another word.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSPNSPNSPN

We got to the cemetery as the sun went down. We waited it out, just watching for Jake to come. I stayed with Ellen, since I was avoiding almost everyone else. "What's going on between all of you?" she asked, kneeling in the shadows. "You Winchesters have more issues than anyone, I swear."

"It's a long story," I said, looking to Dean and Sam, who were whispering violently back and forth. "You don't want to know, trust me."

Jake, the kid who stabbed Sam, walked into the cemetery. He made his way to the crypt in the center. Sam hopped out, gun in hand. "Howdy, Jake," he stated coldly.

We all followed him out, all eight of us. Jake's eyes widened. "Wait...you were dead," he stated. "I killed you."

"Yeah?" Sam asked. "Well next time, finish the job."

"I did! I cut clean through your spinal cord, man," Jake said. Sam looked uneasy. "You can't be alive. You can't be."

"Okay, just take it real easy there, son," Bobby said.

Jake's expression hardened. "And if I don't?"

"Wait and see," Sam stated.

"What, you a tough guy all of a sudden?" Jake snorted. "What are you gonna do-kill me?"

Sam shrugged. "It's a thought."

"You had your chance," Jake said. "You couldn't."

Sam narrowed his eyes seriously. "I won't make that mistake twice."

Jake laughed a little bit. "What are you smiling at, you little bitch?" Dean demanded.

"Hey Lady, do me a favor. Put that gun to your head," Jake said, looking at Ellen. Ellen slowly raised her gun to her head. Jake smiled. "See that Ava girl was right. Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn."

"Let her go," I said, looking desperately at Ellen.

"Shoot him," Ellen said, trembling a little.

"You'll be mopping up skull before you get a shot off," Jake stated. He looked at all of us. "Everybody, put your guns down. Except you, sweetheart." Everyone except for me and Sam were forced to put their guns down.

"No," I said, with a small smile.

"Oh, you're special too, huh?" Jake smirked. You want me to shoot your friend?" Jake asked. I looked to Sam for advice, because he was still holding his gun too. Sam put his gun down, and I slowly followed reluctantly. "Okay. Thank you."

Jake turned around and took out the colt. He went to the crypt and inserted it into the middle. Dean and Bobby pulled the gun away from Ellen before she could shoot herself. Sam quickly shot Jake four times in the back. Sam stepped over him, glaring at him.

Jake whimpered. "Please...don't. Please."

Sam said nothing, shooting him three more times mercilessly. Jake's eyes closed. He was dead.

What Sam did probably would have bothered me if not for the magical turning crypt in front of me. Out of nowhere, they stopped, aligned in some spiral design. "Oh, no," Bobby said.

"Bobby, what is it?" Dylan asked.

"It's hell," Bobby said. Dean pulled the Colt out of the crypt. "Take cover-now!" Bobby screamed, running back.

We all ran behind tombstones, ducking for cover as the door exploded open. Dean held me by my shoulders, pinning me back so that the whirlwind wouldn't carry me off. It was that powerful. Demons erupted shooting up into the sky.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean screamed over the noise.

"That's a devil's gate. A damn door to hell," Ellen shouted back. She grunted and tried to get up. "Come on! We gotta shut that gate!"

Dean let me go, but looked down at the Colt. "If the demon gave this to Jake...then maybe..."

I felt a force pull me back, throwing me sideways. Yellow eyes walked past me. He took the Colt from Dean, and smirked. "A boy shouldn't play with Daddy's guns," he remarked. He threw Dean into the air, making him smack into a tombstone.

"Dean!" I screamed, coughing. Sam heard me, letting go of the door and running to help.

Yellow eyes immediately pinned him to a tree. "I'll get to you in a minute, champ. But I'm proud of you-knew you had it in you." He looked to Dean, paralyzing him with a glance. "Sit a spell," he stated. "Gimme a minute to take care of sissy, okay?"

He turned to me. "Oh, I've been waiting for this," he said, a huge grin on his face. "You've been a real pain in my ass girl."

"I got to ask," I said, as he pulled me up. "Why do you want to kill me so bad if at first you made me?"

He smirked. "Oh sweetie, you're not one of mine. I didn't give you any of my sweet blood. You're not even close."

"Then why?" I asked.

"Don't know what to tell you," he said. "Not even sure what to call it. A divine intervention?" He shrugged, tightening his grip on me. "Too bad it didn't work."

I could barely breathe. I thought about Dean and his stupid deal, about Sam and the look on his face when he fought Jake, and about Dylan and Logan. "Do it," I said, glaring at him. "Kill me."

Yellow eyes smirked. "No problem."

He flicked his wrist, sending me spiraling right to the doors to hell.

SPNSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

A week later, I could still feel myself falling, or I thought I did anyway. It was a weird feeling to say the least. It was like there was no air rushing by, no sinking feeling in my gut, there was nothing that felt like I was falling except the impending fire at the end.

That was when I started to feel it again; the incessant pain; the ripping and tearing away at my flesh. Claws and knives and blades scraping away at my skin, blood pouring out. And then, just when I thought that there was nothing left, it started all over again. Bones crunching, screams that I wasn't sure were even my own filled my ears. I wished they would gouge my ears out just to make it stop. I didn't want to hear it anymore.

Then, it stopped.

"Alexis," a familiar voice breathed.

I opened my eyes. "Dad?"

I didn't see him. I felt his presence but I couldn't find him anywhere. "You can get out," he said. "You need to get out of here."

I tried to move, only to have the chains that were holding me down clamp down tighter. Snarls and growls filled my ears. "I can't" I cried.

"Move Peanut," he said. "Now."

I wrenched away, pulling the strength from somewhere else. I struggled to escape, pulling as hard as I could. I soon felt the chains pull loose, and I was free. My body naturally started to rise out of the endless pit. I could still see the place where I entered, but it looked miles away. I moved too slowly, clawing at thin air to go faster.

"No," voices growled. "No."

I reached the top after what felt like hours. When my hands touched the grass, the pure earth, my heart soared. Finally, finally I was free.

I could feel everything around me begging me to come back down. Bobby saw me, his eyes widening. He pulled me out, gripping my arms and yanking me over the edge. There were scratches all over me, my skin tinged with blood.

I saw Dean where I left him, attached to the tombstone. It had been days though, what the heck? Time was different in hell.

"Anyway...thanks a bunch," yellow eyes said to Dean. I pulled out of Bobby's grip, running over as the demon cocked the Colt. "I knew I kept you alive for some reason. Until now, anyway. I couldn't have done it without your pathetic, self-loathing, self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family." Yellow eyes went to shoot, and even though I was screaming, there was nothing I could do.

Out of the shadows, my father appears, grabbing onto the demon. The body fell to the ground, the demon falling out of it. The gun fell to the ground. I ran over, Dean's eyes lighting up as he saw me. He hadn't thought I was coming back either. I looked at the demon and my father wrestling on the ground. I grabbed the Colt.

The demon re-entered the body, and I handed the colt to Dean without a word. This was his job, not mine. He took it without a question, and as yellow eyes stood up, he shot one single bullet right into him. The demon looked shocked, staring at us three in surprise. With one last little shock, he fell to the ground, dead.

Bobby, Ellen, Dylan, Logan, and Joshua finally got the gate to close. My father stood there, blinking in and out. He smiled at us, putting his hand on Dean's shoulder. I was crying again, but this time, I really wasn't sad. My father smiled at me, giving me a nod which I returned, and then stepped back.

He disappeared into nothing.

I looked back down at Yellow eyes, sniffling. "Well, check that off the to-do list," Dean stated.

"No," I said, staring at him. I kicked him as hard as I could in the side, wanting to do so much more. "Okay, now I'm good."

"You did it," Sam said to Dean in astonishment.

"I didn't do it alone," Dean said.

"Do you think Dad really...do you think he really climbed outta hell?" Sam said.

"The door was open," Dean said. "If anyone's stubborn enough to do it...it would be him."

"He helped me to get out," I said, looking back at the door. "He saved me."

Sam and Dean shared a glance. "Where do you think he is now?" Sam asked after a moment.

"I don't know," Dean stated.

"I kind of can't believe it, Dean," Sam said. "I mean...our whole lives, everything...has been prepping for this, and now I..." he chuckled. "I kind of don't know what to say."

"Me either," I snorted.

"I do," Dean said, kneeling next to the body. "That was for our mom...you son of a bitch."

He stood up as Logan walked over. Sam and Dean shared a glance again and then headed to the car. I looked up at Logan. "I thought you were hellfire," he stated, uneasily.

"I was," I said.

"Yeah well…"

"I didn't mean it," I said, quickly. By the way he relaxed I knew that he knew what I was talking about without having to explain.

"really?" he asked.

"Really," I said. "I was just…pissed. But I still don't want to be with you anymore like…that."

"Right," he said, with a sad nod. "I figured that."

"I'm sorry," I said, with a small shrug.

He looked past me, over to Dylan who was smiling and talking to Bobby. "You really like him," he stated. It wasn't a question.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning.

"The way you look at him…" he trailed off. "Its how you used to look at me." I looked back at Dylan, narrowing my eyes. I wasn't sure how I felt. By the time I turned to tell Logan this, he was walking away with his father.

I sighed, and headed to the car.

"You know, when Jake saw me...it was like he saw a ghost," Sam scoffed. "I mean, hell, you heard him, Dean. He said he killed me."

"I'm glad he was wrong," Dean said, looking at the ground.

"I don't think he was, Dean," Sam said. "What happened...after I was stabbed?"

"I already told you," Dean stated.

"Not everything," Sam frowned.

"Sam, we just killed the demon," Dean said. "Can we celebrate for a minute?"

Sam huffed. "Did I die?"

"Oh, come on," Dean scoffed.

"Lex?" Sam asked me. I said nothing, avoiding his gaze. "Lex, tell me."

"I'm not saying anything Sammy," I stated.

Sam sighed and turned back to Dean. "Did you sell your soul for me, like Dad did for you?"

"Oh, come on! No!" Dean shouted defensively.

"Tell me the truth," Sam said, narrowing his eyes. "Dean, tell me the truth." Dean still said nothing. "How long do you get?" he asked.

Dean's eyes were watering. "One year. I got one year."

"You shouldn't have done that," Sam said. "How could you do that?"

"I asked him the same thing," I scoffed.

"Don't get mad at me. Don't you do that," Dean said. "I had to. I had to look out for you. That's my job."

"And what do you think our job is?" Sam said, pointing to me and him.

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

"You've saved my life over and over. I mean, you sacrifice everything for me. For me and Lex. Don't you think I'd do the same for you?" Sam asked. "You're my big brother. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"Yeah Dean," I agreed. "You do everything for us. You've taken care of me forever."

"Yeah," Sam said. "And I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna get you out of this. Guess I gotta save your ass for a change."

"Yeah," Dean scoffed.

Ellen walked up. "Well...Yellow Eyed Demon might be dead. But a lot more got through that gate."

"How many, you think?" Dean asked.

"Hundred. Maybe two hundred," Sam said. "It's an army. He's unleashed an army."

"Hope to hell you boys are ready," Bobby said, looking at the sky. "'Cause the war has just begun."

"Well, then," Dean said, opening the trunk. He tossed the Colt inside and smirked. He closed the trunk with a thud. I looked from Sam, to Dean, to Bobby and Ellen, and finally to Dylan, who was smiling.

"We got work to do."

**And thus ends season 2! Hit me up with some reviews and lemme know what you thought. Tell me what you liked, didn't like, ideas for season three…Whatever! Love you guys!**

**Also, this story is going on a super mini hiatus for now. I have finals coming up, and I don't have a lot of time to write. I'll work on it when I can, but I more than likely won't get a lot done. I'll get back to regular updates asap! I promise!**

**Please review!**


	55. Season 3, Chapter One

**A/N: I'M BAAACCCKKKK! **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review! All of you rock and make me so happy! Special thanks goes to my boy Josh on this chapter since he helped me out with it! Thanks Boyfriend! 3**

**Chapter Fifty Five**

I was sick of the silence in the car. It was nearly deafening. Dean started stoically out the window, focusing all his energy on driving. For awhile, I wasn't even sure he was awake. I mean, he was even going the speed limit. Dean never, ever went the speed limit. He always had to get everywhere as fast as possible. Sam on the other hand stared moodily out the passenger window, letting out frustrated sighs every now and again. Eventually he picked up my father's journal and started leafing through it.

I leaned towards the front of the car, watching both of them up close for awhile. Dean's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. He smiled at me almost apologetically. I leaned back and sighed. Dean sighed as well, pulling into the upcoming rest stop. "Gotta pee," he stated, getting out of the Impala.

Sam and I watched him go, both of us silent. "Lexie," Sam said after a moment. "We have to break Dean's deal."

"I know, Sammy," I stated. "And we will." I put my hand on his shoulder. "We have to."

"I don't even know where to start," he admitted, sighing. He put his head in his hands in defeat.

"You think I do?" I scoffed. I paused with a short sigh. "Why don't we head to Bobby's for now? Maybe his library of random knowledge will help."

"We could mention it to Dean," Sam said, nodding. "Try to get him to agree."

"Let me talk to him," I said, opening the car door. I could see Dean over by the coffee machine, staring at it. I gave Sam a wish-me-luck glance and then headed towards him.

Dean looked up at me, his expression cold. "If you can here to talk, I'm not in the mood for any of your chick flick moments."

I shrugged. "I just came for some M&Ms," I said. I ignored him and looked into the vending machine thoughtfully.

"Good," Dean replied, going back to the coffee. "Because I don't feel like putting up with your and Sam's crap."

"I'll make note of that," I nodded. I pressed the button, grabbed the M&Ms and opened them. I ate a few and then held out the bag to Dean. "Want one?"

"No," he said. He looked back towards the car where Sam was staring at us. As soon as Sam realized Dean was looking at him, he abruptly looked away. Smooth, Sammy. Dean turned back to me. "What were you and Sam talking about?"

"Oh," I said, chewing. "Just about how we thought maybe we should head to Bobby's for a few days. You know, head up, look for some hunts."

"Uh-huh," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Plus I personally thought that I wanted to go get some R&R after being thrown into hell and all." I popped some more M&Ms into my mouth and looked up at him expectantly. He had this pained look on his face like I slapped him.

"How was that?" he asked, nervously. Neither Sam nor he had actually mentioned it to me yet since I got out. They'd both been avoiding it. Not only that, but Dean's deal kind of took the front seat.

"Like frolicking through a field of flowers," I remarked.

Dean glared at me. "That's not funny; I thought…I thought you were a goner."

I passed, looking at my feet. "I did too."

"You told Yellow eyes to kill you," he accused. "I heard you say it."

I blinked at him. "I guess we're all martyrs in this family."

Dean said nothing to that, but instead abruptly looked away. "Fine," he said. "We'll go to Bobby's."

"Whatever you think is best," I said, a small smirk lighting up my face. I threw out the empty M&Ms bag and walked behind him all the way to the car.

Dean got into the car and looked over at Sam who was conveniently pretending to be engrossed in his papers of random crap. "You think we should head to Bobby's for a few days?" Dean asked him. Sam shrugged, with a small sigh. "Well we are," Dean said, glancing at him. He put the car in drive and mumbled something under his breath.

I rolled my eyes and went back to staring out the window. A couple hours later we were pulling into Bobby's salvage yard. Bobby was already waiting at the front door. Dean immediately got out of the car and went inside without much of a word to Bobby. Bobby looked bewildered as Dean sped past him. "What's up with him?"

Sam scoffed, also walking past Bobby. "He doesn't want to talk about it," Sam stated.

I walked up slowly. "Oh good," Bobby said to be, noting my sour expression. "I'm so happy to see you all in a good mood."

"Hey," I said, with a small smile. "Ignore them, they're idiots."

"I know," Bobby said, shaking his head. "How're you holding up?"

"Fine," I shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Bobby gave me this long look, like he was scanning my mind or something. I slinked away from it a little bit, wondering why he was doing that to me. "I helped to pull you out of hell," Bobby said, still glaring at me. "You tell me why you wouldn't be all fine and dandy."

"I'm fine," I repeated, going inside the house. "I'm exhausted though. You mind if I—"

"Go get some sleep," bobby said, looking past me to the living room where Sam and Dean were ignoring each other. "I can handle them for a few hours."

"Thanks," I sighed, and went up the stairs. I closed the door behind me and fell onto the bed. I sank deep into the mattress. My eyes wouldn't close. They were super glued open, focused on the ceiling in a panic. Every time I closed my eyes all I saw was Hell.

_Clawing, ripping, and tearing of flesh….redness and blood…_

I groaned and blinked rapidly to get the visions to go away. I was at Bobby's. I was okay.

The bedroom door opened and Dean peeked in. "Hey ankle biter, you get some rest?" he asked. He leaned on the door frame and glance behind him.

"Yeah, just woke up," I lied, sitting up. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Dean said. "I'm hiding from Sam. You hungry?"

I smirked, nodding. "Starving."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean and I snuck away from the house, taking the Impala into town. He pulled into some nicer joint, and I raised my eyes at him in surprise. "Hey I'm dying," Dean shrugged. "I wanna eat steak."

"Not funny," I stated, shaking my head. "So not funny."

"C'mon," Dean smirked, opening the car door for me. "It was a little funny."

I sighed and followed him into the restaurant. We got a table, and I sat across from Dean, playing with my silverware. I was fidgety. I wanted to talk to him about his deal so bad, but I knew he didn't want to talk about it. Therefore, I kept my mouth shut.

"So I saw your grades the other day," Dean said, staring at me sternly. I raised my eyes in shock. I hadn't even thought about school work in…a long time. "You're failing three subjects."

"Oh," I said, with a nervous laugh. "Um, sorry?"

"Yeah, you should be," Dean said, shaking his head. "You've let them slip, and now you're going to have to work your ass off to bring it up before the semester ends in a month. So there's no fun stuff till then."

"Really?" I asked, with a sigh. "Dean, that's—"

"Not fair?" he asked, with a small smile. "Yeah sucks for you." He took a long sip of his beer. "Maybe you should've thought of that."

"In my defense," I stated. "I was a little busy being taken by a Djinn and then losing my brothers." His face fell slightly and he cleared his throat. "Really?" I asked, annoyed. "Are we just going to avoid the subject forever?"

"I thought you were cool with it," Dean sighed, as they served us the food.

I glared at him. "Cool with it?" I asked. "You thought I was cool with you selling your soul? With you going to hell?" Dean just stupidly stared at me like he had no clue what I was talking about.

I just shook my head and stood up. Dean tried to grab my arm to stop me. "No," I said, wrenching out of his grip.

"Alexis," he said, getting up to follow me.

"No, Dean," I said, turning on him. "You think I don't care? Fine, I don't care okay? I don't give two shits about you. Now leave me alone."

The look of absolute pain on his face scared the crap out of me. I stopped for a few seconds, watching him, and then walked out the door. I started on the long walk back to Bobby's, ignoring Dean's protests from the door of the restaurant.

It was nearly a half an hour later when I was still walking to Bobby's and heard the roar of the Impala behind me. "Get in the car!" Dean yelled out the window at me.

"No," I scoffed, walking faster. Dean groaned and followed me with the car up the street. "Dean, I can walk there without an escort."

"Get in the car!" he yelled again. He swerved the car slightly, making me have to dodge over out of the way. Damn these back roads with no sidewalks.

"Dean!" I shouted, stopping. He only stared at me. I angrily got in the car and slammed the door. He drove off, and I just sat quietly in the passenger seat. I didn't want to talk to him, heck I barely wanted to look at him. I let him drive me back to Bobby's in a tense silence.

As soon as we were back, I ran inside the house and nearly ran Bobby down. "Right," Bobby sighed, as I passed. "You Winchesters are great at dealing with your issues."

"Sorry about that," Dean sighed, stopping for Bobby. "She's just mad."

"We're all mad," Bobby said, walking inside after me.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

One week later, Bobby was so annoyed with us that he very nicely suggested that we leave the house for awhile. Dean happily obliged, already talking about how he had one year to "make the world less virginated." So, we headed out into nowheresville hoping to find something that would help us with Dean's deal. Sam had taken this huge book with him that he spent about three quarters of the day reading. I swear, he did nothing else except eat and bathe.

I was currently in the car, while Dean was in the motel room with some girls. I looked over at Sam annoyed, and ate another fry. "Sam, why are we letting him do this?" I asked, as Dean came to the window of the motel room and gave us excited thumbs up. Sam just shook his head at Dean, and sighed.

"Because," he replied, and I knew what he meant even though he didn't explain it. He meant that Dean had given him his life back, literally, so there was nothing he could do. Which sucked. His phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sam," I heard Bobby say on the other end.

Sam sighed, "Hey, Bobby."

"What're you doing?" Bobby asked.

"Oh, same old, same old," Sam sighed.

"You buried in that book again?" Bobby asked. Sam paused, not wanting to tell him the real answer that yes, he was still reading it. "Sam, you want to break Dean free of that demon deal, you ain't gonna find the answer in no book."

"Then where, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"Kid, I wish I knew," Bobby sighed. "So, where's your brother?"

"Polling the electorate," Sam stated.

I snorted. "What?" Bobby asked.

Sam shook his head at me, rolling his eyes. "Never mind."

"Well, you boys better pack it up. I think I finally found something," Bobby said, and then abruptly hung up the phone before Sam could respond.

Sam sighed, and looked to me. "I gotta tell Dean," he stated, glancing at the motel room. He stared for a moment, and I shrugged.

"You don't want to go in there, Sam," I said. "Don't do it, just wait."

"But—" He looked back at the door. "I'm going in."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," I sighed. I watched him walk up to the door and knock. The door opened slowly, and then Sam nearly slammed the door before running back to the car.

The look of pure horror on his face was all the confirmation I needed. "Why did you let me do that?" he asked.

A few minutes later, Dean came barreling out of the motel room with a huge smile on his face. "Sam, that was amazing," Dean sighed, getting in the driver's seat. He started the car and took off at full speed.

"Let me see your knife," Sam said, grimacing.

Dean frowned. "What for?"

"So I can gouge my eyes out," he replied.

Dean shook his head. "It was a beautiful, natural act, Sam."

"It's a part of you I never wanted to see, Dean," Sam said.

I winced. "Please, god, no visuals," I complained. "I told you not to go in there."

Dean chuckled and slapped Sam on the leg. "Hey, I appreciate you giving me a little quality time with the Double mint Twins," Dean said.

Sam nodded. "No problem." I just kept my mouth shut.

"Really? Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something," Dean said, looking at him.

"Not at all," Sam shrugged. "You deserve to have a little fun."

"Well, I'm in violent agreement with you there," Dean laughed again. "What's Bobby got?"

"Not much," Sam said. "Crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Could be demonic omens."

"Or could just be a bad crop and a bug problem," I sighed, leaning forward.

"Yeah, but it's our only lead," Sam replied.

"Any freaky deaths?" Dean asked.

"No, nothing Bobby could find - not yet, anyway," Sam said.

Dean shook his head. "It's weird, man. I mean, the night the devil's gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?"

"Seventeen," I sighed.

"Seventeen," Dean repeated. "You think it would be "Apocalypse Now," but it's been five days and bubkis." Sam looked a little surprised. "What are the demons waiting for?" Dean asked.

"Beats me," Sam said.

"It's driving me crazy. I tell you, if its gonna be war, I wish it would just start already," Dean said.

"I don't know, man," Sam said. "Be careful what you wish for."

"We're going to be driving all night," Dean said, looking at me and Sam. "Why don't you two catch some zs before we get there?"

"Fine," I said, lying down. Sam shut his eyes too. I stared at the top of the Impala, wondering when it all started to go wrong. Was it when dad disappeared? Was it when he died? Was it even before Sam left for college? That seemed like forever ago, but it really wasn't.

Soon my thoughts changed into a vision of hell. There were demons and fire all around me, burning and clawing and killing….

"Lex?" Dean said, shaking me awake. "You okay?"

I woke up to tears on my face. "Yeah," I said quickly. "I'm fine, get off of me." I sniffled and got out of the car. "Where are we?"

"Lincoln," Sam said, looking at me worriedly.

"Right," I said, wiping my eyes. "Awesome, let's go." I let Dean and Sam follow me to the farmhouse that we were parked at.

"Hear those cicadas?" Sam asked, motioning around him. The noise was almost deafening.

"That can't be a good sign," I stated. I looked at Dean, whose mouth was full of hamburger.

"No," Sam said. "No, it can't."

Bobby walked up, frowning at Dean. "So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?" he asked.

"Well, I sold my soul. Got a year to live," Dean stated. "I ain't sweating the cholesterol."

"So, Bobby, what do you think?" Sam asked, changing the subject. "We got a biblical plague here or what?"

"Well, let's find out," Bobby said, walking towards the house. "Looks like the swarm's ground zero."

Dean pounded on the door. "Candy gram!" he shouted. There was no answer. I picked the lock and let Dean and Sam go in first. I followed Bobby, going around through the kitchen.

As we got farther into the house, it started to smell really bad. "Ew, this is worse than Sam's feet," I remarked, looking at Bobby. He shrugged. He kept walking until we got to what seemed to be the living room. The stench was even worse in here, since right in front of us were three dead people.

Sam and Dean were already standing in there, shocked. "Bobby, what the hell happened here?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Bobby replied.

"Check for sulfur," Dean said, looking around.

"Yeah," Bobby agreed. We all broke up and took different corners of the room. I found nothing in mine, and that was when I heard a noise. Dean looked over and nodded. He started towards it. I circled around the side, gun out and ready.

I watched as Dean cautiously exited and rounded the corner. A black man immediately took his out, knocking him to the ground with a shotgun. Bobby immediately ran out, as did I. "Isaac? Tamara?" Bobby asked.

"Bobby," the one whom I assumed to be Tamara said. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same," Bobby scoffed.

"Heya, Bobby," Isaac said.

Dean waved around pitifully. "Hello. Bleeding here," he stated. I rolled my eyes and reached down to help him up. "Thanks," he said, and I waved my hand dismissively. I was still sort of annoyed with him.

"Why don't we go back to our place where it's safe to talk?" Tamara suggested, pointing to the cars behind her.

"Great idea," Bobby said, as Sam rounded the corner and looked confused at all of us. I patted him on the shoulder and helped Dean to the car.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"Jenny! That is a beautiful name," Dean said, smiling into the phone. "That's my sister's name, actually." He smirked at me, and I shrugged.

"Honey? Where's the Palo Santo?" Isaac asked his wife.

"Well, where'd you leave it?" Tamara asked, sounding tired.

"I don't know, dear," Isaac said, with a dramatic eye roll. "That's why I'm asking."

"Palo Santo?" I asked, having never heard of the stuff before.

"It's holy wood, from Peru. It's toxic to demons like holy water," Tamara explained, opening the drawer to look for it. "Keeps the bastards nailed down while you're exorcising them." She pulled out a stake and handed it to Isaac with a smile.

"Thank you, dear," Isaac smiled.

Tamara shook her head. "You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me."

"So, how long you two been married?" Sam asked.

"Eight years this past June," Tamara answered happily.

"The family that slays together..." Isaac sighed.

"Right. I'm with you there," Sam snorted. "So, how'd you get started?" I shot Sam a look. Sometimes he was so stupid. "Oh, you know... I'm sorry. It's not - that's none of my business," Sam stammered stupidly.

"It's - it's all right," Tamara sighed.

"Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, then I'd love to have an appletini," Dean said, giving me a look of disgust. "Yeah. Call you." He hung up the phone. "That was the coroner's tech."

"And?" I asked, curiously. We had turned over the body's of course, and I was wondering what the heck happened to them since they had no signs of struggle there.

"Get this - that whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation," Dean said. "There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up."

"But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away," Bobby stated.

"What is this, a demon attack?" Sam asked, confused.

"If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty," Bobby said.

"Well, what now?" I asked, since no one seemed to be saying anything. "What should we do?"

"Uh, _we're_ not gonna do anything," Isaac said, motioning to the entire room.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, offended.

"You guys seem nice enough, but this ain't "Scooby-doo," and we don't play well with others," Isaac replied, bluntly.

"Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together," Sam shrugged.

"No offense, but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the Devil's Gate get opened in the first place," Isaac stated.

"No offense?" Dean asked.

"Isaac. Like you've never made a mistake," Tamara said, uneasily.

"Oh yeah, yeah," Isaac nodded. "Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world though."

"Well we like to make mistakes on a big scale," I stated, not amused.

"That's enough," Dean said, glaring at me.

"Guys, this isn't helping," Sam said. Dean took a step towards them. "Dean –"

"Look, there are couple hundred more demons out there now," Isaac explained. "We don't know where they are, when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us - on all of us."

"Okay. That's quite enough testosterone for now," Tamara said, grabbing Isaac's arm. She pulled him into the other room and shut the door.

"That was rude," I remarked. "They really think we just let the door open? That we didn't try to stop it?" Dean put a hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. "Just leave me alone," I stated, sitting down.

"Maybe we should head out of here?" Bobby suggested, getting up and going to the door. "Just go back to the motel room for awhile?"

"Right," Sam sighed, pushing me off the chair. He pushed me off the chair and pulled me with him to the door. I groaned in annoyance and hopped in the car. This case was turning out not so well.

Hours later in the motel room, Sam was flipping channels when he came across the news. "A murder over a pair of shoes?" the anchorman questioned. "That's what seems to have happened downtown today—"

"We should check that out," Dean said, getting up immediately. Sam and I exchanged a look, but followed, grabbing Bobby on the way.

There was blood on the ground where the woman had killed the other one. I entered the store and glanced around. There were some nice shoes in here. "What happened outside makes you realize how fragile life really is," Dean sighed, talking to the store clerk. "You got to make every second count."

Sam came in and pushed me away from the shoe rack I was staring at. "What?" I questioned, as he glared at me. "I like shoes…"

He cleared his throat at Dean, who was smiling sadly at the witness now. "Excuse me a minute, would you?" Dean asked, glaring at Sam.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm comforting the bereaved," Dean scoffed, like it was obvious. "What are you doing?"

"Workin'," Sam shrugged, rolling his eyes. "Dead body, possible demon attack - that kind of stuff."

Dean gave a pathetic cough. "Sam, I'm sorry. It's just; I don't have much time left, and...Got to make every second count."

Sam stiffened. "Yeah, right. All right. Sorry." I gave him a shocked look.

Dean gave him a broad smile. "Apology accepted."

Bobby entered in a suit and his hair all slicked back. I mean, he had actually brushed it. "Whoa," Dean said, and whistled. "Looking spiffy, Bobby. What were you, a g-man?"

"Attorney for the D.A.'s office. I just spoke to the suspect," Bobby said, ignoring him.

"Yeah? So, what do you think?" Sam asked. "Is she possessed or what?"

"Don't think so," Bobby said. "There's none of the usual signs - no blackouts, no loss of control. Totally lucid. Just, she really wanted those shoes. Spilled a glass of holy water on her just to be sure; nothing."

"Maybe she's just some random whack job," Dean stated.

"If it had been an isolated incident, maybe, but first the family, now this?"Bobby asked. "I believe in a lot of things. Coincidence ain't one of them. Did you boys find anything around here?"

"No sulfur, nothing," Sam said.

"Well, maybe something," Dean said, nodding at the security camera in the ceiling. "See? I'm working."

We went up to the security room and Sam sat in the chair and looked over the cameras. "Anything interesting?" I asked after a few minutes.

"I don't know yet," Sam stated. He stopped on a guy. "Might just be a guy..." he trailed off. He approached the woman who killed for shoes. "Or it might be our guy." I watched as the girl followed the other woman who had the shoes she wanted.

"Ew," I remarked. "Those aren't even cute shoes." Dean shot me a look. "What, they're green! They won't even go with anything!" All three guys groaned at me and walked out.

SPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Sam and I had gone to go find out who the man in the video was. We got the name of the guy and then met Dean and Bobby outside of the bar he was known to frequent. I smirked at Sam as he walked up stealthily to the car and then pounded on the window, making them both jump a mile in the air.

"That's not funny!" Dean complained as we got into the backseat.

"Yes it was," I scoffed, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Sam laughed. Bobby shot him a look. "Uh, all right, so - so, John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago."

"The night the Devil's Gate opened?" Dean asked.

"Yep," I sighed.

"So you think he's possessed?" Dean asked.

"It's a good bet," Sam replied.

"So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?" Dean asked, shaking his head.

"Those demons that got out at the gate - they're gonna do all kinds of things we haven't seen," Bobby stated, a little worriedly.

"You mean the demons we let out?" Sam asked.

"Guys," I said, pointing to where the man we had looked up was walking into the bar.

"All right," Dean said happily. "Showtime."

He went to get out of the car but Bobby stopped him. "Wait a minute," He said.

"What?" Dean asked impatiently.

"What did I just say?" Bobby asked. "We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him till we know for sure."

"Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?" Dean scoffed.

"We're no good dead!" Bobby replied bluntly. "And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is."

"Hey, Bobby, I don't think that's an option," Sam said.

"Why not?" I asked, confused.

Sam nodded towards the other car in the lot. Isaac and Tamara got out and went into the bar. I looked at Bobby surprised. "Damn it!" he exclaimed.

We waited a minute to follow. When we got to the door however, it was bolted shut. "Shit," Dean remarked. He and Bobby started slamming into the door to get it to open.

I looked behind me. "Guys," I said. "Car?"

They all stopped and we ran to the car. Bobby got in the driver's seat and we belted it to the building. We burst through the door and I jumped out, Holy Water in hand. I flung the water into the crowd of demons. I was shocked when I looked down and saw Isaac dead.

"Come on, we got to go! He's dead!" Sam shouted, pulling Tamara to the car. "Get in the car!"

I turned to help her into the backseat of the car. When I looked back I saw Dean still in the fight. "Dean, come on!" I shouted.

Dean overpowered the redhead who killed the woman with the shoes and stuffed him into the trunk. I jumped in the backseat with Tamara. "Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" Dean shouted.

We raced back to Isaac and Tamara's house to get our bearings straight. Dean put the man in a chair under a devil's trap. Tamara was freaking out, wanting to go back for Isaac. "I say we're going back - now!" Tamara argued, walking to the door.

"Hold on a second," Sam said, cutting her off.

"I left my husband bloody on the floor!" Tamara shouted.

"Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back," Sam stated, calmly.

"Fine," Tamara said, angrily. "Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar."

"I'll go with her," Dean said.

"It's suicide, Dean!" I shouted, getting annoyed with all this.

"So what? I'm dead already!" Dean shouted back,

"How you gonna kill 'em?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. "Can't shoot 'em. You can't stab 'em. They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!"

"I don't care!" Tamara yelled.

"We don't even know how many of them there are!" Sam countered.

"Yeah, we do," Bobby said, walking in. "There's seven." We all sort of looked at him confused. "Do you have any idea who we're up against?" He asked.

"No. Who?" Dean asked.

"The seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh!" Bobby exclaimed.

"What's in the box?" Dean asked, laughing to himself. I had no idea what he was talking about. "Brad pitt?"Se7en"? No?" he asked, shaking his head. Bobby rolled his eyes and tossed a book at him. "What's this?" Dean asked.

"Binsfeld classification of demons." In 1589, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins - not just as human vices but as actual devils," Bobby explained.

"The family - they were touched by Sloth," Sam said, in realization. "And the shopper..."

"That's Envy's doing - the customer we got in the next room," Bobby said, pointing behind him. "I couldn't suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony."

"I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops!" Tamara shouted annoyed. "I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!"

"We already did it your way," Bobby said angrily. "You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened! These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium! We're talking medieval, dark ages! We've never faced anything close to this! So we are gonna take a breath...And figure out what our next move is!" By the end of his rant, Tamara had tears in her eyes. Bobby grew quiet. "I am sorry for your loss."

I slowly followed Bobby back into the other room where the demon was waiting. "So you know who I am, huh?" Envy laughed.

"We do," Bobby remarked. "We're not impressed."

"Why are you here? What are you after?" Sam asked.

The demon said nothing, looking interestedly from one of us to the other. "He asked you a question. What do you want?"

The demon only chuckled. Dean opened a flask of holy water and threw it on his face. The demon screamed in pain. "We already have what we want!"

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"We're out," He stated. "We're free. Thanks to you, my kind is everywhere. I am legion, for we are many. So me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun."

"Fun?" I asked.

"Yeah. Fun," Envy replied. "See, some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people's insides... on their outside."

"I'm gonna put you down like a dog," Tamara sneered.

"Please," Envy laughed. "You really think you're better than me? Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You're practically a walking billboard of gluttony and lust. And Lexie here, with all her lies, and greed, and violence. And Tamara. All that wrath. Ooh. Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn't it? It's so much easier to drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago."

Tamara took a deep breath and then smacked him hard across the face. She went to go do it again, but Dean and Bobby pulled her off. "Whew!" Envy laughed, amused. "My point exactly. And you call us sins. We're not sins, man. We are natural human instinct. And you can repress and deny us all you want, but the truth is, you are just animals. Horny... greedy... hungry...violent animals. And you know what? You'll be slaughtered like animals, too." He stopped and grinned widely at us. "The others - they're coming for me."

"Maybe. But they're not gonna find you... 'cause you'll be in hell," Dean smirked. "Someone send this clown packing."

"My pleasure," Tamara said spitefully. She smiled. "Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica..."

We walked out of the room as the demon started screaming. "I don't think we're gonna have to worry about hunting them," Bobby sighed.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

"I think maybe this joker's right," Bobby explained. "They're gonna be hunting us. And they're not gonna quit easy."

"You guys, why don't you take Tamara and head for the hills?" Dean sighed. "I'll stay back, slow them down, and buy you a little time."

"You're insane, Dean," Sam said. "Just forget about it, okay?"

"Sam's right," I said, "You're dying in a year, not tonight."

"There are six of them, guys," Dean complained. "We're outmanned, we're outgunned. We'll be dead by dawn."

"Maybe, but there's no place to run that they won't find us," Bobby said.

"Look, if we're going down, we're going down together, all right?" Sam said, looking at each of us.

"Then let's not make it easy for them," Dean smirked.

Envy gave a huge scream from the other room and the candles went out from the wind. Tamara entered the other room. "Demon's out of the guy," she said.

"And the guy?" I asked, even though I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

"He didn't make it," she replied coldly.

I nodded slowly, grabbing the shotgun on the table. I started to fill it with salt rounds and then moved on to blessing water. Sam filled flasks. My head started to pound as the candles in the room flickered. I moved to the window, but Dean pulled me back. The radio played some old country tune. "Here we go," Dean stated.

From outside, I could hear a faint voice getting louder. "Tamara! Tamara!" Isaac called. I looked over at Dean in shock. "Tamara! Tamara! Help me! Please!"

Tamara and Isaac talked back and forth, but I couldn't make out what they were saying until Tamara started shouting. "You son of a bitch!" she screamed.

"Tamara, no!" Bobby shouted. She ran out into the night. I watched her jump on top of the now demon and stab him with one of those Palo Santo stakes.

When I turned around, I saw one of the demons standing behind me. I gasped in surprise and backed up into the wall. "Hey Lexie," he grinned. "How's it hanging?"

"I'm pretty good," I choked out with a small laugh. "But I think we should cut the small talk and get to business." I pulled out the flask of Holy water that I had hidden behind my back and flung the water on him.

He backed up and sputtered to himself. I cleared my throat. "Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica—«

He launched himself at me with an angry roar. He had me pinned to the ground in mere seconds. "You really think highly of yourself don't you?" he asked. "You want everything you see; you always want what you can't have. You want to be normal? You'll never be normal."

He put his hands around my throat. "You'll die for your greed."

I could barely even gasp for air. I was going to pass out. I put my hands on his hands and my head started to pound. It hurt so badly. It was like a jackhammer. "Get….off…" I coughed, pushing him. His eyes widened as I pushed him off of me, and, out of nowhere, he started choking.

He grabbed at his throat, but I didn't let go of him. I was too confused and stunned to do anything. He glared at me and then let go, and was sent back to hell. I wiped blood from my nose. "What the—"

"Lex!" Sam shouted from the other room across the hall. I ran in just in time to see a blonde woman exiting the room.

"See you around, Sam," She smiled and left the room. Sam ran past me into the hall, but she was already gone.

"Who was that?" I asked. "Demon?"

"I have no idea," he admitted, looking dumbfounded.

"Well she's gone now," I shrugged.

Sam picked up my chin. "What happened to your nose?" he asked, noting the blood. "You don't look like you got hit…"

"I—I don't know," I lied. "Let's go find Dean."

SPNSPNSPNSPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS

I poured salt over the dead bodies as quickly as I could. I wanted this to be over with so badly. I was exhausted. "Think she's gonna be all right?" Sam asked, pointing back to where Tamara was burning Isaac's body separately.

"No," Dean said shaking his head. "Definitely not." Bobby walked out of the house looking exhausted. "Well, you look like hell warmed over," Dean remarked.

"You try exorcising all night and see how you feel," Bobby scoffed.

"Any survivors, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"Well, the pretty girl, the guy Lex was with and the heavy guy, they'll make it. Lifetime of therapy bills ahead, but, still..." Bobby sighed.

"That's more than you can say for these poor bastards," Dean said, pointing to the bodies in the pit in front of us.

"Bobby, that knife - what kind of blade can kill a demon?" Sam asked, talking about what that girl had done again. She had killed those demons with some sort of knife according to Sam.

"Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing," Bobby sighed.

"I'm just gonna ask it again - who was that masked chick?" Dean asked. He paused. "Actually, the more troubling question would be, "how come a girl can fight better than you?""

"Hey," I said, with a smirk. "Don't bash girls, Dean; you'd be lost without them."

"Amen little sister," Dean sighed.

Sam looked serious. "Three demons, Dean. At once."

"Hey, whatever it takes to get you through the night, pal," Dean said in surrender.

"Yeah, well, if you want a troubling question, I got one for you," I said, looking around a little bit at the sky.

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?" I asked. I looked to Dean and Sam for an answer I was sure they didn't actually have.

"You're right. That is troubling," Dean stated. He took out a match and threw it on the dead. The bodies lit up and started to burn away.

I watched for a little while before sitting in the grass a little ways off. Dean came and sat next to me. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head.

"For what?" I asked, not looking at him.

"For being an ass to you," he said. "For thinking you could handle this when you shouldn't have to."

"I just—"I paused for a moment. "I care Dean. I care a lot."

"I know," he said, "I know."

My cell rang and I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey," Dylan said back. "How's it been hanging?"

"Fine, I guess," I replied, as Dean walked away. "What's up?"

"Nothing I just—"He paused. "I just wanted to ask if you guys have gotten any more hits on the new demon army thing than I have."

"Not really," I said. "We took out a group but still. What else is out there, you know?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Well I'll see you around. Call me if you guys need, you know, me for help or something."

"You know I will," I smirked to myself. "See ya later, Dill."

"Bye Lex."

I looked over to see the fires slowly burning down finally. "See you gents around," Tamara said with a sigh.

"Tamara?" Bobby said. "The world just got a lot scarier. Be careful."

"You too," Tamara smiled. She got in her car and took off.

"Keep your eyes peeled for omens. I'll do the same," Bobby stated.

"You got it," Dean replied.

"Wait, Bobby," Sam said. He looked uneasy. "We can win this war, right?"

Bobby stood still for a long time before answering. "Catch you on the next one," he said, avoiding the answer.

"So, where to?" Dean asked, walking away.

"Uh, I don't know. I was thinking Louisiana maybe," Sam suggested.

"Little early for Mardi Gras, isn't it?" Dean chuckled.

"Yeah," Sam scoffed. "Listen, I was talking to Tamara, and she mentioned this hoodoo priestess outside of Shreveport that might be able to help us out. You know, with your - with your demon deal."

"Nah," Dean said after a moment.

"Nah"? What does that mean,"nah"?" I asked, confused.

"No hoodoo spell's gonna break this deal. It's a goose chase," Dean said.

"We don't know that," Sam stated.

"Yes, we do. Forget it. She can't help. We're not going, and that's that," Dean said. He shrugged. "What about Reno, huh?" he asked.

"You know what?" Sam asked. "I've had it. I've been bending over backwards trying to be nice to you, and...I don't care anymore."

"Sam…" I sighed.

"That didn't last long," Dean remarked.

"Yeah, well, you know what?" Sam asked. "I've been busting my ass trying to keep you alive, Dean, and you act like you couldn't care less. What, you got some kind of death wish or something?"

"It's not like that," Dean said.

"Then what's it like, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Guys," I said, trying to stop them.

"Sam –"Dean started.

"Please, tell me," Sam pleaded.

I looked to Dean expectantly. "We trap the crossroads demon, trick it, and try to welch our way out of the deal in any way? You die. Okay? You die. Those are the terms. There's no way out of it," Dean said in one breath. "If you try to find a way, so help me god, I'm gonna stop you."

Sam sighed. "How could you make that deal, Dean?"

"'Cause I couldn't live with you dead," Dean said. "Couldn't do it."

"So, what, now I live and you die?" Sam asked.

"That's the general idea, yeah," Dean nodded.

"Yeah, well, you're a hypocrite, Dean," Sam said. "How did you feel when dad sold his soul for you?'Cause I was there. I remember. You were twisted and broken. And now you go and do the same thing. To me. What you did was selfish."

"Yeah, you're right. It was selfish," Dean admitted with a shrug. "But I'm okay with that."

"We're not," I stated, when Sam said nothing.

"Tough," Dean said. "After everything I've done for this family, I think I'm entitled." He sighed. "Truth is, I'm tired, Sam. I don't know, it's like there's a light at the end of the tunnel."

"Its hellfire, Dean," Sam said, exasperated.

"Whatever," Dean said. "You're alive, I feel good - for the first time in a long time. I got a year to live, Sam. I'd like to make the most of it. So what do you say we kill some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?"

"You're unbelievable," Sam replied, defeated.

"Very true," Dean grinned. He headed to the Impala and opened the door for me and Sam. I got in silently.

"Lex?" Sam said, as Dean loaded the trunk. "I'm still trying. I don't care if it kills me." I said nothing, confused and hurt. "Lex?"

"Okay, Sammy," I said, "I heard you."

I heard him loud and clear. But that didn't meant I was going to listen.


	56. Season 3, Chapter Two

**A/N: Sorry this took so freaking long but its been a looonnnggg couple weeks. Enjoy!**

**I own nothing**

Chapter Fifty Six

I was so tired I was practically falling asleep at the table in the diner. I nearly face planted into the plate of food in front of me three times now. I couldn't sleep when all I saw was hellfire. "What do you mean you don't think it will work, Bobby?" Sam demanded into his cell phone. He was hard at work on his laptop again. "It's a demon-dispelling ritual." He paused listening to Bobby's response. "Well, maybe we got the translation wrong. Look, we can't just let dean fry in hell while we... there's got to be something."

Dean came to the window and knocked on it excitedly. He held up the paper and smiled. "Yeah. No. I gotta go. Okay. Never mind," Sam said quickly hanging up.

Dean gave Sam a suspicious look. "Hey. Who was that?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head, thinking as quickly as he could. "I was just ordering pizza."

Dean shot him a confused look and I face-planted into the table with a laugh. "Dude, you do realize that you're in a restaurant?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Yeah," Sam nodded. "Oh, yeah. I just felt like pizza, you know?"

"Sam, you're a horrible liar," I laughed. Sam just shrugged.

Dean just sat down next to me. "Okay, Weirdy Mcweirderton," Dean scoffed. "So, I think I got something."

"Yeah?" I asked with a yawn.

"Cicero, Indiana," Dean said, throwing the paper at me. "Falls on his own power saw."

"And? That, that's it?" Sam asked. "One power saw?" I scanned the paper and then handed it to Sam with a shrug.

"Well...yeah," Dean said, eyebrows furrowing.

"And you think that this is a case?" Sam asked.

"Well, I don't know," Dean shrugged. "Could be."

"I don't know, Dean," I said, softly, looking over at him. The look on his face told me that he was hiding something. "What's really the reason you want to check this out?"

"Okay, there's something better in Cicero than just a case," he admitted.

"And that is?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dean smiled. "Lisa Braeden."

"Should I even ask?" Sam asked, shaking his head.

"Remember that road trip I took, uh... gosh, about eight years ago now? You two were in Orlando with dad wrapping up that banshee thing?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "The five states, five-day –"

"Well, kind of," Dean admitted. "Although I spent most of my time in Lisa Braeden's loft."

"So let me get this straight. You want to drive all the way to Cicero just to hook up with some random chick?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"She was a yoga teacher," Dean smirked. "It was the bendiest weekend of my life. Come on. have a heart, huh?" Dean made his begging face. "It's my dying wish."

"How many dying wishes are you gonna get?" I demanded, annoyed.

"As many as I can squeeze out," Dean said incredulously. I sighed. "Come on. Smile, Sam! God knows I'm gonna be smiling after 24 hours with Gumby girl." He chuckled to himself. "Gumby girl," he stated again and then abruptly frowned. "Does that make me Pokey?"

SPNSPNSPNSPSPNSPNSPNSPNS

We pulled up to a motel in Cicero, Indiana and Dean stopped the Impala. "Okay, get out," Dean said, shoving Sam and me out of the car. I got out, grabbing my bag.

"Don't wait up for me, guys," Dean smiled, taking off.

"Wait, Dean. Dean, you... Dean!" Sam shouted, as he watched Dean drive off.

"Dean must've had the weekend of his life with this girl," I stated, walking towards the motel. Sam followed me with a disgruntled sigh. "So now what do you want to do?" I asked, as we walked into the office of the motel. "You wanna check into that power saw thing, or you think it's just crap?"

"Its crap," Sam said, handing the man his credit card. "Two queens."

"Yeah," I sighed, "You're probably right."

"Here ya go," the man said, handing him a key to a room. "You two love birds have fun now."

Sam opened his mouth to correct him, but I just slapped him on the back. "Yeah, c'mon baby lets go get it on," I snorted, rolling my eyes. Sam's face went red, but I just laughed and walked out ahead of him. He pushed me as we headed to the motel room.

"What, Sam?" I asked, "Take a joke."

"I guess I'm just not in the joking mood," Sam stated. "I'm more in the why-don't-we-save-our-brothers-life mood."

"Right," I sighed, unlocking the door and pushing it open. I threw my bag on the floor and flopped back on the bed. "You do that."

"Why don't you help me out or something instead of sitting there on your ass?" Sam demanded, annoyed. "Or do you not care that your older brothers is going to die?"

I clenched my jaw. Why did everyone keep accusing me of not caring? Why? "No Sam," I stated coldly. "I care."

"Then help me out," he insisted, shaking his head.

I choked back the frustrated tears in my eyes. "I can't."

"Why not?" he asked, throwing his hands in the air. I said nothing, and he scoffed. "Fine," he relented. "Then just stay here. I'm going out."

"Where?" I asked.

"None of your damn business," Sam replied, slamming the door behind him.

I sighed, burying my face into the pillow. This was going to be the death of me. I closed my eyes and immediately was back in hell. Shooting upward, I blinked a few times and stared at the door. I contemplated going somewhere for awhile, making Sam worry. Maybe I could call Dean…no I wasn't calling him while he was with that girl he would kill me.

My phone started to ring and I thought for a moment that I might be off the hook. Maybe it was Sam and we were okay. Maybe it was Dean saying that the girl wasn't around anymore and we were going to go for some real case. But it was Bobby on the caller ID.

"Bobby?" I asked, "What's up?"

"I'm calling in a favor," Bobby said, gruffly. I heard him shuffling around. "You know Dylan? I need you to call him up. Make sure he's okay."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Bobby, I haven't talked to him in weeks."

"Exactly," Bobby said. "Neither has anyone else. Something's up and I have a feeling that he'll answer the phone for you."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Alright," I stated. "I'll try."

"Thank you," Bobby said, sounding slightly relieved. "Now how are the boys?"

"Fine," I said. "Still trying to save Dean, Dean's still sleeping around, so the norm."

"And how are you?" Bobby asked, his voice dropping a notch. He sounded worried, and he had all the right to be. I think he was the only one who took notice of my lack of sleep lately and my hellfire visions. Dean and Sam were too busy worrying about Sam and Dean.

"I'm okay, Bobby," I said, "I'm okay."

"You sure?" he asked. "Cuz don't think you can't force those brothers of yours to bring you over here for a little while so you can rest. It's not a problem, darling."

"I know, Bobby," I smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"I'll let you know about Dylan," I said.

"Thanks, darling," Bobby said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," I stated, and hung up. I went to my contacts list and found Dylan's name. Then, for about three minutes I sat there and stared at it. I didn't really think he was going to answer for me if he didn't even answer for Bobby.

In the end, I hit send and listened. It rang three times before I heard a click. "Hello?" a tired voice asked me.

"Dylan?" I questioned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said, sounding groggy. "I was sleeping. What do you want?"

"Why is Bobby calling me and telling me to call you and make sure you're okay?" I asked, a little annoyed with his attitude towards me. He didn't have to act like an ass.

"I haven't been around in awhile," he admitted. "Been busy."

"With what?" I asked, curiously.

"Stuff," he stated, not giving me any sort of clue. "I have a life you know, Winchester."

"I know," I scoffed, annoyed. "But it'd be nice if you didn't drop off the edge of the earth so I don't have to call you to find out if you're alive."

"Aw, is that concern for my well being?" he asked, amused.

"Don't flatter yourself," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I have better things to do that call you for Bobby."

"Well then mind your own damn business Winchester," Dylan said coldly. I heard a noise on the other end of the line. "I gotta go."

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing important to you," he said, "Talk to you later."

"Fine," I said, and hung up. I sighed in annoyance and closed my eyes again. I got a little more comfortable on the pillows and was soon falling asleep. My phone started ringing as soon as I was nearly asleep. "Ugh," I groaned, flipping it open. "Hello?"

"Lex?" Dean asked, "There is a job here."

"Really?" I asked, groggily, sitting up.

"Yeah," Dean said. "You know that one freak accident we read about in the paper? There's four more that never even made the paper, all in this Morning Hill gated community."

"Huh," I remarked. "Like?"

"People falling off of ladders and drowning in their Jacuzzis," Dean listed. "It's all over the neighborhood."

"Weird," I stated.

"Yeah, something's up. Something these nice, big gates can't protect them from," Dean said. "I think we should case some of the houses. Find out what's going on."

"Alright," I said, getting up. "Wanna pick me up?"

"Yeah," he said. "Where's Sam?"

"At a diner I think," I said.

"Is he still-"

"Yeah," I said, shaking my head. "He's still looking for answers." I sighed. "Where are you?"

"On my way," Dean replied, and hung up. A few minutes later he was knocking on the motel room door. I opened it and he came inside. He grabbed a fake ID and nodded at me to follow him.

We went to a house where a man had drowned in the Jacuzzi behind his house. "And uh," I said, while Dean stared at the kid in the window. "Why was he out here so late at night?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I just—"she cut off, about to cry. "Are we done here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dean said, with a small smile. "Thank you for your time." We walked out and I started to pull the jacket I was wearing off. "No, you've got one more house," Dean said, pointing down the road.

"Don't you mean we?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Dean pointed to a kid sitting on a bench. "I've got someone I need to talk to."

"You know that kid?" I asked. Dean nodded. "Can I ask how?"

"Well…" he sighed. "I was going to see yoga girl and it turns out she has a kid. Him."

"Him?" I asked. "How old is—"

"He's not mine," Dean said. "Now go to that last house and meet me back here."

"Fine," I said, watching him walk away. "But don't do anything stupid!" I called. He flipped me the bird. I smirked and went off to the last house.

"Hi," I said, as the woman answered the door. "I'm with your life insurance company? I'm here to just go over some of the circumstances surrounding your husband's death?"

"Oh, I thought we already did that," the woman said, looking a little confused.

"This is just a follow up," I smiled. "It'll only take a few minutes."

"Come in," she sighed, opening the door.

"If you could just go over what you know about that night?" I asked, "Thanks,"

"Well he was in the garage and I guess he just…slipped?" she said. "I don't know. He just started screaming and by the time I got in there he was…he was…"

"It's okay," I said, as a kid entered the room.

He stared at me like I was an intruder or something. "Jeremy," the wife said, as he walked over. "I thought you were playing upstairs."

"I missed you mommy," he said, pulling her close.

"It's okay, sweetie," the wife said. She looked to me. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No," I said, standing up. "Thanks."

I headed out and walked back to the park where Dean was talking to the kid. The kid got up and went over to some other kids. He angrily kicked the other kid and took the game back. I looked to Dean who was grinning wildly, and shook my head.

Ben ran happily back to Dean. A woman, who I guessed was Lisa came over looking pissed. She grabbed Ben by the arm and yelled at Dean for a minute looking like she was going to beat on him. I walked over as she pulled Ben away.

"You're doing?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Maybe," Dean said, looking a little defeated.

"Nice, Dean," I said, rolling my eyes. "Real smooth."

"Well you turned out alright," he smirked, punching me in the arm.

"I turned out awesome," I scoffed.

The kid pulled away from his mom. "Ben!" Lisa shouted.

Ben ran over to Dean and gave him a hug. "Thanks," he said, smiled, and ran back to his mom.

I looked up at Dean. "He likes you," I smirked.

"Shut up," Dean said, shoving me over. "What you'd get at the last house?"

"Same," I said. "Red stuff on the window, kid acting weird, blah blah blah."

"We should go find Sam," He said. I nodded in agreement. We headed back to the motel room. "Something's wrong with the kids in this town," Dean announced as we entered.

"Yeah. Tell me about it," Sam agreed. He pointed to the computer screen. "So, what do you know about changelings?"

"Evil monster babies?" I asked.

"No, not necessarily babies," Sam sighed.

"The kids," Dean realized. "Creepy, "stare at you like you're lunch" kids?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "There's one at every victim's house."

"How do we kill it?" I asked,

"We torch em" Sam said, getting out the kerosene torch. I smiled, taking out the other one.

"So, changelings can perfectly mimic children," Sam explained. "According to lore, they climb in the window, snatch the kid."

"There were marks on the windowsill at one of the kid's houses," I said, shrugging. "Remember Dean? Looked to me like blood."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "The changeling grabs a kid, assumes its form, joins the happy fam just for kicks?" Dean asked.

"Not quite," Sam said. "Changelings feed on the mom: synovial fluid. The moms have these odd bruises on the back of their necks. Changelings can drain them for a few weeks before mom finally croaks."

"And then there's dad and the babysitter," I stated.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Seems like anyone who gets between the changeling and its food source ends up dead."

"What a selfish monster," I sighed, handing Dean the torch.

He held it up. "And fire's the only way to waste them?" he asked. Sam nodded. "Great. We'll just bust in, drag the kids out, torch them on the front lawn. That will play great with the neighbors." He sighed. "What about the real ones? What happens to them?"

"They stash them underground somewhere," Sam replied. "I don't know why, but if it's true, the real kids might be out there."

"We better start looking," Dean said. He stopped, and looked at Sam worriedly. "So, any kid in the neighborhood is vulnerable?"

"Yep," Sam replied.

"We gotta make a stop," Dean said, hurriedly getting up. "I want to check on someone."

"If the real kids are still alive, we don't have time," Sam complained.

"We have to," Dean said, going to the door. "Please?"

"We can go check on Ben, Dean," I said, patting him on the shoulder. He gave me a confused how-did-you-know look. "I'm not an idiot," I said, rolling my eyes.

We drove as fast as we could to Lisa's house. Dean got out and ran to the side of the house and then the front door. He talked to Lisa, who almost abruptly slammed the door in his face.

Dean came back to the car, determined. "They took Ben. He's changed," he stated.

"What? Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Dean said with a nod. "I checked his windowsill."

"Blood?" Sam asked.

"I don't think it is blood, and I think I know where the kids are," Dean said. "C'mon." He drove down the block to where there was a house under construction.

"Red dirt," Sam said, walking up to a mound of it in front of the house.

"That's what was on the window," Dean said. He sighed. "You two take the front. I'll go around."

I walked with Sam towards the house and we split up wordlessly. I took the right and he the left. "What do you think you're doing?" A voice said. I looked over to see the real estate woman glaring at us. "This is private property. I'm calling the police. You heard me! Get out!"

"Let me get my bag. I'm going," Sam said, motioning to me behind his back. This woman was the mother changeling. "I don't mean to cause any trouble."

I ran to where I could see Dean. He had found the kids and was helping them out. "It's ok. Get out here, okay? Come on, girls! Come on!" he said. He moved to the window and looked behind him. "Everybody back! Everybody back!" Dean shouted.

Ben pushed the kids behind him. Well, he might not be Deans' kid, but he definitely had Dean's god complex. "Cover your eyes!" I said, watching Dean break the window open. "Dean, listen," I said, but he ignored me.

"Here, use this," Ben said, handing Dean his jacket to use.

"All right. All right, Ben. Come on," Dean said, reaching to help him up.

"Him first," Ben insisted, pushing another in front of him.

"Hey! Dean!" I said, as Dean was too preoccupied. "There's a mother."

"A mother changeling?" Dean asked.

Sam ran up behind me. "We got to get these kids out quick," Sam said.

"Right there. There's one more," Dean pointed. Sam ran over. "You got to break the lock!" Dean said.

"I guess that's why the changelings are keeping the kids alive -so the mom can snack on them," I stated, morbidly.

"Lex, stay with them," Dean shouted at me, running away to help Sam.

"C'mon guys," I said, making a little thing for them to climb over and out on. I couldn't lift them like Dean could. Ben helped me usher the kids out, going out last. He looked back at Dean worriedly.

"It's okay, Ben," I said, nodding, "Go." He took one last look at Dean and then left. I ran over to where Dean and Sam were having a hard time.

"Hey!" I yelled, distracting the mother. "Hey!"

She looked over to me. "Look out!" I smirked, and Dean torched her to a crisp.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

We gave Ben the last ride home. He ran out of the car excitedly. "Ben? Ben! Baby, are you okay?" Lisa shouted, grabbing onto him.

"I'm okay, mom," Ben said.

"Oh, my god. What the hell just happened?" Lisa asked Dean.

"I'll explain everything if you want me to, but, trust me, you probably don't," Dean sighed. "The important thing is that Ben's safe."

"Thank you," Lisa said, hugging Ben again. "Thank you."

"I'm gonna give you guys some time," Sam said, "C'mon Lexie." I smiled at Ben, who gave me a huge grin, and walked off with Sam.

I looked at Sam, who looked upset. "What?" I asked.

"I need your help with something," Sam said. "And you can't tell Dean."

"Sam…" I sighed. He gave me this look that told me that this was some serious crap I just got myself into. "Alright. Fine. What is it?"

"I…talked to the girl," he said. "With the knife."

"From the whole seven deadly sins thing?" I asked, annoyed. "Why didn't you tell us, Sam?"

"Just listen alright," he said, cutting me off. "She told me that something was up with all mom's old contacts. People she knew."

"What about it?" I asked, curiously.

"I don't know yet," Sam shrugged. "It was just a tip."

"Alright," I said, as we entered the motel room. "We better get to work."

I grabbed my phone and we started on the list. "Hi. I needed to check some facts with your, uh...with your secretary about a fire that occurred on November 24, 2006 in Lawrence, Kansas. Hardecker was his name. Okay. great. I was just trying to find out the date he died," I asked.

"This is police chief Phil Jones," Sam said. "July you check the records for a Robert Campbell? July 19, 2001. Dead on arrival."

"What I'm after is cause of death," I said, "Heart condition? Wasn't he a cardiac surgeon? Wouldn't he have known about that?"

"I'm looking for information on... on Mrs. Wallace's death," Sam said. "Two deaths. Who was the other? Ed Campbell. Any survivors? No, that's all I needed. Thank you very much."

I hung up the phone right after him and stared a little in shock. "Oh, my god," Sam said, flopping back on the bed. "They're all dead. All of them."

"Sam…" I said, scared. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Sam said. He picked up his phone again. "I'm calling her."

"Who?" I asked. "Mystery girl?"

"Yeah," Sam said, dialing.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSLATER

I stared hard at the girl in front of me. "They're dead. All of them," Sam said. "All of my mom's friends. Her doctor, Her uncle - everyone who ever knew her, systematically wiped off the map one at a time. Someone went through a hell of a lot of trouble trying to cover their tracks."

"The yellow-eyed demon," the girl said.

"So, what's your deal?" I asked.

"Lex," Sam warned.

"Sam," I scoffed.

Sam sighed. "You show up wherever I am. You know all about me. You know all about my mom."

"I already told you. I'm –"

"Oh, right, right. Yeah," Sam scoffed. "Just a hunter. Just some hunter who happens to know more about my own family than I do. Just tell me who you are."

"Sam, it –"

"Just...tell us who you are," I said, crossing my arms. "Cuz I know damn well you're not who you say you are." I blinked away the pain in my head. I wasn't even sure this chick was human.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "And why is princess even here?"

"Just tell me who you are!" Sam screamed.

"Fine," she grimaced. She blinked to show her demon black eyes. She blinked them back to normal. I pulled out my holy water flask.

"Think twice before going for that holy water," she said.

"Give me one reason I should stop her," Sam said, pointing to me.

"I'm here to help you, Sam," she stared.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I asked, shaking my head.

"God's honest truth... or whatever," She smirked.

"You're a demon," Sam accused.

Ruby smiled. "Don't be such a racist. I'm here because I want to help you. And I can if you trust me."

"Trust you?" Sam demanded, confused.

"Sam, calm down," she replied, sounding almost bored.

"Start talking," I demanded, as Sam paced. "All those murders... what was the demon trying to cover up?"

"I don't know," she said.

"Bullshit," I scoffed.

"What happened to my mother?" Sam asked.

"I honestly don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out," she said. "All I know is that it's about you."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Don't you get it, Sam?" she asked. "It's all about you. What happened to your mom, what happened to her friends. They're trying to cover up what he did to you. And I want to help you figure it out."

"Why would you want to help me?" Sam asked.

"I have my reasons," she said simply. "Not all demons are the same, Sam. Not all of us want the same thing. Me? I want to help you from time to time. That's all. And if you let me, there's something in it for you."

I scoffed. "What could you possibly—"

"I could help you save your brother," she stated. There was silence in the room. I looked to Sam and slowly shook my head. "Look, you can think about it," she shrugged. "Oh," she said. "And you can change my name to Ruby in your phone."

"Ruby," Sam breathed. "Wait."

"Bye Sam," she said, walking out. "Alexis."

"Bitch," I scoffed, as the door closed. Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Sam you can't honestly be thinking of—"

"We have to save Dean, Lex," Sam stated. "I'm not letting him die."

"But Sam, trusting a demon?" I asked. My phone started ringing. "Hello?" I asked, without even seeing who it was.

"Hey," a voice said. It was Dylan and he sounded…depressed. "You got a minute?"

"Yeah," I said, walking over by the window, shooting Sam a look. "You actually wanna talk now?"

"I'll tell you now, yeah," he said.

"Then what?" I asked.

"I…" he trailed off. "Remember what I told you to ask Ash to do for me? Before he died?"

"Yeah," I said, almost choking up at the mention of Ash. I still missed him. It seemed I never really came to terms with his death, or anything else that happened that night. "To find your mom."

"I found her."

"You—"

"I found my mom," he said. "In Pennsylvania."

"Did you see her?" I asked.

"No," he said.

"Are you going to?" I asked, narrowing my eyes a little.

"I'm not sure I really can," he replied. I said nothing to that. I never had a mom, so I had no clue how to help him. "Can you come?"

"Really?" I asked. He said nothing. "I…uh…" I looked to Sam. "Yeah, where are you?"

"Pittsburgh," he said. "Sleepy Hollow Motel. Lex, can you come alone?"

"Without Sam and Dean you mean?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I just…"

"No, yeah I get it," I said. "I'll come alone. I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Thanks," he said, and hung up.

Sam looked to me. "Dean's not going to let you."

"If you don't want me to tell him about all this crap you've gotten us into, you'll help me convince him otherwise," I stated, annoyed.

At that moment, Dean opened the door. "What's going on?" he asked, noting Sam and I's ticked off expressions.

"Dylan called," I stated. "He needs help."

"Alright, well where is he?" Dean asked. "We'll leave right now."

"He only wants Lex to come, Dean," Sam said, narrowing his eyes at me. "Not us."

"Why?" Dean asked, looking to me for the answer.

"I don't think he wants me to tell you," I stated. "It's kind of personal." Dean glared at me. "It's just not my place to tell you okay?" I said, putting my hands up in surrender.

"You're not going alone," Dean said.

"Dean," I said. "Please? I'm not going to do anything, okay? I'll be fine. I promise." He still looked majorly skeptical. "It's not a hunt Dean. It's just me helping him out, okay? I'll be gone for three days max, I'll call you every step of the way. You can implant a GPS chip in me, okay?"

His expression lightened. "Where?"

"Pittsburgh," I said.

He looked to Sam, who looked to me and then back at Dean. Sam nodded. "Alright," Dean said. "But I swear, there will be no sharing of rooms, no touching, no anything that I would disapprove of. No drinking. You'll call me every night."

"Okay," I nodded. "Sounds like a deal."

"We gotta get you a car," Dean said. "You're not taking the Impala."

"Right," I said, with a sigh.

"And Lex?" he said, as I grabbed my bag off the floor. "You call me if he tries anything. I'll castrate that little—"

"Dean," I said, putting a hand on his arm to calm him down. "If he tries anything I will personally see to it myself, thanks."

"Good," Dean said. "Don't hesitate to tell me anything."

I looked to Sam, who was giving me the evil eye from the bed. "I'm not keeping secrets Dean," I stated. Sam looked away. "I promise."

Even though I got what I wanted, I wasn't sure if I had just screwed myself over anyway. Oh well. I guess we can't have everything.


	57. Season 3, Chapter Three

Hey guys! I'm sorry I havent been around. It was completely wrong and gross of me to leave you hanging. I had the worst summer ever, and a lot od family troubles. If you really want to know all the details you can PM me but I'd prefer not to share it on here. Thanks! You guys are awesome for waiting so long and thank you all so much for all the encouragement. Okay, i'll shut up now. On with the show!

I do not own anything but lexie and dylan.

Chapter Fifty Seven

I got in the car and threw my bag in the passenger seat. "Call me when you get there," Dean said, shooting me a warning glance. "And I swear to you, you pull what you did the last time we let you go off alone, I will bust your ass so hard you won't ever be sitting down again, got me?"

"I got you," I smirked. "Can I go now?"

Dean backed slowly away from the car, his eyes still narrowed menacingly. I looked to Sam, who just looked pissed at me beyond all recognition. I winced slightly, but nodded to myself. It was my fault anyway. I put the car in drive and waved a last goodbye to both of them.

As I merged onto the highway, all I could think about was how freaking tired I was. I read once that driving while exhausted was almost as bad as drunk driving. I blinked a few times and shook the sleepiness out of my eyes. I didn't really want to crash this car. Not that it was mine or anything, but then I would have no way to get to Pittsburgh, which would suck.

"Hello?" I said, as my phone rang.

"You coming?" Dylan asked.

"I'm on my way," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Alright," he said with a sigh. He sounded almost relieved. "When did you leave?"

"Like not even an hour ago," I said, confused. "Why, what's the rush?" He didn't answer me. I could still hear him on the other end though, sounding like he was mumbling under his breath. "Dylan?"

"What?" he asked. "Oh, no there's no rush."

"Okay, I'll call you when I'm close," I said, and hung up. I went back to driving in utter silence. I had already tried to get the radio to work, and apparently it was broken. Nice. The one car in the lot that Dean agreed to me taking and the radio was busted.

I sighed and pulled over after another couple hours of driving. I was starting to get restless as tired as I was. I needed to move my legs. I took off through an exit and scanned for some food. I could have just gone to a McDonalds or whatever, but something inside me was drawn to this little diner that was off the road a little ways. I scanned for any sign of suspicious activity, and then shook my head. I was starting to act like Dean. Not every single thing was trying to kill me.

I pulled in and parked the car. The sun was high in the sky, and beating down on me. I couldn't help but smirk a little at that. All I felt like doing was crying and the sun was shining. Go figure.

The diner was empty minus a few people. I sat in a booth in the back where there was no one to stare at me. "What can I get for you, sweetie?" an older waitress asked me.

"Uh, coke and a cheeseburger," I ordered. She smiled and nodded, going back to the kitchen. I sighed and stared out the window. It faced the woods. I watched the trees sway back and forth in the wind and nearly fell asleep at the table.

I shook my head to get out of the daze. The waitress placed the food in front of me with a small smile. "You okay, sweetie, you look damn tired."

"Yeah," I replied, nodding. "I'm okay. I've just been driving for awhile."

"Glad you took a break then," she remarked. "You look like death, honey. Here." She handed me a cup of coffee. "On the house."

"Thanks," I smiled, pulling it towards me.

"Don't mention it," she nodded. She walked off.

I drank my coffee and ate the food she brought. My phone started going off. "Hey Dean," I said, rolling my eyes. "I've only been gone for four hours."

"That's enough time for a lot of shit to go down, you know that," he said. "But I can tell from your sarcasm that you're fine."

"Whatever," I said. "What are you and Sammy up to?"

"Sam's looking for a new case or something, I don't know. You know him, always working," Dean sounded slightly worried at that.

"He's probably just excited to get another job done, you know," I said, equally avoiding the subject. Neither of us wanted to say what Sam was really working on, even though both of us knew that he was constantly working on Dean's demon deal.

"Right," Dean agreed. "Well call me when you're there. I wanna hear Dylan's voice."

"Okay," I sighed, "Talk to you later." I hung up the phone and finished my burger. I felt a lot better now that I had food in my stomach. I paid, and went to the car. The cops pulled in as I was leaving and I cringed slightly. They passed me without a hitch however.

I drove until I was pulling into the large city of Pittsburgh. I dialed Dylan. "Okay," I said. "I'm here."

"In Pittsburgh?" he asked.

"No, I'm in Antarctica," I scoffed. "Yes, Pittsburgh, where are you?" I flipped the phone to my other ear. I got not answer, so I sighed, frustrated. "Dylan?"

"Right, sorry," he said. "I'm in a motel right outside of town on the west side. Take route 90 out and its off the second exit."

"Okay?" I said, shaking my head. I was so confused right now it wasn't even funny. "I'll be there in a few then."

"Okay," he said. "Oh and Winchester? Thank you." His voice sounded strained. Like he was trying really hard to not freak out or something.

"No problem, Porter. No problem."

I drove up to the desolate motel where Dylan was apparently staying. It was rundown and falling apart slightly. The sign in the front boasted low rates. It was just like being with my brothers. I knocked on the door, only to have Dylan open it and pull me in. "What?" I asked, confused.

"I just…I'm paranoid," he shrugged.

"God," I sighed. "You're just like Dean. Calm the heck down."

"Sorry," he smirked. "But better safe than sorry."

"Whatever," I stated. "So…" He just looked at me confused. "Are we going to do what I came here for, or…."

"Oh, uh…" Dylan said. "I thought maybe we could grab something to eat first?"

I stared at him for a moment. There was something very wrong here. He had called me out here to see his mother and now he didn't want to go? I couldn't understand why. If I had the chance to see my mother again…

"Sure," I nodded. "Where do you want to go?"

We headed out on foot down the block where there was a small restaurant. We sat silently for awhile, Dylan fidgeting in his seat uncomfortably. I had never seen him so scared. He was so unlike himself that I nearly thought he was possessed. Except I didn't think demons got nervous. Mr. Cool, calm, and collected was messed up.

I stared at him a little confused. "We'll go from here," he stated, and I could tell he wasn't exactly talking to me, but more to himself.

"Sounds good," I replied anyway. He looked up like he had forgotten I was there. "It's okay to be nervous you know."

"I'm not nervous," he insisted. He stared at his food, thoughtfully.

"I know," I sighed.

He picked at his food for a few more minutes. "I'm not really hungry," he stated, pushing the plate of food that was barely touched away from him. He looked at me and I sighed and rolled my eyes. I slowly nodded. He threw money on the table and got up to leave. We walked back to the motel and he looked to me. "We're taking the bike," he announced, mounting it.

"No," I shook my head. "No way. I'm not getting on that death trap with you."

He looked uneasily at the car. "Please?"

I looked from him to the car, back to the bike again. I hopped on the back and hesitantly put my arms around his waist. "Go slow."

He smirked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Sure, Winchester. No problem." He revved the engine and took off going forty down the street. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I eventually got up the confidence to open my eyes. "Winchester, you wanna let up a little. You're squeezing me to death."

I felt my cheeks go red and I loosened my death grip a little. "Sorry," I sputtered. I could see him smirking from the side of his face and blushed even more. I mentally cursed at myself. He pulled up to the side of the road and I grew quiet. The engine of the bike shut off, but we both stayed on. He avoided my gaze as I stared at him curiously. We were at the cemetery.

"Is this where she's buried?" I asked finally, catching on.

"Yeah," Dylan replied simply, staring off into the cemetery.

I watched him for a minute. "Why didn't you tell me on the phone she was dead?" I asked curiously.

"I didn't think you'd come," he stated.

"I would've come."

There was a long, drawn out silence that seemed to never end. I fidgeted slightly, growing uncomfortable. He finally stepped off the bike and helped me down. "Stay here," he said, and walked off into the cemetery.

I watched him walk towards a specific grave. He apparently already knew where he was planning to go. Maybe he had already been here before he called me. He stood there for a long time. By the time he had finally come back, I had been waiting for nearly 20 minutes. He only stood there the whole time barely moving. He came back, and I knew that he had been crying. I could see his red eyes.

"Don't say anything," he warned.

I shrugged, as though this whole thing was just no big deal. "I wasn't going to." He stared back at where he had just come from, and I realized I had to say something or I would be forced to sit in silence for a long time. "My mom burned on the ceiling," I started. "A demon killed her right above me."

He looked over at a bench and sighed, ignoring me. "I'm going to go sit down," he stated, walking over. I followed him and sat next to him not saying a word. "I told you about my sister," he stated. I slowly nodded, realizing that this was a question.

"I grew up in bumfuck nowheresville in Ohio," He started. My mom left when I was four, so uh, it was just me, and my sisters and my dad. We did okay," he sighed. "My sisters and I decided to play campout in the backyard. We just set up a tent not even a mile from the house. Just pretending, you know?" He stopped. "I woke up to her screaming. She was outside, and I couldn't see. I couldn't…" he trailed off. "When I finally got a light, all I saw was blood. She was just…gone."

I winced slightly, but said nothing.

"My dad figured it out from a hunter that was around tracking the damn thing. Bobby Singer," he said, with a smirk. "That's how I know him."

He sighed again. "She was only six. I was eight," He shook his head. "Been hunting ever since. My other sister gave it up when our dad died. Said she couldn't continue the crusade for him. Just wasn't worth it."

"Why do you?" I asked, looking over at him.

He shrugged. "What else am I going to do?"

I didn't actually have an answer for that so I ignored him. "Now what?" I asked instead, looking away from him.

He said nothing, with a nonchalant shrug. "I need a drink," he stated, and got on his bike. I stood there standing there staring at him for a moment. "You coming?" he asked, revving the bike. "Or you gonna stand here all night?"

"Yeah," I said, getting on the back again. He took off immediately. I nearly fell off, and had to jump and wrap my arms around him just to stay on. I thought about punching him in the back for that, but changed my mind. He had a rough day.

He pulled into a small bar that already seemed to have a lot of people in it for only six o clock in the evening. Usually when we went into bars at this time they were all but vacant. Dylan went ahead of me and brought me back a beer. I took it, even though I wasn't planning on drinking it. I took a small, tentative sip.

By the time that Dylan was dragging me back to the motel room, I was very tipsy. He was leading me by my arm to his bike. "Sit," he commanded. I was going to fight him on it, saying he shouldn't drive the bike while he was drinking, but he shoved me towards it. I got on and then he sped off.

He helped me into the motel room. "Geez, of either of us who needed a drink I think it was me, not you Winchester."

Even though I was pretty sure he was kidding, that comment really made me mad. "My life is a lot suckier than your little mommy problems," I scoffed.

"Shut the fuck up Winchester," Dylan warned.

"My mom was killed right over my head!" I shouted, annoyed. "She burned to a crisp because some dumbass demon decided that he wanted Sam to lead a demon army! To end the world!" I felt tears brimming in my eyes. "My mom's dead, my dad's dead…and then…and then Sam goes and nearly gets himself _killed _and Dean's the idiot who…" I trailed off. "You have no idea my life Porter," I growled. "I've been through hell."

"Yeah, I know, I was there," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure that wasn't pleasant."

"It wasn't," I replied, annoyed. "No one seems to realize how bad hell really is."

"It's hell," Dylan smirked.

"No, really," I said, "I would never tell anyone to go to hell anymore. Not unless I really meant it." Dylan gave me a funny look. "It's worse than you're imagining."

"No, I think I know what hell is," he insisted.

"My brother's going there in a year," I said, putting my head in my hands.

"What?" Dylan frowned.

"That's how Sam came back," I scoffed. "Dean sold his soul. He has no idea what he's in for. I mean, I was only in there for a few minutes and it felt like days. Dean is strong but even he can't do it."

"Is that what this is about?" Dylan asked, his expression lightening. "You're brother made a demon deal for his soul?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "He's going to die and end up down there and there's nothing Sam or I or anyone can do about it because the minute we try to get him out of it, Sam's back to dead." I wiped the tears. "Someone's going to die. And there's nothing I can do about it."

Dylan was silent for a moment. "Who says?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Who says there's nothing you can do?" Dylan asked me. "Why the hell are you giving up?"

"Because if I fight for one brother I'm killing the other!" I shouted. "There's no way to win this Dill. I can't do anything." I burst into tears again, and started to hiccup.

"Oh god, you're a crier," Dylan sighed. "C'mon, you're going to bed." I let him push me into bed and I fell into it and found a comfy position.

"I'm not tired," I insisted, as I closed my eyes.

"Yes, you are," he said, rolling his eyes. "Sleep."

I closed my eyes.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNPSN

When I awoke the next morning, my head was pounding like someone gave me a concussion. That actually might have happened since I couldn't seem to remember most of the night before. All I remembered was being at that bar and…crying? I put my head in my hands. I probably made a fool of myself last night. What was I thinking? I don't even usually drink.

My stomach churned as I got out of bed. I had an odd feeling that I'd already emptied my stomach however because I felt empty. I glanced around the room for my bag before realizing it was still in the car. I had slept in Dylan's room last night.

My phone was on the nightstand. I grabbed it and noted the six missed calls I had, four from Dean and two from Sam. I sighed and dialed him back. Might as well get this over with now…

"Where the hell have you been?" Dean demanded, not even saying hello to me.

"Hey, sleeping," I grunted.

"Well next time wake up and answer me dammit!"

My ears started ringing. "Okay Dean, sorry."

"It's okay," he said, sounding calmer. "So what did Dylan want?"

"Stuff," I answered. "It's none of your business, Dean. Stop asking me."

"I think I deserve to know," he replied, annoyed. "And so you're done now? You coming back?"

"I don't know," I stated. The door opened and Dylan answered. "I'll call you back, okay?" I shut my phone before I could get a response. I didn't really want to hear him complain to me. "Where were you?" I asked, groggily pushing the hair out of my face.

"Getting breakfast," he responded, throwing food on the table. At the mention of food, my stomach lurched. "Oh and we've got a case."

"A case?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah," he said, like I was an idiot. "Like a hunt? Hunting monsters?"

"I know what a case is," I scoffed. "I meant when the hell did you have time to find one?"

"When I was waiting for you," he replied, with a shrug. "So you gonna help me or not?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I should probably tell my brothers."

"Why?" Dylan shrugged. "You basically told me last night that they cared less about you right now. Why should you give a shit about them?"

I was about to tell him off when I realized that he was actually sort of right. Why did I care what Dean or Sam thought? I was basically on my own it seemed like anyway. They didn't care about how I was feeling, why should I care how they felt?

"You're right," I admitted. "Okay, what's going on then?"

He handed me a paper and I scanned the article he had circled. "Two more girls dead this week as the murders progress, upping the count to six women killed by their significant others in the last few months," I read, and looked up. "So what? You think they're possessed or something?"

"No idea," he replied, with a shrug. "What you think? Interview time?"

"Sure," I said, "But we're taking the car."

Dylan looked at me with annoyance. "Why?"

"Because if we take the bike, the way you drive, I'll vomit," I replied seriously. He handed me the car keys off the table and I smiled. "Thank you."

"You might want to change first," he said, rolling his eyes. "Or at least brush that tangle of hair on your head."

I scoffed at him, "My stuffs in the car," I stated, and went out the door. I leaned into the backseat to grab my bag and came back up to see Dylan staring at me. "You checking me out?" I asked, with a smirk. He looked slightly surprised, but not at all like he was going to deny it. "Okay, I think that answers that." I strolled into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I put on jeans and a crew cut top that I put a jacket over. I brushed my teeth and headed out to the room where Dylan was so patiently waiting. He threw his hands in the air as I walked out. "Finally."

"I didn't even take that long," I argued. "What is up with you today?"

He stared at me for a long moment. "Can you even remember last night?"

I thought for a long moment. "Why?" I asked, irritated. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he sighed. "You ready or what?" He took the keys out of my hand and walked out the door. I followed, a little at a loss for words.

"So how long were Amy and Ben going out?" I asked, already confused. The mother of the girl made it pretty obvious that she did not understand what had happened at all.

"A month," she said. "He was attached to her. I mean at first they were doing good, she seemed to like him…but then…" She trailed off.

"What?" I asked.

"It was like he was already deeply in love with her," she explained. "He was clingy, he was saying he couldn't live without her, he wanted to be with her at all times…"

"And then he killed her?" I finished.

Amy's mother burst into tears. "He stabbed her to death," she cried. "Who _does _that? And now he's saying he can't remember any of it?" She looked at me. "Are we done here?" I nodded, and she pretty much ran away from me.

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket. "Dyl," I said, as he picked up. "Any luck?"

"Not much," he stated. "Where you at?"

"I'm done," I stated. "I'm heading back to the motel. Where are you?"

"Same," he stated. "Before you leave, I need you to look for something for me at her house."

"What?" I asked, stopping in my tracks. "What am I looking for?"

"A flyer for a bakery over on West 154th street," he stated. "They apparently just opened last week."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why the hell would I be looking for that?"

"I'll tell you once you find it," he stated. I sighed and made my way to the kitchen silently. I didn't want her Amy's mother to think I was snooping around the house, which I actually totally was, but that's beside the point. "What's it look like?" I asked, rifling through papers.

"It's bright pink," he said. "Kind of hard to miss it."

I pulled out a bright pink piece of paper and then walked out of the house before Amy's mom noticed how long it had taken me to get out of there. "Okay, I found it. What's this got to do with anything? You want a pastry or something?"

"No, I found the same flyer in the last two houses I visited," Dylan said, and I could picture him rolling his eyes at me. "I figured it could have something to do with it."

"So…meet you at Dora's Bakery," I said, getting into the car.

"See you there," he added, and hung up the phone.

I drove to the center of town where a pink store jutted out of shops making it pretty clear that it was there. It was very obnoxious. There were little dolls in the window holding cupcakes, and the whole atmosphere was especially girly. The counters were a light pastel pink that clashed horribly with the magenta walls. I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey," I said, looking to Dylan who looked disgusted.

"This place is horrible," he stated.

I scoffed. "C'mon," I stated. "Let's gather info."

"No," Dylan said, stopping me. "Distract the lady at the counter. I'm going in back."

"Why?" I asked.

"Do you really think that they'd have the super secret scary stuff out front?" Dylan asked me. I scowled at him. "Exactly. Now go."

I walked up to the counter. "HI," I stated. "I need to uh," I watched Dylan sneak under the counter and through the doors. "Need to place a large order."

"Okay sure," she said, pulling out a large pad. "What can I get you?"

I looked up at the huge menu above me. "I need thirty two cupcakes, a double chocolate fudge cake, a tub of extra icing, sprinkles…" Dylan snuck back out and nodded at me. "And uh, you know what? I'll be back later…" The woman glared at me and I just turned and walked out.

I met Dylan out front. "Anything?" I asked.

"We need to go back at night," he insisted. "There were too many people, the readings were all screwy."

"Alright," I sighed, "It's a plan then."

We got off his bike, which he insisted that we take, and I shivered. It was pretty chilly out here, and I hadn't brought my jacket. "Don't be such a wimp," Dylan admonished as we walked up to the back door.

"I'm not a wimp," I stated, irritated. "Now move." I was about to kneel to pick the lock when Dylan simply picked me up and put me out of his way abruptly. "What're you—"

He kicked the door in, destroying the deadbolt lock in the process. He smirked at me. "Let's not waste precious time, Winchester." He waltzed in ahead of me. I rolled my eyes and followed him inside.

I was met by a rush of the smell of icing and other bakery smells. It smelled pretty nice compared to the garbage smell in the alley out back. "How did you know they didn't have an alarm?" I questioned, taking out the EMF in my pocket.

Dylan shrugged, poking around. "Wild guess."

"Wild guess?" I asked, incredulously. "What if you were wrong? What if you set off an alarm?"

"I didn't did I?" he asked in return. He gave me a glance over his shoulder, a smug smile on his face. I grumbled under my breath and went back to what I was doing. He stopped in front of a large vat. "Does this frosting look funny to you?" he asked.

I walked over and peered into the vat. "It looks like frosting," I stated. He glared at me. "No, it looks fine."

He stuck a finger in and licked it. "Hmm," he mused. "Pretty good."

"People are going to eat that you know," I said, grimacing. "Now they have your icky germs in it."

"Oh, sorry Winchester," he said, rolling his eyes. "Do I have cooties?"

I shot him a look. "You've got worse than cooties," I muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said. "Are we done here? I got nothing."

"Yeah," he said, taking another taste of the frosting. "Let's go."

We started the long walk back to the bike. "God, it's freezing," I complained.

Dylan looked at me and shrugged his jacket off. "Here," he said. "You can wear it."

I stared at it like it was poison. "Really?" I asked. He held it out to me expectantly. "Thanks…" I said taking from her cautiously. I draped it around my shoulders.

"No problem, Winchester," he smiled, and then kicked the stand up on his bike. "Hop on." I got on and he looked behind him. "You might want to hold on."

I slowly put my arms around him. "Why are you being so nice?" I asked, thinking of how earlier he had taken off before I was barely even on.

"Sorry," he shrugged. "Ready?" I nodded, and he sped back to the hotel.

We went to bed that night in separate beds. I had made him get a new room with two beds. "There's no point of you on the couch if we don't have to be," I insisted. And, for once, he actually listened to me. He even let me choose what we watched until I finally fell asleep. I only woke up twice from the nightmares. That was probably the best night's sleep I had gotten in the last month.

It was when I woke up in the morning though that I knew something was wrong. Dylan was sitting on the edge of my bed, smiling at me like he knew a secret and I didn't. "What?" I asked, rubbing the grogginess out of my eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he stated. "You're just kind of cute when you sleep."

I looked up at him in shock. "What did you just say?" I asked. He said nothing in return. I sat up and stared at him. "Are you drunk?"

"No, why?" he answered, getting off the bed. "Can't I just say something nice?"

"Sure," I said, "As soon as the world is about to explode." He gave me a funny look. "Never mind," I sighed. "What's our next move?"

"I was thinking we could, you know, get something to eat," he suggested. "It's my treat."

"Um, okay," I said, and he grabbed the phone and ordered something to eat. Dylan ran out to go pick it up from the diner down the block, after I spent ten minutes assuring him that I wouldn't move until he got back.

When he opened the door, he glared at me. "You moved," he insisted, staring at me on the couch.

"I was uncomfortable," I said, confused.

"Oh," he said, with a small smile. "Sorry," He handed me a box. "There ya go, eat up." I opened the box and took a small bite. "You don't like it, do you?" he asked, sighing in defeat.

"No, its fine," I said, narrowing my eyes. "You sure you're okay?"

"I just want you to be happy," he said.

"Right," I said, "I think you should sit down…" I finished eating, Dylan nearly boring a hole into my head by staring at my intently. I started getting up and heading to the bathroom. He followed me like he was a puppy or something, looking all excited. "Whoa," I said, stopping him. "You don't get to shower with me, buddy."

He stopped, looking defeated. I shut the door on him abruptly. I started the shower and waited for the water to start to get warm. I stared at myself in the mirror, thinking about what the hell could be wrong with Dylan. I mean, who acts like that out of nowhere? I was a lot like the other couples had been…oh shit. My stomach plummeted. I reached for my phone and looked at the three missed calls I had. I had talked to Dean after we first visited the bakery in the daytime, then fell asleep and never called him again. "Shit," I swore, dialing for Dean.

"Oh, look its my long lost sister…" Dean said. "You know you could call to let us know what's going on and not hang up on us. I swear to god, this is the last time I let you go off alone. I tell you to call me and you don't? What the hell, Alexis!"

"Dean, listen," I said, "I'm in deep shit."

Dean immediately went into big brother mode. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay for now…" I trailed off. "I'm a little worried that Dylan's cursed…"

"How did he—"

"We went on a hunt," I stated. "I think he ate something that was cursed, I don't know. I need help Dean."

"Oh so you didn't need help when you started?" Dean said, sarcastically. "How freaking great, Lex. Seriously. You didn't even think to call us?"

"I was going to….then Dylan changed my mind," I said, a little softer.

"I'm going to kill him."

"No," I said "I thought he was right. I mean, what am I going to do when you're gone?"

He was silent for a moment. "Look, what's wrong with him? Is he sick or something?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Lex…"

"There's all these dead couples all over," I started, "Who kill each other after visiting this bakery over on 54th street. The guy always kills the girl after becoming obsessed with her. Dylan ate something and now he's been following me around like a lost puppy."

"We'll be there in a few hours," Dean sighed. "Keep him happy."

"Okay," I said, "I'm sorry Dean." He abruptly hung up on me. I took my shower, and came out of the bathroom, towel drying my hair. Dylan was waiting at the door to the bathroom for me. "Hey," I said. "So I called Sam and Dean…"

"Why?" he demanded, growing angry. "Don't you like me?"

"What?" I asked, confused. "I mean," I went on, thinking of what Dean had told me. "Of course I do."

"Then why would you call them?" he persisted. "All they do is get in the way! I love you Alexis, and you don't even care!"

"You what?" I said, stopping in my tracks.

"I love you, dammit!" he growled, jumping at me. He knocked me to the ground, and pinned my arms down. "You don't care about me! You're a liar!"

"I love you too!" I screamed, trying to pry him off me. "Stop, Dylan! I love you too, okay?" He slowly let me up, and grabbed a knife off the kitchen counter. "What're you doing?"

"I don't want you to think that you can leave me," he stated, sitting at the table. "Sit down."

"No," I said. He glared at me angrily. "Okay, okay…" I took a seat. "So we're just going to stay like this?" He said nothing, staring at me with a hard expression. "Awesome…" I sighed.

We sat there, in sustained silence, until I got an idea. "I need to use the bathroom…honey..." I added, in my best interest.

"Oh go ahead," he said, with a bright smile. "I'll miss you when you're gone…"

"Okay…" I said, getting up. As planned, Dylan followed me to the bathroom door. I went to close the door behind me, and then abruptly slammed the door back into him, knocking him over. He stumbled and I grabbed the knife out of his hand. He fell to the floor with a loud thud. I stared at him for a moment, knife in hand, then relaxed. I dragged him into the windowless bathroom and barred the door shut with the dresser that was on the adjacent wall. I took a deep breath and sat back down at the table.

Dylan was silent for a long time. It was a good seven hours later that Sam and Dean arrived at the motel and he was still silent as ever. It worried me a little bit, but I was too scared to open the door. The knock on the door from Sam and Dean scared the shit out of me. I opened it. "Hey," I said. They both just shot me a look to keep my mouth shut. I let them in.

"I'm so pissed at you," Dean stated. "You are so lucky I don't just pound you into the floor. Do you know what could've happened?"

"I know," I said. "But can you yell at me later? He's locked in the bathroom."

"Why?" Dean asked, and then abruptly stopped me. "I don't want to know."

"We think we know what it is," Sam stated, opening his laptop. He showed me a picture of this monster looking creature.

"No, I'm pretty sure I would've noticed that thing," I stated, bluntly.

"It can change shapes," Sam said rolling his eyes. "It's a goddess, Sjofn. She supposedly makes treats and used to give them to wandering travelers. She feeds off of their obsessive love for others. However it usually turns violent and once the traveler kills off his love, she kills him and eats him."

"The men always disappear," I stated. "So that could be it."

"It's gotta be someone who works there," Dean stated. "How do we kill her?"

"Her weakness is silver and chanting an incantation. Nemo Diligit." Sam replied, reading off the screen.

Dean nodded. "We'll go there tonight, right after close."

"Got it," I said. "But what about him?"

"We've gotta bring him with us," Sam said. "We can't leave him here alone, or leave Lexie here to watch him."

"Let's let him out," Dean sighed, pushing the dresser away. "Stand back, Lex."

I stood as far away as I could get. Dean opened the door and Dylan popped out. "Lexie!" he yelled. "Oh god, I thought you were gone forever." He pulled me into a tight hug. "I'll never let you go. Not ever."

"Dylan," I said, "Let go. I can't breathe." He abruptly let go of me looking worried. He fell into place beside me with a sigh of content. I looked to Sam and Dean. "So?" I asked. "Now what?"

"Bakery," Dean said. "Let's go."

Luckily, it closed only a few hours later so we didn't have to wait around for long. We went in through the back door, which was actually still busted. Dylan stayed directly behind me the entire time. "I can't see anything," I stated, squinting through the darkness.

As soon as I said that, a light flickered on. A girl was standing there in shock. I recognized her as the girl who was at the front counter the other day. She started to scream. "Oh my god. HELP! You better get out, I'll call the police!"

"Whoa, whoa," Dean said, putting his hands up in surrender. We had thought that everyone had left. "It's okay. Relax."

The girl's eyes widened, and she glanced at all of us cautiously, until her eyes landed on Dylan. She slowly smiled. "Oh," she said, her eyes turning narrow. "You brought me a snack." She took a step towards us. Dylan stepped in front of me protectively. "She doesn't love you," Sjofn said, simply. Her voice seemed to echo. "If she doesn't want you, no one should have her."

"Dylan," I said, "Don't listen to her."

He turned to look at me. "If I can't have you," he started. He pulled out a knife that had been in his boot. "No one can." I started to back up, Dylan matching my footsteps.

Sam and Dean jumped into action, coming to help me, but Sjofn stepped in their way. "No no boys," she smiled. They pulled out their knives and glared.

"Guys," I complained, as I neared the wall. I didn't take my eyes of Dylan. "If you could hurry it up, that would be awesome."

Dean lunged at her, but she threw him into the opposite wall with incredible ease. "Yeah," Dean said, "This may not be that easy."

Dylan stabbed the knife at me, but I grabbed his wrist to stop him. He yanked back, and slashed my arm in the process. "ow," I shouted. "Dylan!" I kicked out his knees and he dropped the knife when he lost his balance. I kicked it away.

"You should love me!" he yelled angrily. He got up off the floor and lifted me off the ground. He was a lot stronger than he looked. He shoved me backwards into a tub of flour. White powder went everywhere, covering everything. I groaned in pain. He immediately picked me up again.

I was too dazed to realize what he was doing. I heard the whirring noise behind me. He had turned the giant mixer on, the one with the blades for dough and was lowering me towards it. "No, Dylan!"

"Kill her!" Sjofn yelled, distracted for a moment.

Dean plunged the knife into her back. "Nemo diligit. Bitch." Dylan's gaze softened, and he stopped moving me. The mixer turned off. He blinked a few times in confusion. Sjofn's body fell to the floor.

"Put me down," I insisted.

He put me down, looking dazed. "What happened?" he asked, looking around. "When did you two get here?"

Dean and Sam exchanged a glance. I sighed in relief. "You're an idiot," I stated.

"I'm sorry?"

"You should be."

We went back to the motel room and packed up to get out of town. The police were going to get involved in the morning and we really didn't need them back on our trail right now. Dean and Sam gave Dylan and me a few moments to say goodbye (after much persuading on my part). I stood outside the motel room with him, while the boys were in the car.

"I guess I'll see you later," I stated.

" Yeah," Dylan stated. "You uh…" he trailed off, and I stared at him expectantly. "Sorry about before…"

"It's okay," I smiled. We stared at each other for a long time. Dean eventually honked the horn. "See ya." I said abruptly, and started to turn around.

"Wait, Lexie?"

"Yeah?" I said, stopping.

"You call me if you need anything," he said, nodding. "I mean it."

I smiled. "Thanks Dylan. I will." He nodded back and agreement and I went to the car.

I got inside and Dean took off, waving slightly to Dylan. "So," he started. "We still need to talk about this."

"What?" I asked. "Why is it whenever I do something stupid it's like the frigging apocalypse around here. It was a mistake. It worked out."

"No, that's not what I meant," Dean said. "Nightmares, and shit? What the heck, Lex? Why don't you talk to one of us?" I looked at Sam who seemed to have no cares right now.

"Which one do you want me to talk to?" I demanded. "The one who is going to die in 10 months, or the one who is talking to demons for a living?"

Sam shot me the nastiest look he had given me since I told dad on him about ruining the motel room when I was seven. "You're what?" Dean asked.

I knew in that moment, that Sam and I wouldn't be okay again for awhile. I also knew that something was very, very wrong. My head started pounding in my skull. I leaned over in the seat while Sam explained to Dean what was going on.

I looked to the front seat where Sam and Dean were screaming at each other. This was just my luck.


	58. Season 3, Chapter Four

**Hey guys! Thank for waiting so long for this! You guys all rock! I promise to try to update more often like I used to! I will get back on track eventually! =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Alexis.  
**

Chapter Fifty Eight

"Because Demon, that's why, I mean the second you find out this Ruby chick is a Demon you go for the Holy water, you don't chat!" Dean yelled.

"No one was chatting, Dean," Sam said, rolling his eyed.

"Oh yeah?" Dean asked. "Then why didn't you send her ass back to Hell?"

"Because- Because she said she might be able to help us out," Sam struggled.

"I think you have to chat to learn that Sam," I stated.

"You keep your mouth shut, Alexis," Sam stated.

"She can help us?" Dean asked. "How?" Sam said nothing. "No really, Sam, how? How could she possibly help us?"

"She told me she could help you, OK?" Sam said. Dean gave him an incredulous look. "Help you out of the crossroad deal…"

"What is wrong with you, huh?" Dean asked. "She's lying, you gotta know that, don't you? She knows what your weakness is, it's me." Sam said nothing again. Dean sighed. "What else did she say?" Sam was still silent. "Dude?"

"Nothing," Sam replied. Dean shot him a warning look. "Nothing, OK?" Sam sighed. "Look I'm not an idiot Dean, I'm not talking about trusting her, I'm talking about using her. I mean we're at war, right? And we don't know jack about the enemy; we don't know where they are, we don't know what they're doing. I mean, Hell, we don't know what they want. Now this Ruby girl knows more than we will ever find out on our own. Now yes, it's a risk, I know that, but we need to take it."

"You're OK right, I mean you're feeling OK?" Dean asked him.

"Yes I'm fine, Why are you always asking me that?" Sam demanded.

A phone started to ring. I reached into my pocket. "Not me." I said.

"It's not mine," Sam added.

"Nope," Dean said. "Check the glove compartment, it's Dad's."

"Dad's?" I asked.

"Yes, I keep it charged up in case any of his old contacts call," Dean replied.

Sam opened the compartment and pulled out a ringing cell phone. "Hello? Yes... this is Edgar Cayce..." He rolled his eyes. "No, no, no, no, don't- don't call the police, I'll handle this myself. Thanks. You know, can you just uh, can you just lock it back up for me? Great. Uhm, I- I uh, I don't have my- my book in front of me." I handed him a pen, which he snatched out of my hands. "Do you- do you have the address so I can...Sure, OK. Go ahead. Right, thanks a lot." Sam hung up.

"Dad ever tell you he kept a container at a storage place?" Sam asked.

Dean looked confused. "What?"

"Outside of Buffalo?" Sam added.

"No way," Dean said, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Sam scoffed. "And someone just broke into it."

"That's…odd." I looked back and forth from Dean and Sam, both of whom seemed to be at a loss. "Well?" I asked. "Are we going to Buffalo or not?"

Dean sighed, and turned the car around.

Nearly seven hours later, we pulled into the storage facility. It was like everything that had just happened in the car was put behind us. We were focused on dad again. I slapped my thighs nervously.

"Man..." Dean breathed, breaking the silence.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Just Dad. You know him and his secrets," Dean stated. "Spend all this time with the guy and it's like we barely even know the man."

"Well, we're about to learn something," Sam said.

Dean looked to me. "You wanna do the honors?" he asked. He handed me his lock pick set and I kneeled down. They shined flashlights on me and I slid the door open. I glanced around looking for some type of clue to what had gone on here. There was a symbol on the floor to keep demons out. Across it were bloody footprints. Someone had gotten hurt.

"No Demons allowed," Sam remarked.

"Blood," I said, pointing.

"Check this out," Dean said, holding up a tripwire. He followed it to where a gun was hidden inside an animal skull.

"Whoever broke in here got tagged," Sam said.

"Dear old Dad," Dean smirked. "I got two sets of boot treads here, looks like it was a two-man job. And our friend with the buckshot in him looks like he kept walking."

"So what's the deal? Dad would do work here or something?" I asked, hoping these two knew more than I did somehow.

"Living the high life, as usual," Dean shrugged. He headed farther inside, and I followed, looking around at all the things on the shelves.

"What the hell is all of this?" I asked, picking up a pendant looking thing.

"1995," Dean read aloud, holding up a trophy.

"No way!" Sam said, excitedly. He took the trophy out of Dean's hands. "That's my Division Championship soccer trophy. I can't believe he kept this."

"Yeah... About the closest you ever came to being a boy," Dean remarked. "Oh, wow! It's my first sawed-off. I made it myself. 6th Grade." Dean laughed and pumped the shotgun.

I walked over and stared at the picture of me and my dad the day I was born. I smiled sadly. Next to it was a bear. "Oh my god," I said, picking it up. "Dad told me we left my bear somewhere! That bastard just took it."

Dean laughed and I couldn't help it, l laughed too. Sam moved over to the back of the storage unit. There was another door, so that the back was hidden from the front. A padlocked chain was cut and lying on the ground. "Holy crap. Look at this, he had land mines..." Dean scoffed, pointing to the wall. "Which they didn't take. Or the guns. I guess they knew what they were after, huh?"

Sam pointed to a shelf on the other side. "Hey Dean, check this out. See these symbols? That's binding magic. These are curse boxes."

"Curse boxes?" I asked, confused.

"They're supposed to keep the evil mojo in right, kinda like the Pandora deal?" Dean stated, looking at Sam.

"Yeah, yeah, they're built to contain the power of the cursed object," Sam replied.

"Well Dad's journal didn't mention a whole bunch of stuff, you know? Dangerous hexed items, fetishes, he never did say where they ended up." Dean said. I nodded.

"No, then this must be his toxic waste dump. One box is missing..." Sam noticed. He sighed and looked at us. "Great."

"Well maybe they didn't open it," I suggested, hopefully.

Sam rolled his eyes at me. "Don't be an idiot." Sam walked towards the exit. "Let's check the security tapes."

I looked to Dean. "I really screwed this up, didn't I?" Dean didn't answer, which told me that I was right.

We drove into the city and stopped right outside of an apartment building. "You sure that's it?" I asked, scanning from the back seat.

"Connecticut. Last three digits 880," Dean said.

"Yep, that's it," Sam nodded.

"Should've blacked out their plates before they parked in front of the security camera..." Dean clucked disapprovingly. "C'mon."

I picked the lock and then Sam and Dean proceeded inside, carefully. We were planning on the element of surprise for this. "Royal Flush," the one man shouted. "Grossman, that's the second Royal Flush in eight hands!"

"Yeah, this is a lot of fun," Grossman replied, sounding ticked off.

"I can't lose. I mean really, I- I can't lose!" the other said excitedly. He grabbed something off the table in front of him. "Maybe this thing really works? You know what I'm saying?" He stood up. "I tell you something there's no way in Hell we are handing it over to that stuck-up bitch now, not after all we've been through. Uh uh. Let's go, huh? Let's get out of here, let's go have some fun."

"FREEZE, FREEZE! NOBODY MOVE!" Dean shouted.

"Don't move!" Sam said as the one started to move off the couch.

"DON'T MOVE!" Dean shouted again, waving his gun in the air as a warning. I followed up behind him, scanning the apartment for what they had stolen.

"What is this?" The one who I figured was Grossman asked.

"All right, give us the box," Dean said, walking up to them. "And please tell me that you didn't-"

"Oh they did," Sam said pointing to the opened box on the table.

"You opened it?" I yelled, in shock. This was not good. Anything could've been in that thing. We could be in way over our heads right now. Dean shoved the one against the wall.

"Are you guys cops?" he asked, as Dean held him to the wall.

"Huh?" Dean asked, confused. These guys apparently had no idea what they had just done. They had no idea that we were hunters. Dean ignored his question and shook his head. "What was in the box?"

Wayne glanced over to the coffee table. I looked down and saw a rabbits foot. "Oh, was that is, Huh? It was wasn't it? What is that thing?" Dean demanded. As Dean looked away, Wayne hit Dean's gun out of his hands and it fell to the floor. It went off and the bullet ricocheted off of the wall hitting Sam's gun, which he dropped and into the lamp about a foot away from my head. I ducked out of the way just in time.

Sam and the other man, Grossman both went for Sam's gun. Dean fell back onto the coffee table, sending the rabbit's foot into the air. I tried to grab for it, but missed. Wayne pushed me into the wall, and went to grab for Dean's gun. "Dean!" I shouted as a warning.

Grossman knocked Sam down and started to punch him in the face. Sam reached for the rabbit's foot on the ground. I got up and helped Dean up, but as soon as he was on his feet, Wayne hit him again. He fell into me and we both fell flat on the ground. "Get off," I said, pushing Dean.

"Dean!"Sam yelled. "I got it!"

Wayne pointed Dean's gun at Sam's face. "No you don't." He went to shoot him, but the gun jammed. I stared in shock. Dean's gun never jammed.

Wayne freaked out and backed up, tripping over a rug, flipping over the couch and knocking himself out. Grossman stood up and tried to point his gun at Sam. "SAM!" Dean yelled.

As Grossman stood, he knocked the bookcase, sending shelves tumbling down on him. He knocked his head and was out like a light as well. The gun went flying in the air, and Sam caught it. Dean and I shared an astounded glance.

"That was a lucky break!" Dean said, in shock. "Is that a rabbit's foot?"

Sam held it up. "I think it is."

Dean shook his head. "Huh," he sighed. "C'mon let's get out of here. I am starving."

"Guys," I said, as we walked out of the apartment building and we got into the car, "Do you think that this rabbit's foot is…like real?"

"Yes," Dean said, giving me a strange look. "It's definitely a real object. Definitely came off a rabbit."

I rolled my eyes. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I don't know," Dean said, getting in. He smiled at me and Sam. "Only one way to find out…" He pulled into a restaurant. "Wait here." He got out and disappeared.

I looked to Sam, who was scanning the foot. I was too scared to talk to him, so I stayed quiet. He reached in the back for dad's journal, instead of just asking me to get it for him. I ignored that and just read over his shoulder. "Could you stop breathing on me?" he asked.

I scoffed and backed away. "Okay Sam, I know you're mad, but you don't need to act like a four year old."

"Yeah, whatever," he said.

Dean got back into the car, holding a brown paper bag. "I'm not finding anything on it in Dad's journal," Sam said, before glancing up at him. Dean took out several scratch lotto cards and handed them to Sam. "Dean, come on," Sam scoffed.

"What?" Dena asked. "Hey, that was my gun he was aiming at your head, and my gun don't jam so that was a lucky break. Not to mention them taking themselves out, also a lucky break." Sam said nothing to him. "Here, scratch one. C'mon Sam, scratch and win!" Sam rolled his eyes and took it.

He scratched it without even looking at it. "Dean it's gotta be cursed somehow, otherwise Dad wouldn't have locked it up," Sam went on. He handed the card back to Dean.

Dean read it and looked up. "1200..." he trailed off. "You just won $1200."

"I don't know man doesn't seem that cursed to me!" Dean laughed happily. He handed Sam another one of the cards. Sam sighed and scratched the rest of them.

Dean waited excitedly, and looked back at me. "You're quiet," he stated. I shrugged. "Aren't you excited?" I shrugged again. He shook his head and took all the tickets from Sam.

Sam got out of the car to call Bobby, and Dean and I also got out to calculate our winnings. I watched him add it up with fake interest. "Oh man!" Dean laughed.

"Dad never told us about this thing. I mean you knew about his storage place at Black Rock?" Sam asked on the phone.

"Hey," Dean said, patting me on the shoulder. "You know Sam'll be over it within a few days. Just give him time."

"Not this time Dean," I sighed. "This time it's different."

Dean shook his head. "It'll be fine. You'll see." I nodded, pretending that I believed him. I looked to Sam and noticed that he was getting something shiny off the ground. He held up a gold watch. "Oh my God," Dean laughed. "Best cursed object ever."

"Dude!" Dean shouted to Sam. "We're up fifteen grand!"

"Seriously?" Sam asked. "Whatever, just listen to this. If I lose this thing the curse reverses itself and I die within a week."

Dean's face fell. "Well how do we break it?"

"Bobby doesn't know," Sam stated. "He's working on it."

Dean and Sam and I headed into the restaurant. "Don't worry, Bobby'll find a way to break it," Dean said, offhandedly. "Until then I say we hit Vegas, pull a little Rain Man. You can be Rain Man."

"Look, we just lay low until Bobby calls back, OK?" Sam stated, not enthused by the idea. "Hi, uh, table for two please."

"CONGRATULATIONS!" The hostess said. An alarm started to go off.

"It's exciting, I know," Dean said, confused. I slapped him on the arm.

"You are the one millionth guest of the Biggerson's Restaurant family!" the hostess went on. They handed us a huge check and started to sing and take pictures of us. Dean looked happier than Christmas morning. Balloons fell from the ceiling. I laughed in spite of ourselves.

We eventually were allowed to sit down and eat. Sam immediately went onto his laptop to figure out the curse. Dean shoveled ice cream into his mouth. "Bobby's right. It's lore goes way back. Pure Hoodoo. You can't just cut one off any rabbit," Sam explained. "Has to be in a cemetery, under a full moon, on a Friday the thirteenth."

"That's a lot of requirements," I stated.

"I say from now on, we only go to places with Biggerson's," Dean said. He grimaced after eating a big spoonful of ice cream. I laughed at his face.

"Can I freshen you up?" the waitress asked Sam.

Sam smiled. "Yeah, yeah sure. Thanks," Sam replied.

She poured some more coffee and spilled some. "Oh!" She said un surprise.

"Oh I uh- " Sam stuttered.

"Let me mop up here," She said quickly.

"No, no don't worry it's OK, It's OK- I got it, uh..." Sam said, as the waitress wiped off his shirt and the table.

"It's no trouble, really," she said. "Sorry about that."

"It's all right," Sam said. They stared at each other for a very long time after that. The waitress finished cleaning up the mess and smiled over her shoulder at Sam as she walked off. Sam and Dean both leaned in and watched her walk away.

"Dude. If you were ever gonna get lucky..." Dean said, smirking.

Sam looked down, embarrassed. "Shut up."

"That's not even her real hair," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Didn't you see the line?"

"Doesn't matter," Dean smiled. "It'll be her real hair down there."

"Ew, dean. Ew." I stated, gagging. Dean laughed.

Sam went to pick up his coffee and knocked the cup over, spilling it all over himself. He jumped out of his seat. "Oh! Oh Geez, uh..." He turned and crashed into a waiter will a full tray, sending food and drinks right into the air. "Sorry!" Sam said, looking shocked. He looked at Dean and I.

"How was that good?" I asked.

Sam went into this pocket and pulled out nothing. His eyes widened. "Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted. He immediately got up and we left the restaurant in a hurry.

We walked quickly scanning the parking lot. "It was that waitress," I said. "Everything was fine until then."

"I dunno," Dean said. "It could've been when he went to the bathroom."

Sam fell out of nowhere, flat on his face. Dean and I stopped abruptly. "Wow! You suck!" Dean said. I laughed at Sam's embarrassed face. He shot me a mean glance.

Dean helped him up. "So what, now your luck turns bad?" Dean asked.

Sam's knees were completely torn up and his knees were a bloody mess. "I guess," Sam said.

"I wonder how bad?" Dean asked.

"Maybe we should see the men we took it from," I said. "They technically lost it."

"Good idea," Dean said. "Sam, get in the backseat."

"Why?" Sam complained.

"Because you're not hurting the car," Dean explained.

"What difference is it going to make?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean sighed. "Just do it."

Sam scoffed, and got into the backseat. I got back into the passenger seat and we headed back to the apartments. We walked in, Sam trailing behind, scared to touch anything. There was a body bag being taken out. "You don't think that…" I said.

Dean looked at me and nodded. "Shit," Sam swore. "What are we going to do?"

"Go talk to the other guy," Dean said. "C'mon."

Grossman was on the floor as we walked in, completely drunk. "Oh, man. What do you want?" Grossman asked.

"Heard about your friend, that's bad luck," Dean said.

"Piss off," he huffed.

"We know someone hired you to steal the rabbit's foot. A woman," Dean said.

"Oh yeah? How do you know that?" Grossman asked.

"Because she just stole it back from us," I replied. Grossman just laughed.

"Listen man, this is serio-" As Sam stepped forward, he tripped over a cord and went tumbling down, taking a lamp with him.

Dean just rolled his eyes. "Sam, you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm good!" Sam said. I went over to him and helped him to his feet. Dean ignored us behind him.

"I want you to tell us her name," Dean demanded.

"Screw you," Grossman said.

"It wasn't a freak accident that killed your partner," Dean explained.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"It was the rabbit's foot," I added.

"You two are crazy," he said.

"You know we're not. You saw what happened, what it did," Dean said. "All the flukes, all the luck. When you lose the foot that luck goes sour. That's what killed your friend. And my brother here is next. And who knows how many more innocent people after that. Now if you don't help us stop this thing that puts those deaths on your head."

Grossman looked worried. "Now I can read people, and I get it. You're a thief, and a scumbag, that's fine," Dean said. "But you're not a killer. Are you?"

"No," Grossman said quietly. "Lugosi." He sighed. "Now get out of here."

We exited quickly and quietly. Dean's phone started to ring. "Hello?" he said. Sam stopped suddenly and I almost ran into him.

"What?" I asked.

"Bobby that's uh, great, 'cept Sam, uh..." Dean said, looking back at us. Sam lifted his shoe to reveal a large lump of gum. I grimaced. "Sam lost the foot."

I wasn't anywhere near him and even I could hear Bobby. "HE WHAT?"

"Bobby, Bobby, listen this, uh, this hot chick stole it from him," Dean explained. "I'm serious. In her mid 20's, and she was sharp you know, good enough at the con to play us." Sam went to the grate in the road and tried to scrape the gum off his shoe. I walked around to where Dean was. "And she only gave the guy she hired a name, probably an alias or something," Dean said. "Luigi or something."

"Lugosi," I corrected.

"Lugosi," Dean repeated to Bobby.

"Sam don't—" I said, but it was too late. His shoe came off and fell down the storm grate. "Wow."

"Bela Lugosi?" Dean asked, with a smirk. "That's cute."

"Well she knew about the rabbit's foot, is she a Hunter?" Dean asked. "Oh. Great." Dean sighed. "Okay, thanks Bobby. Again."

I sighed and Dean turned around. "What?" Dean asked, turning around.

Sam looked so dejected. "I lost my shoe."

Dean looked down at Sam's sock and sighed. "C'mon. I know what to do." He started to drive off towards the highway. We drove until it was way late at night. Bobby finally called back as Dean pulled into the parking lot of motel.

"All right Bobby, thanks. We owe ya, another one," Dean said, before hanging up. "All right Bobby's got it on pretty good authority that this Bela chick lives in Queens. So it'll take me about two hours to get there."

"So what are we doing here?"I asked.

"You and Sam are staying here 'cause I don't want your bad luck getting us killed," Dean said, looking at Sam.

"I don't have bad luck," I insisted. "He does."

"Someone needs to watch him," Dean said, shaking his head. He got a key to a room and opened it.

"What am I even supposed to do, Dean?"

"Nothing, nothing," Dean said. He placed a chair in the middle of the room. "Come here. I don't want you doing anything. I want you to sit right here, and don't move, OK?" Sam sat down in the chair. "Don't turn on the light, don't turn off the light. Don't even scratch your nose."

"And you," Dean said, turning on me. "You watch him like a hawk."

"Dean, I don't want to babysit him," I complained.

"Just…" Dean said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Make sure he doesn't combust, okay? Please?"

I sighed and nodded. "Fine. But hurry up."

Dean smirked and left the room. I looked back at Sam who was wrinkling his nose. "I'm not itching your nose, Sam," I stated, and sat down on the bed. I picked up the phone and dialed a Chinese takeout number.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded.

"I'm hungry," I said, as it rang.

"Seriously?" Sam asked. He groaned in frustration. The food came and I ate, watching TV. "You're a real jerk, you know that?" he asked. "I'm starving."

"Oh I'm a jerk?" I asked, with a huff. "Who's the one who decided that talking to a demon was a good idea?"

"She said she could help Dean," he said. "Why wouldn't you take that deal?"

"Because I don't trust her, Sam," I said, incredulously. "She's a demon!"

"What difference does it make?" Sam demanded. "If she says she can help Dean, does it matter? Why are you so against finding a way to help Dean anyway?"

"I'm not against helping Dean, I just—" I stopped when I heard a grinding sound coming from the AC.

"Oh come on, I- I didn't- I wasn't..." Sam complained. Smoke started to pour out.

I got up. "I'll go tell the front desk…just stay put, okay?" I left and went out the door. As I exited, two men were standing outside of our door. "Can I help you?" I asked, confused.

They looked at each other and smiled. The one grabbed my arm. "You have no idea," the one said, with a grin.

"Don't touch me," I complained. I was going to scream for help when the curtains inside the room went tumbling down and Sam was knocked out on the floor. "Sam…" I called helplessly. I got no answer.

"C'mon," the man said, pulling me back into the room. "We need to chat."

I sat staring ahead as they tied my hands behind me so that I couldn't get up from this chair. "You're not going to get much out of us," I stated. "We don't have any money on us."

"Be quiet," he barked.

The other one threw a glass of water at Sam. Sam sputtered as he woke up. "Hiya, Sam," the man said. "How are you?"

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded. The man punched him straight in the face.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"Lex?" Sam asked.

"I told you not to get up," I stated.

"It caught on fire!" Sam insisted.

"And now we're tied up!" I replied. The other man punched me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. It definitely shut me up.

"I know all about you, Sam Winchester," the one man said, "And I know about your little special powers." He sat on the bed. "You were part of that Demon plan to open the gate weren't you?"

"We did everything we could to stop it," Sam explained.

"Lie lie lie! You were in on it," he insisted. "You know what their next move is too, don't you?"

"No, I don't, OK? You're wrong about all of this," Sam went on.

"Where are they gonna hit us next?" he asked. Sam just sighed, knowing he was getting nowhere with these men. Sam was smacked across the face again. "WHERE?" he demanded. "Gordon told me about you, Sam. About your powers. You're some kinda weirdo psychic freak?"

"No, not any more I-" Sam stuttered. "No powers, no visions, nothing, it just-"

"LIAR!" he screamed, punching Sam hard. It knocked Sam out for a moment again.

"Hey!" I said. "He's telling the truth!"

"Don't think I don't know about you, girl. You're a freak with psychic abilities too."

"No, if you would just listen—" The other man, closer to me, hit me so hard I think he broke my nose. Tears flowed out of my eyes from the pain. "Hitting a girl? That's weak," I said, sarcastically. He punched me again.

"What is the plan?" he asked again, calmer this time.

"Bite me," I scoffed.

Sam looked around again, groaning. "Now no more lies. There's an army of Demons out there pushing at a world already on the brink," the man said. "We're on deck for the endgame here, right? So maybe, just maybe you can understand why we can't take chances." He took out his gun and pointed it at Sam's head.

"Whoa, OK, OK, no don't- hold on a minute!" Sam said.

"Hey, Kubrick just-"

Kubrick didn't even move. "No, you saw what happened Creedy, ask yourself, why are we here? Because you saw a picture on the web? Because we chose this Motel instead of another? Luck like that doesn't just happen."

I sighed. "Look, I can explain all of that if- "

"Shut up!" Kubrick yelled at me. He turned back to his partner. "It's God, Creedy. He led us here for one reason. To do his work. This is destiny."

"Stop!" I said, as he pointed the gun again. Sam squeezed his eyes shut. I smirked as I saw Dean enter the room, rabbit foot in hand. He pointed his gun at Kubrick.

"Nope," Dean said. "No destiny, just a rabbit's foot"

"Put the gun down son, or you're gonna be scraping brain off the wall," Kubrick said with a sneer.

"What, this thing?" Dean asked, waving his gun.

Kubrick gave him an incredulous look. "Yeah, that thing."

Dean shrugged. "OK," he said, putting his gun down on the table. "But you see there's something about me that you don't know." He picked up the pen on the table.

Kubrick smirked. "Yeah? What would that be?"

Dean smiled. "It's my lucky day." He tossed the pen towards Kubrick's gun, and it lodged itself in the barrel of it. My jaw dropped. Dean laughed. "Oh my God, did you see that shot!"

Creedy launched himself towards Dean. Dean simply side stepped him. Creedy ran straight into the wall and knocked himself out. Kubrick stared at the pen in the gun and tried to get it out but I wouldn't budge. "I'm amazing," Dean chuckled. He picked up the TV remote and threw it at Kubrick. It hit him square in the forehead, knocking him out.

Dean smirked. "I'm Batman."

"Yeah," Sam said, sarcastically. "You're Batman."

"Untie me," I insisted. Dean came over and untied me first. I smacked him on the arm. "Don't you ever leave me with unlucky boy again!"

He laughed and helped me up. I untied Sam and Dean sighed. "I think we need to get to the cemetery to get rid of this thing," he said.

"All right," Sam said, standing straight. "Bone ash, cayenne pepper, that should do it."

"One second..." Dean said, scratching off some more cards.

Sam scoffed. "Dean, you-"

"Hey, back off, Jinx," Dean said, putting a hand out to stop him. "I'm bringing home the bacon." Sam sighed. Dean stashed the cards in his jacket and nodded. "All right, say goodbye "wascally wabbit"."

"I think you'll find that belongs to me," a voice said. I turned around so see none other than Bela standing behind us, gun in hand. "Or, you know, whatever. Put the foot down, honey."

"No. You're not going to shoot anybody," Dean said, smugly. "See I happen to be able to read people. OK, you're a thief, fine, but you're not-" Bela ignored Dean and shot towards Sam.

Sam fell to his knees. "Son of a- "

"Back off, tiger. Back off," Bela said. "You make one more move and I'll pull the trigger."

Sam groaned, clutching at his shoulder. "What the hell?" I asked, going to help him.

"You've got the luck, Dean. You I can't hit. But your brother? Him I can't miss," Bela smiled.

"What the Hell is wrong with you?" Dean demanded. "You don't just go around shooting people like that!"

"Relax. It's a shoulder hit, I can aim," she said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, who here hasn't shot a few people. Put the rabbit's foot on the ground now."

"All right! All right. Take it easy," Dean said. He went to drop the foot on the ground but instead flung it at her. "Think fast."

Bela instinctually caught the foot and swore. "Damn!"

"Now, what do you say we destroy that ugly-ass piece of dead thing?" Dean smirked.

Bela sighed and dropped the foot into the embers. "Thanks very much. I'm out one and a half million, and on the bad side of a very powerful, fairly psychotic buyer."

"Wow. I really don't feel bad about that," Dean said, with fake sympathy. "You guys?"

"Nope," I said.

"Not even a little," Sam moaned.

"Hmm," Bela replied. "Maybe next time I'll hang you out to dry."

"Oh don't go away angry, just go away," Dean stated.

Bela smirked. "Have a nice night, boys." She walked off back to where her car was.

"You good?" I asked Sam, looking at his bleeding shoulder.

"I'll live," Sam grimaced.

"I guess we're back to normal now, huh? No good luck, no bad luck," Dean sighed. "Oh! I forgot we're up $46000, I almost forgot about the... scratch tickets." Dean's face fell. He searched his jacket and came up empty.

"Bela," I sighed.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Dean yelled.

Sam groaned again and I sighed. "C'mon," I said. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

Dean paced back and forth angrily around the motel room. "46,0000" he said. "She stole 46,000!"

"We know, Dean," I said, picking the bullet out of Sam's shoulder. Sam clenched his jaw in pain. "Got it," I said. I threw it on the towel.

"That's the most money we've ever had," Dean went on. "Ever. And she took it."

"I know," I repeated. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey. "This is gonna hurt," I said. Sam looked away. I poured it over his wound.

"I'll kill her," Dean said.

Sam screamed in pain. I cleaned off the wound with a washcloth before starting the stitches. "How are you planning on finding her?" I asked.

Dean sat down on the bed. "I don't know."

"Exactly. So calm down, and help me out here," I replied. Handing him the needle to finish off the stitches. I could never get the closing stitch just right. Mine never stayed.

Dean took a swig of the whiskey and closed off Sam's stitches. "How you feeling, Sammy?" he asked.

Sam glared at him. "Just great."

"Dean," I sighed. "We're out of those big bandages."

Dean nodded. "I'll be right back."

I held some gauze against his wound. "Sam?" I asked. He looked at me. "Are you still mad at me?"

Sam's gaze softened. "I don't know."

"I'm sorry," I stated, even though deep down I really wasn't sorry at all.

"Listen, just forget about it," Sam said. "It's not that big of a deal. But this doesn't mean that I'm not going to keep talking to her if she says she can help. No matter what you say."

I nodded. "Fine, whatever." I plopped back down on the bed and closed my eyes. "I can't sleep, lately," I stated.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Nightmares," I replied.

He climbed up on the bed and lay next to me, staring at the ceiling. "Try to sleep. I'll be right here."

I smiled and flipped onto my side. "Thanks, Sammy," I said, closing my eyes. For the first time in awhile, I felt safe.

I had no idea what we were going to do about Dean's deal, or even where we would end up tomorrow, but I guess it didn't really matter. We didn't have good luck, or bad luck anymore, so anything could happen. I sighed and soon fell asleep. You made your own luck, anyways.


	59. Season 3, Chapter Five

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy and please review!**

I own nothing

Chapter Fifty Nine

I perfected it. It was officially the best thing in the world. They way all the parts meshed together into the perfect combination were astounding. I smiled and put my sandwich on a plate. I had already put together three other ones for the boys. However, mine was something special. I placed Bobby's in front of him and he grinned. I smirked and handed Dean a sandwich. "Here," I said, handing him his sandwich. "Enjoy."

He smirked and looked at the sandwich. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Great," I said, showing him my sandwich. "See?"

"You know that's not what I meant," he said, frowning slightly.

I took a bite. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I stated, through chews. I plopped myself down on the couch. "Hey, Sam, I made you a sandwich it's in the kitchen."

Dean looked up. "Hey, what's up?"

"Might have found some omens in Ohio," Sam sighed. "Dry lightning, barometric-pressure drop."

"Well, that's thrilling," Dean replied.

"Plus, some guy blows his head off in a church and another goes postal in a hobby shop before the cops take him out," Sam went on. "Might be demonic omens."

"Or just a suicide and a psycho scrap booker," I added, before taking another bite.

"But it's our best lead since Lincoln," Sam said. I shrugged.

"Where in Ohio?" Dean asked.

"Elizabethville," Sam replied. "It's a half-dead factory town in the rust belt."

"There's got to be a demon or two in South Beach," Dean sighed.

"Sorry, Hef," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "Maybe next time." Sam looked over to Bobby who was still working on the Colt. "How's it going, Bobby?"

"Slow," he grunted back, not taking his eyes off the gun.

"I tell you,it's a little sad seeing the Colt like that," Dean said, pointing to the gun. It was splayed on the table completely taken apart to the fullest extent.

"The only thing it's good for now is figuring out what makes it tick," Bobby replied.

"So what makes it tick?" Sam asked. Bobby glared at him, not amused by his question. Sam gave him a slight smile.

"So, if we want to go check out these omens in Ohio," Dean started. "You think you can have that thing ready by this afternoon?"

Bobby stared. "Well, it won't kill demons by then," he sighed. "But I can promise you it'll kill you."

"So," I said, standing up. "Tomorrow at the latest?"

Bobby just shook his head at us. "All right, come on, we're wasting the daylight," Dean said, pulling me with him to the kitchen. "See you, Bobby."

"Hey," Bobby said stopping us. "You boys run into anything - anything - you call me."

"We will, Bobby," Sam said as we walked out the door.

I got into the backseat of the impala and lay down immediately. "Wake me up when we get to Ohio," I said, and closed my eyes.

The next time I opened them, it was more than several hours later and we were close to Elizabethville. I groggily sat up. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," Dean said, as I stretched out my muscles. I was sore from the cramped car. "You must've been tired."

"I was," I replied, rubbing my eyes. "So where to first?"

"Scene of the crime," Sam said. "A church in the middle of town."

"Yay, a church," I remarked, flopping back over. "Just where I want to go." I picked up my cell phone off the floor where it had fallen. "What are the police saying happened?"

"Suicide," Sam replied, showing me the paper.

"Nice," Dean scoffed. He pulled into the parking lot of the church not more than five minutes later. Dean and Sam had already gotten into suits at some point when I was sleeping and we all went inside together. I wasn't dressed like I should have been but it didn't matter anyways. It was only a five minute conversation.

The one Father led us in to where the man supposedly killed himself. "There's not much left for the insurance company. It was a suicide - I saw it myself," he said.

"Well, this shouldn't take long then," Dean said.

"That's where Andy did it," The Father said, pointing to the balcony. "It's the first time I'd seen him in weeks. He used to come every Sunday."

"When did he stop?" Sam asked.

The father sighed. "Probably about two months ago right around the time everything else started to change."

"Change how?" I asked.

"Let's just say this used to be a town you could be proud of," he answered. 'People... cared about each other. Andy sang in the choir, and then one day, he just wasn't Andy anymore. It was like he was..."

"Possessed?" Sam asked, carefully.

"You could say that," The father nodded. "Gambled away his money, cheated on his wife, destroyed his business. Yes, like a switch had flipped."

"Father, did you know the man who killed those folks in the hobby shop?" I asked, thinking of the other deaths that Sam had told me about.

He nodded. "Sure, Tony Perkins."

"Would you say that his personality suddenly changed one day, too?" Sam asked him.

The father frowned. "I never thought about it that way, but...yes. about the same time as Andy - about two months ago."

Dean looked up to the balcony and sighed. "Well, thank you, Father. Appreciate your time."

We left the church and started on back to the car. "Two months ago, we open up the devil's gate, all of a sudden this town turns into Margaritaville?" Sam asked. "It's no coincidence."

"Right," I agreed. "There's something demonic here." I tapped my forehead. "It hurts."

"We should get a room for the night," Dean stated, ignoring our conversation. "Before it gets dark."

"Sure, okay," Sam said, with a curt nod. "Let's go."

Dean unlocked the motel door and chuckled. "Nice choice Lex, we can watch ourselves sleep again," he said, pointing to the mirrors on the ceiling.

"Great," I snorted.

"Richie," Dean said out of nowhere. "I don't believe it."

I turned around to see a short, pudgy man standing in the doorway of the motel room across from ours. The man looked familiar but I couldn't remember him very well.

"Hey, Dean...Winchester, right?" he said, smirking. A woman, who barely had any clothes on, stepped out of the room. "This is my sister, uh, Cheryl," Ritchie said, with a smile. He handed her some money. "Well, you know...stepsister," he laughed.

"Come on in," Dean said, as we walked into our room. "This is my brother, Sam, and sister Lexie, you remember her?"

"Hey. How you been?" he asked me. "I can see you've grown up a lot." He ogled me and I glared at him. He backed off slightly. "And you?" he asked Sam.

"Not too bad," Sam said, looking confused. "How do you two know each other?"

"You were in school," Dean said.

"It was that succubus, in Granasi right?" Ritchie asked. AS soon as he said that I started to remember this guy. He was an idiot, to say the least. Dean nodded. "Oh, man. You should have seen the rack on this broad," Ritchie laughed. "Freakin' tragedy when I had to gank her."

"Whoa,whoa. Wait. Who killed her?" Dean replied. "If I remember, your ass was toast until I showed up."

"Oh, I forgot what a comedian this guy was," Ritchie told Sam.

"Richie, Richie, I told you then and I'll tell you again - you're not cut out for this job," Dean sighed. "You're gonna get yourself killed."

Ritchie shook his head and picked up his phone as it rang. "Talk to me," he said. "FYI, Winchester -words hurt." He smirked to his phone. "No, it's not a good time, baby. Later." He hung up.

"You find anything in this town, anyway?" Dean asked him.

"Uh, no. I got nothing." Ritchie said, and then his eyes lit up. "Oh,wait a minute. You mean as in demons and whatnot?" Dean nodded. "No, I got nothing," he stated.

"Typical," Dean remarked. "What about your sister back there?"

"Honestly, she definitely had the devil in her, but she wasn't no demon, you know what I'm saying?" Ritchie laughed. Dean didn't smile for once. "Right. Seriously. Church guy, hobby-shop guy -they were lunch meat by the time I got there. Maybe they were possessed, but I can't prove it."

"Yeah, that's where we are, too," Sam cut in. "Let's just say the demons are possessing people in this town. You know, raising hell?"

"But why would a demon blow his brains out?" Dean asked.

"For fun?" Ritchie asked. "He wrecks one body, moves to another. Like taking a stolen car for a joyride."

"Anybody else left in town that fits the profile - nice guy turned douche - that's still breathing?" I asked.

"There's trotter," Ritchie said.

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

"He used to be head of the Rotary Club," Ritchie explained. "Then he turned bastard all of a sudden. Brought in the gambling, the hookers. He practically owns this whole town."

"Know where we could find him?" I asked.

"Oh, he'll be at his bar in a few hours," Ritchie replied. "I'll meet you guys there." And with that, he abruptly left the room.

I closed the door behind him. "Dean, that guy creeps me out," I stated, rolling my eyes. "I swear to god, the people you meet."

"You gotta admit, he's a sweet moron," Dean sighed. He grabbed his gun out of the duffel bag. "What do you two say we head into town, scope out what's going on?"

"Sounds good to me," Sam said, with a nod.

The first thing we noticed as we left the motel was the nightlife of the small town. The whole place was abuzz with people running around like it was a party. This wasn't exactly what I was expecting from this sort of place. This place seemed like more of a small town and small late night life kind of place. "I thought you said this was some boarded-up factory town," Dean stated, staring around.

"It is," Sam said. "At least, it's supposed to be."

Dean shrugged and then smiled at me. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's do some research." He happily got out of the car. Sam and I exchanged a glance, following Dean out of the car into Trotter's bar where Ritchie said he would be. "Oh, Richie. Look at you," Dean said, with a short laugh.

"Hey," Ritchie smiled at us.

"Bringing satin back?" I asked, rolling my eyes. His outfit was obnoxious.

"Oh, you like this?" Ritchie asked, wiggling his eyes at me. "Try Thai silk - Canal Street. You have to pay $300 for threads like these, easy. Cost to me - fuggedaboutit."

"How much is "fuggedaboutit"?" Sam asked.

Ritchie smirked. "Ah, forget about it. That's Trotter over there. He sits there all night. Can't touch him."

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna do a little investigating with that bartender," Dean smiled, going to walk over.

"Easy," Ritchie said, stopping him. "Me and her, we got a little somethin'-somethin' lined up for later."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Stings, don't it?" Ritchie asked, smugly. "All right. I got to hit the head. Release the hostages. Be back in a few." With that, he left for the bathroom.

Dean shook his head. "No way he gets a girl like that. I mean, look at her. You could fit that ass on a nickel," he complained.

"You think so?" Father Gil asked, sneaking up behind us.

"Oh. Sorry, padre," Dean said, cautiously.

"Knew you boys would find your way here," he replied. "They all do."

"No offense," I said, confused. "But what are you doing here, Father?"

"Like it or not, you go where your flock is," Father Gil replied.

The bartender smiled, pouring him a drink. "Plus, the clergy drinks for free."

"True, and a certain bartender owes me a confession," Father Gil said, with a wink to the bartender.

"Not in this lifetime, Father," she said.

"I better see your butt on Sunday," he said. He looked towards Dean. "Nickel or no nickel."

The bartender laughed and looked to us. "What can I get you boys?"

Dean smirked. "What's your specialty? "

She thought for a moment. "I make a mean hurricane."

"I guess we'll see about that," Dean stated. She smiled and went off to make him his drink.

"You drink hurricanes?" Sam asked him.

Dean smiled widely. "I do now."

"Okay," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm going to go do my own research." I started to walk away towards to pool table, but Dean grabbed my arm.

"Oh, no you're not," he said, shaking his head. "Not alone."

"Dean, I'm a big girl," I said, patting his hand. He let go of me. "I'll be careful." He sighed, but let me go. I walked over to the pool table where two men started talking.

"Reggie," the one said, as the other stumbled over. "Everything okay with you?"

"I don't know. I'm just not feeling myself today," Reggie replied, taking out a gun.

"Shit," is aid, running back to Dean.

"What?" he demanded as I slapped him on the arm to get his attention fast.

"Hey," I said, pointing to where I had been.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the man asked as he had a gun pointed into his face. Dean got up and tackled him to the ground, but not before he already shot the man. Sam splashed holy water on him jut for the hell of it, but there was no reaction.

"What are you doing?" Reggie demanded. "He slept with my wife. That bastard slept with my wife!"

"Somebody call 911!" I yelled, as Sam caught my glance. I realized he wasn't looking at me however though. I turned to see him staring at the bar owner, Trotter.

The police came and dragged Reggie off out of the bar. Sam fidgeted nervously. "Too many cops here. I say we roll," he said.

"Just be cool," Dean said softly to calm him down. "Poor jerk. Only thing possessing him was a sixer of Pabst."

"So, what's the deal, then?" I asked, tiredly. "People in this town getting possessed or not?"

"I don't know," Dean replied, with a very nonchalant shrug. "Maybe it is just what it is - town full of scumbags."

"Yeah," I said, watching the police take Reggie into the car. "Maybe."

"You boys ready for your mug shots?" the officer asked Sam and Dean. I looked up at Dean confused. The officer smiled. "The photographer's gonna be here in a few and take your picture for the local paper."

Dean immediately looked relieved. "Be an honor, officer. What a thrill."

The officer walked off and Sam quickly moved. "Yep, time to go."

"Wait a second," Dean said, as I moved to distract the police officers so that Sam and Dean could walk out the door undetected. "Wait a second."

"What?" Sam asked, annoyed.

Dean looked around. "Where's Richie?"

"Who cares?" Sam asked. Dean frowned but started to follow him towards the door. I went up the officer as the tears started to fall from my eyes.

"What?" the officer said, turning around. "Oh, are you okay?" he asked me uneasily. Apparently he was not prepared for my tears.

"He was shot…and it was so…scary…" I choked out, not even really making sense. Dean and Sam slipped right out of the door. The officer tried his best to comfort me while I wailed at nothing. As soon as I heard the roar of the impala starting up and stopped my tears. "I'm going to go," I said, and he nodded, probably thankful that I was getting out of his hair. I went outside and jumped into the impala.

"Nice," Dean said, as he saw my tear stained face.

"Hey," I smirked, wiping them away. "What would you do without me?"

"Well," Dean replied, rolling his eyes. "Life would be a lot different, that's for sure."

"Probably in a good way," Sam piped up. I huffed at them as they laughed.

"You're just jealous," I stated, sitting back.

"Yeah, okay," Dean said. "I think we'll head back to the bar tonight," he said, nodding at Sam. "That should be enough time for things to die down. Then we can keep an eye on that Trotter guy and see if Ritchie comes back."

"Sounds good," Sam replied.

That night at the bar, I sat across from Dean as he stared off at nothing. I knew something was seriously wrong when the waiter put a burger in front of him and he didn't immediately put said burger in his mouth, instead ignoring it. "Dean?" I questioned. "You do realize there's red meat within striking distance, right?"

Dean ignored me. "How many times I got to tell Richie, he's gonna get himself in trouble?" he asked.

Sam sat back down at the table. "Dean, you're assuming he's missing," Sam said, shaking his head. "I mean maybe he just bailed."

"He's a moron, "Dean said, deadpan. "He's a sweet moron, but he's not a coward. He wouldn't just bail. I got to go find him."

"All right," Sam nodded. "Meanwhile I think I'm gonna trail this Trotter guy."

"Yeah?" Dean asked,

Sam nodded. "I don't know. Something about the way he looked at me last night. Maybe there is something going on here."

"I'll go with Sam," I said, nudging him in the arm. "Ritchie gets on my nerves and that Trotter guy makes my head hurt. Which could be something, right?"

"Or you just had a headache," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Sam's powers seem to be gone with yellow eyes. Maybe yours are too and you're overreacting."

"Or maybe I'm right," I smirked. Sam got up from the table and I followed him.

Sam and I stalked outside Trotter's office, carefully waiting for him to do something that would make him guilty. I stared into his office. Sam's phone went off and I jumped in the air. Sam put his hand on my shoulder as he answered it to stop me from completely freaking out.

"Dean," he whispered. "Yeah. Hey. I can't talk right now. Yeah, I'm fine. Just meet me at the bar in 20 minutes, okay?" He abruptly hung up the phone and looked to me nodding to the left.

I looked back to see Trotter exiting his office. As soon as he was gone we went inside. Sam rifled through his desk drawers as I tried to crack the safe under the desk open. Sam gasped as Trotter reentered and he had his body guard with him. He took out the body guard but Trotter was pointing a gun at him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Sam scoffed. "I think maybe you know."

"Yeah," Trotter glared. "Well, I think I'm calling the cops."

"Cops?" I asked, confused.

"Breaking and entering, assault - you're in a peck of trouble, my friends," he went on.

"Uh,well, I think I could probably explain it!" Sam said, he pointed at the gun, which I abruptly wrestled out of Trotter's hands and pointed at the body guard and Trotter.

"All right, back up!" I said, getting closer to Sam.

Trotter's eyes widened. "Money's in the safe! Take it and go"

"I don't want your money," Sam said. "I just got to be sure." He took his flask out of his pocket and splashed the men with it. Nothing happened.

"What kind of psycho are you?" Trotter asked.

I looked to Sam and he gave me a sorry smile. "Oh, god. Uh, I'm sorry. I think this was just a minor misunderstanding.?" He said, warily.

"Yeah, okay," I said. "How 'bout I just leave, cause….You know, I'll take these." I took the bullets out of the gun to ensure that when I put it down I wasn't going to end up shot. I placed the gun on the floor. I'll, uh, I'll leave this for you...have a nice day?" Sam pulled me out of the office with him where we took off for the exit before Trotter could call the police on us.

My head immediately started to pound as we walked down the street back towards the bar. "Sam, something's wrong," I said, softly.

"What?" he asked. "Is it Trotter?" He looked behind us back towards his office.

"No, something's wrong," I repeated, annoyed. It was starting to become unbearable. "Dean." I breathed, and took off to the bar. Sam followed behind, already on his phone calling him. Needless to say, Dean did not answer the phone.

We entered the bar and split up going opposite directions without a word. I headed around the bar looping back around to where Sam was at the counter waiting. A prostitute was sitting next to him eying him seductively. "You look kind of tense," she said. "You know, I know a surefire way to relax."

"Maybe later. Excuse me," Sam said, going down to where the barman was at.

"Wait," she said.

"He said no," I glared and she backed off.

The barman nodded at us. "What can I get for you?"

"Um, you remember the guy I was with last night?" Sam asked. "We sat right here."

He nodded. "The big hero who jumped on Reggie."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, with a nod. My head was exploding. "The - the big hero. Right. Um, have you seen him around at all today?"

"Maybe. Depends," he shrugged in response.

"Depends on what?" Sam asked. The man raised an eyebrow. Sam scoffed. "Oh, my -does everyone around here have their hand out?" He reached into his wallet and pulled out a twenty.

"He left with Casey about an hour ago," he answered.

"Any idea where they went?" I asked.

"Her place...for bible study," he smirked.

"You got an address?" Sam asked.

"What's wrong with you? You think I'm gonna give you a co-worker's address just so you can go over there and get your freaky peeping-tom rocks off?" the barman asked, eyeing his wallet again.

Sam went to reach for some more money, but I stopped him. "Look, that's my brother and unless you tell me where they are right now you can guarantee I'm about to cause you some trouble."

He grinned at me. "You're a little spitfire, aren't you?"

"Tell me," I stated, not amused.

"Corner of Piermont and Clinton," the barman said, his smile falling. "Have fun."

"That was impressive," Sam said, as we left.

"My head is killing me," I stated.

We quickly took the car that we hotwired out in the parking lot to the street address. The house was dark, and I had a bet that no one was home. Dean definitely wasn't inside there. I felt my head pang again. "Dean?" Sam called as he opened the door. We got no answer. I walked into the living room and ran my finger across the table. There was a yellow powder on the surface.

"Sam," I said, holding it up. He sighed. "We should call Bobby."

"And go back to the bar," Sam said. "Maybe she has a place she usually goes."

"Okay," I said, nodding. I pulled out my phone as we headed back to the bar. "Bobby, It's Lex," I said when he didn't answer. "We got a big problem. I found some sulfur, and now I can't find Dean. Call me as soon as you get this."

"Hey, excuse me," Sam said to the bartender. "They weren't there."

The barman shrugged. "I guess you got to catch your jollies another night. Here. Why don't you have a drink and relax?"

I stared him down. "We don't want to relax," I said. "What is it with the people in this town?"

"Suit yourself – princess," the barman said, rolling his eyes. I groaned and Sam walked away.

"Father," he said.

"Yes?" Father Gil smiled.

"Um...can I talk to you for a sec?" Sam asked. Father Gil smiled and nodded for us to sit down. "So, the - the bartender the other night, Casey, you know her pretty well?" Sam asked.

"Since she was in pigtails," he smiled.

"Well, um, she and my brother, they, uh...they...," Sam struggled.

"They left to go bang together and now I can't find them," I said. Sam glared at me. "What?" I asked. "It's the truth."

"Well, not that I approve, but they are consenting adults," Father Gil smirked.

"Right," Sam nodded.

"I'm sorry. You said "brother." I thought you were insurance investigators," Father Gil said.

"Right, right," I said. "Well, we are. Um, it's like a family business, you know? Anyways, um,so,I went to Casey's apartment, and they weren't there. I just have this feeling that they - that they might be in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Father Gil said frowning worriedly.

"Just trouble. Please, Father, we need your help," I said. "Is there anything you could tell me about Casey - anyplace she'd go, maybe?"

"Yes, there is a place. Let me get my jacket," he said.

"No, wait, Father," Sam said. "We can do this by myself."

"Son, if Casey's really in trouble, then there's nothing to talk about," Father Gil said. He stood up and put on his coat. He touched my shoulder and my head nearly exploded. That was how I knew that something was very, very wrong with this guy. "Shall we go?" he asked.

Sam led us out to the car we had hotwired, not that we told the Father that. I sat in the backseat and stared at the Father uneasily. I wasn't comfortable with him being with us. "So, insurance investigating. You enjoy the work?" Father Gil asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "I...like being able to help people."

Father Gil nodded. "Ever think about doing anything else?"

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Mmm, anything," Father shrugged. "You seem like a pretty smart kid. Somehow I see you out in front of the pack. You could do some great things."

"I don't know. I like doing what I'm doing, I guess," Sam replied.

"Well, it's your life. Does ,um... Dean?" Father asked.

"Yeah, Dean," I said.

"Does he find trouble often?" he asked.

"Yeah yeah, Dean finds his fair share," I stated, hostile.

"Well, it's a good thing he has you two - his brother's keepers," Father Gil said with a smile. Sam nodded and I sat nothing.

We arrived at the house and Sam ran up to the porch. "Dean?" he yelled.

"Dean!" Sam yelled again. He pointed to me and Father Gil. "Check that way," he said.

"Sam!" Dean yelled.

"Dean?" Sam said again.

"Sammy, down here! The basement caved in!" Dean yelled.

"Dean. Hey, hold on, okay? The three of us are coming!" Sam yelled.

"Who's three?" Dean asked.

"We're here with the Father," Sam replied.

I watched the Father come towards us menacingly. "Sammy, be careful," Dean called. I went to grab my gun to shoot him as his eyes turned black, but he flung me aside. He took the gun off the ground and pointed it at me with a smile.

Out of nowhere, Bobby appeared and took a shot at him with the colt, but he missed. Then the demon flung Sam across the Impala.

"God, Bobby, aim much?" I asked as the demon ran off to get into the house.

"Shut up, you idjit," Bobby growled.

"How did you know where we..." Sam asked.

"Go," Bobby said, pointing to the house.

"You heard the man," Ruby said. "Go."

"Oh, not you," I said.

"If you wanna save your bro, this ain't the time for this," she stated, deadpan.

I ran inside to see Father Gil making out with Casey. Which was gross by the way. "You two?" Dean asked from his spot on the ground.

"For centuries," Gil said. "We've been to hell and back, literally."

"Leave him be," Casey stated. Father Gil ignored her and grabbed Dean by the shirt. "Don't kill him. Let's just go. Please," Casey said.

Sam ran in behind me and shot Father Gil with the Colt. He fell to the floor with a thud. He then pointed it at Casey. "Sam, wait!" Dean said, but Sam shot her anyway. They both lied on the floor dead.

I was back at the motel room helping Sam pack up. We didn't say anything to each other, staying silent. "Leaving so soon?" Ruby asked. "We haven't even had a chance to celebrate."

"Oh look, our friend," I stated.

"Shut up you little—"

"Ruby," Sam said, unemotionally.

"You're not gonna get all pouty on me now, are you?" Ruby asked him. "Come on! You killed two demons today."

"Yeah, well, maybe you don't care, but I killed two humans, too," Sam stated.

"Sam, you know what happens when demons piggyback humans," Ruby said. "They leave them road hard and put-up wet. Chances are those two would have died a slow, sticky death. You probably did them a favor."

"Did them a favor?" I asked. "You're a cold bitch, you know that?"

"I wasn't talking to you, honey," she said. "And this cold bitch has saved your ass a couple of times now. Some respect might be nice. Especially if you want me to help you out with Dean and his little problem."

"You know what?" Sam asked. "You keep dangling that, but last I checked, Dean's still going to hell."

"Everything in its own time, Sam. There's a quid pro quo here," She said. "We're in a war."

"Right," Sam nodded. "But for some reason, you're fighting on our team. Now, tell me, why is that again?"

"Go screw yourself. That's why," Ruby said. "I don't have to justify my actions to you, Sam. If you don't want my help, fine, then give me the gun and I'll pass it on to someone who will use it."

I picked up the Colt. "Maybe I'll just use it on you if you don't get out of here," I said.

"Alexis," Sam said warningly.

"Go ahead, if that makes you happy. It's not gonna do much for Dean, though," she said simply.  
"So, what's it gonna be?"

Sam looked at me and I sighed. I lowered the gun slowly. Ruby smiled. "This won't be easy, Sam. You're gonna have to do things that go against that gentle nature of yours. There'll be collateral damage...but, it has to be done."

"Well, I don't have to like it," Sam said.

"No. You wouldn't be Sam if you did. On the bright side, I'll be there with you. That little fallen angel on your shoulder," she said. She went to the door, and smiled back at us before she left.

"You shoulda let me shoot her Sammy," I said. He said nothing, so I didn't either. He went into the back of the room and picked up the lamp. He threw it as hard as he could at the wall and then sat down on the bed.

I went over to him and sat next to him. "Hey," I said, and he looked at me angrily. "We're not going to lose Dean," I stated.

"He's going to die, Lex," Sam said.

"No, he's not," I said. "You can't give up on me. You can't. Someone's gotta be fighting for it, okay? Someone has to."

"Why don't you then?" he asked.

"Don't ask me that," I said. I stood up as Dean entered the room.

"What happened to the lamp?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Collateral damage," I replied, shrugging. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Dean said grabbing his bag. "Are you guys?"

"Yeah," Sam said, getting up. "I'm ready." He looked at me and gave me a small smile before walking out. Dean said nothing but shook his head.

Sometimes you have to give people fake pep talks that even you know aren't going to come true. Dean was in fact going to die and there was nothing we could do about it. But I wasn't going to tell Sam that. Lies were easier to believe than the truth.

**Please review!**


	60. Season 3, Chapter Six

**Enjoy =) Please Review!**

**I do not own anything but Alexis**

Chapter Sixty

I woke up once again to a frustrated Sam and Dean in the car. We had been driving for awhile and I had just recently dozed off. "I don't understand, Dean," Sam said. "Why not?"

"Because I said so," Dean grumbled, irritated. He pressed on the gas, sending the car forward at a speed that I was sure was way over the speed limit. He always sped up when he was mad. It was like he thought he was more in control if he was out of control.

"We got the Colt now!" Sam exclaimed, looking at Dean with contempt.

"Sam..." Dean warned, using his say-one-more-word-and-I-just-punch-you voice.

Sam ignored it and kept going. "We can summon the Crossroads Demon—"

"We're not summoning anything," Dean stated, talking over him.

"...pull the gun on her and force her to let you out of the deal!" Sam finished.

Dean scoffed. "We don't even know if that'll work!" He turned the car so fast that the tires squealed. I tried not to fly to the other side of the car.

"Well then we'll just shoot her! If she dies then the deal goes away!" Sam said, shouting.

"We don't know if that'll work either, Sam!" Dean shouted back louder. "All you're pitching me right now is a bunch of "ifs" and "maybes" and that's not good enough, because if we screw with this deal, you die!"

I felt my throat close up. That was true, and the most annoying part of this situation. "And if we don't screw with it,_ you_ die!" Sam added.

"Sam, enough! I am not going to have this conversation," Dean said glaring over at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Why, because you said so?" Sam mocked.

"YES BECAUSE I SAID SO!" Dean yelled.

"Well you're not Dad!" Sam said, scowling.

"No, but I am the oldest. And I'm doing what's best," Dean replied after a moment. "And you're going to let this go, you understand me?" Sam said nothing, staring out the window. I knew this conversation wasn't over, but I needed to change the subject before they started up again.

"Sammy," I said, and he turned to look at me. "Tell me about the psychotic killer." He said noting. "C'mon, Sam, tell me about the psychotic killer. The case we're on?"

Sam sighed and picked up the paper. "Psychotic killer…rips victims apart with brute-like ferocity," he said, sounding bored.

"OK, any mention of his razor sharp teeth or his four-inch claws?" Dean asked, coming back into the conversation a lot calmer now. "Animal eyes?"

"No," Sam replied. "But the lunar cycle's right. Look, if it is a werewolf we don't have long, moon's full this Friday and that's the last time it changes for a month."

"Two days, no sweat," I smirked. "We got this one down."

"We should probably head over to the hospital first," Dean said, thinking aloud. "Check out the victim of the attack."

"Cops or FBI?" I asked, leaning back in my seat.

"Detectives," Sam said, pulling the badges out from the glove compartment of the car. Dean pulled up to the Hospital a lot faster than I would've liked and we got out. I changed into different clothes to pass as a detective of some sort. We headed inside.

"I'm Detective Plant, this is Detective Page, we're with the County Sheriff's Department," Dean stated.

"Yeah, uh, I've been expecting you," Kyle, the victim answered.

"You have?" I asked, confused. Dean elbowed me in the ribs. "Ow," I complained quietly.

"All morning," Kyle scoffed. "You are the sketch artist, right?"

Sam and I were at a loss for words. "Absolutely," Dean replied enthusiastically. "Yeah. That is exactly who my partner is. The things he can do with a pen," he remarked, slapping Sam in the shoulder. Sam turned and glared at him annoyed. "But listen before we get started on that I wanted to ask you, uh, how'd you get away?"

"I- I have no idea," Kyle said, his face turning dark. "I was hiding, and he found me. He was coming right for me and then he just stopped. Staring at me with this blank look. And after that he just took off running."

"'Kay. Um, I'm going to need as much physical detail as you can remember," Sam said, pulling out a tiny notebook from the pocket of his jacket. He looked at Dean nervously.

"Uh, yeah. Uh, he's about six feet tall..." Kyle started. Sam started sketching. "Dark hair."

"Uhm, what-what about his eyes, what color eyes did he have?" Sam asked, glancing up.

"Maybe….blue?" Kyle struggled to remember.

"Blue?" Sam asked.

Kyle shrugged. "It was dark."

"Did they seem...?" Dean started, clearing his throat nervously. "Uh, animal-ish?"

"Excuse me?" Kyle asked, confused.

"What about his teeth?" I asked, curiously. "You notice anything strange about 'em?"

Kyle shook his head like we were insane. I had to say, our questions probably did sound stupid to him, since he had no idea what was going on. "No," he said, "They were just teeth."

"Teeth, OK," Sam nodded, making a note of it on his picture.

"How about his fingernails?" Dean asked.

"OK look he- he's just a- a normal guy, with normal eyes and- a-and teeth and fingernails!" Kyle replied, exasperated.

"Look sir, its OK if-"

"No. No," Kyle said, stopping Sam. "Those were my brothers. This guy, he- he killed my brothers. How would you feel?"

"I can't imagine anything worse," Sam said, seriously.

Dean looked over at Sam and then met eyes with me. He looked destroyed for a moment, before he snapped back into normal mode and looked at Kyle. "I know this isn't easy but if you could remember any more details."

"The-there was one more thing he had a- a tattoo on his arm of a cartoon character," Kyle said, closing his eyes. "It's, uh, it's the guy who's chasing the Roadrunner-"

"Wile E. Coyote!" Dean said, excitedly.

"Yeah, that's it," Kyle nodded.

"Kyle?" A guy in a white coat said as he walked in.

"Dr. Garrison," Kyle said.

"How you holding up?" he asked.

Kyle shrugged. "OK, considering."

Dean looked from Kyle to the doctor. "You're Kyle's Doctor?" Dean asked. The doctor nodded. Dean held up his badge. "Can I just ask you a few questions?"

"Sure," The doctor nodded, and he led Dean out into the hallway.

Sam and I went to follow him. Kyle stopped Sam. "Don't I get to see it?" Kyle asked. At first I didn't know what he was talking about until I saw he was pointing at the notebook.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, Uhm yeah it's a, you know…work in progress," Sam stuttered. He handed Kyle the notebook.

Kyle immediately looked confused. "Hm. It- it's really... huh," he said. He handed it back. "I hope that helped I guess."

I took the notebook from Sam. On it was a crudely drawn picture of…well…I don't even know. I tried by best to stifle my laughter. "I'm sure it'll help us find him, Kyle," I said. "Feel better." I dragged Sam out with me and handed him back his drawing. "Cool. So now we just have to find a man who looks like this doodle of yours."

"Shut up," Sam grumbled, tossing it at me. I laughed and held onto it. Dean met us outside and we started walking the long walk back to the car.

Dean took Sam's drawing from me and laughed. "Boy, this is a piece of uh, art. Really," Dean said.

Sam snatched it out of his hands and scowled. "Yeah like you could've done any better," he scoffed. "So what did the Doc have to say about Kyle's brothers?"

"Not much, they were D.O.A. at the scene," Dean replied. "He did give me the lowdown on the Coroner's report."

"Lemme guess, their hearts were missing?" I asked.

Dean smirked and shook his head. "Nope," he sighed. "But chunks of their kidneys, lungs and intestines were."

"That's just gross," I remarked.

"Yeah, also definitely not werewolf behavior," Dean said.

"So, what? Demon?" Sam asked. "Attacker could've been possessed."

"Why would a Demon stop halfway through an attack?" I asked. "And why would a demon want kidneys?"

"I think that, uh... Could a..." Sam thought. He stopped. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"Me neither," Dean said.

"I vote we go get a motel room and then grab a bite to eat or something," I stated. "I'm starving." Dean and Sam exchanged a glance and I knew something was up. "What?" I asked.

"We just wanted to know how you were holding up," Dean asked, as we kept walking. We got to the impala before I had enough courage to lie about the answer.

"Holding up?" I asked, "What do you mean?"

"We hear you," Sam explained. "At night. In the bathroom."

I felt my face go red. "What?" I asked. "I have nightmares, alright? What do you want from me?" I opened the car door. Neither of the boys said anything. "Can we just go?"

"Lex, we only—"

"I want to go," I repeated, getting into the back seat and closing the door. We drove off in complete silence. This was turning out to be a shitty day.

"Hey," Dean said, nudging me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. "What?" I demanded, turning to look at him.

"You were off in Lala land," he explained. "There's been another attack," he said. "We're headed to the hospital."

I got up and followed him out the door. I had been daydreaming again. I wasn't even sure what about anymore. It felt like my whole world was some dream lately, and not in a good way. I was constantly tired, constantly dazing out, and constantly thinking.

Dean and Sam were in their suits already so I threw my stupid skirt back on and got into the car. We headed once again back to the hospital. I had a feeling this was going to be a long night for me. As we approached the nurse's station, two policemen came out of a patient's room. All three of us immediately stopped walking and looked away. I intently focused on a vase of flowers until they passed. Then we headed into the patient's room that they had just come from.

"Please, please," the woman in the bed pleaded.

"Shh. Hey, we need to observe you while the drugs still might be in your system," her doctor replied.

"I have to go," the woman explained. "I have things to do, arrangements I need to make!"

"It can wait. Now you need to rest," The doctor answered. "Stay. Be back in a few minutes."

The doctor turned around and spotted us. I recognized him as the other guy's doctor as well. Dr. Garrison. He smiled at us. "Detectives," he nodded. "What the hell is going on here? My whole town is going insane."

"We'll let you know as soon as we do," I replied, with a slight shrug of my shoulders.

"Ms. Watson?" Dean asked the lady in the bed. "Hi. We just need to ask you a few questions."

"Do we have to go over this again, now?" She asked, annoyed.

"We'll try to be brief," Sam relented. "Ms Watson, can you tell us how you got away?"

She nodded. "I didn't eat as much as Ken did, so I wasn't as out of it. And, when the old woman was... carving up Ken, I shoved her and she fell. Cracked her head on the stove." Her voice wavered. "She's dead, right? I- I killed her?"

"Yes," I said, with a nod. "D'you have any idea why she did this to you?"

"No! One minute she was a sweet old lady and the next she was, like, a monster," Julie answered, starting to tear up.

"Can you remember anything else?" Sam asked.

"Um, yeah. Did you find a little girl there, by any chance?" she asked.

"A little girl? At the house?" Sam asked

"I thought I saw her outside the window," Julie explained. "She just disappeared. Just vanished, into thin air." I looked at Sam. "It m-must've been the drugs," Julie stated.

"This disappearing girl what'd what did she look like?" Dean asked.

Julie looked confused. "Does it matter?"

"Yes. Every detail matters."

Julie sighed. "She had this dark, dark hair and really pale skin. She was around eight. She was a beautiful child, it was... odd to see her in the middle of something so horrible."

"Where was this woman's house?" I asked.

Immediately we headed into the woods and came upon the deranged woman's house. It wasn't hard to find since the cops had been here all day. From the looks of it, it seemed that they had just cleared out. We went into the house, ignoring the yellow tape that told us not to. "Well there's no sulpher anywhere, how about the EMF?" Dean said, after doing a sweep around the house.

I stopped and stared at the floor where a body line had been drawn. I wondered if the guy who was killed went to heaven or…hell.

"Yeah, it's going nuts," Sam called. "Right over here by the window. There's definitely a spirit here."

"Who stood outside the crime scene and watched," Dean said.

"Looks like," Sam stated.

Dean walked past me. "What the Hell do you make of that?"

"Actually I do have a theory," Sam said. Of course he did. "Uh, sort of, anyway," he added.

"Hit me," Dean said. He put his hand on my shoulder, making me jump. "Lex, look alive here." I nodded.

Sam shot me a look, but went on. "Well, thinkin' about fairy tales," Sam said.

"Oh that's- that's nice," Dean said. "You think about fairy tales often?"

"No, Dean I'm talking about the murders," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "A guy and a girl? Hiking through the woods, an old lady tries to eat 'em?"

"That's Hansel and Gretel," I stated.

"Then we got three brothers arguing over how to build houses, attacked by the Big Bad Wolf," Sam went on, nodding to me.

"Three Little Pigs," Dean replied. Sam nodded again. "Actually those guys were a little chubby," he smirked.

"Well," I said. "I thought those things ended with uh, everyone living happily ever after?"

"No, no. Not the originals," Sam said. "See the Grimm brothers stuff was kind of the folklore of its day, full of sex, violence, cannibalism. Now, it got sanitized over the years, turned into Disney flicks and bedtime stories."

"Oh," I said, "I haven't even heard the Disney version."

"So you think the murders are uh, what?" Dean asked. "A re-enactment? That's a little crazy."

"Crazy as what?" I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Every day of our lives?"

"Touché." Dean smiled.

"How's the creepy ghost girl involved?" I asked after a moment.

"Uhm, well, she must've been here for a reason. I'm willing to bet you top dollar she was at the construction site too," Sam said.

"We gotta do research now, don't we?" Dean asked with a defeated sigh. Sam just gave him a knowing look. Dean groaned. "Well if I have to go to the library, she's coming with me."

"What?" I asked. "Why?"

"If I have to suffer, so do you," Dean stated, with a shrug. He patted me on the shoulder and dragged me out the door with him, Sam lagging behind.

As we got out of the car to go into the library, Sam went the other way to see if he could find out some more info about all of our victims so far. I reluctantly followed Dean into the library. While he talked to the guy at the desk about records of death, I took a seat a table not too far off. We would have a lot of paperwork to sort through in a few minutes.

Dean came back with a butt load of folders with stacks and stacks of papers in them. "Shit," I said, as he dumped it all in front of me. "Is that all?"

"Let's get started," he said, picking up the first folder and handing it to me.

I took it with a grimace and started leafing through it. I wasn't finding anything about a dead little girl so I went to the next one, and then did it again and again. "So," Dean said, "You still feeling okay?"

"Fine and dandy," I stated, blatantly.

"No more nightmares?" Dean asked. I only shrugged. He sighed, "That wasn't exactly an answer."

"Fine," I said, "Yes, most nights. Okay?"

"You wanna talk about it?"

The librarian shhhed us from across the room. "Not really," I replied. "I'm good."

"Are you sure you—"

"Dean," I said. "When I said not really, that meant no." I threw the last folder on the pile. "I got nothing about a little girl with black hair, you?"

"Nope," he said. I sighed and got up from my chair. "C'mon," he said. We walked out of the library and saw Sam waiting for us.

"So?" Sam asked.

"Checked every record they had. Found the usual amount of violent childhood deaths for a town this size," Dean replied.

"Wanna know how many how many were little girls with black hair and pale skin?" I asked.

Sam sighed. "Zero."

"Zero!" I exclaimed. "You wanna know how many how many little girls with black hair and pale skin that have gone missing? Right again. Zip. zilch, nada." I huffed.

"Tell me you've got something good 'cause we've totally wasted the last six hours," Dean said, "And Lex is gonna blow a gasket."

"Well you ever hear of Lillian Bailey?" Sam asked. "She was a British medium from the 1930s."

"She got a thing for fairy tales?" Dean asked.

"Nah, trances. See she'd go into these unconscious states where Uhm, get this, her thoughts and actions were completely controlled by spirits," Sam explained.

"Ew," I said, thinking of being possessed.

"A ghost puppet master," Dean said. Sam nodded. "Think that's what this kid is doing? Sending wolf boy and grandma into trances, making them go kill-crazy?"

"Could be," Sam said. "You know, kind of like uh, a spirit hypnosis or somethin'."

"Trances I get, but fairy tale trances?" I asked. "That's bizarre even for us"

Sam and Dean had stopped walking so I did too. They were both staring at a frog on the ground in front of us. "Yeah, you're right that's completely normal," Sam stated.

We continued to stare at it. "All right maybe it is fairy tales. Totally messed-up fairy tales," Dean said. "I tell you one thing, there's no way I'm kissing a damn frog. Lexie?"

"I'm not kissing that thing," I said. "I don't care what it transforms into."

"Hey, check that out," Sam said, pointing to a porch. There was a pumpkin on the front porch.

"Yeah?" Dean asked. "It's close to Halloween."

"What? D'you remember Cinderella?" Sam asked. "The pumpkin that turns into a coach and the mice that become horses?"

"Dude, could you be more gay?" Dean asked him, with a snort. Sam gave Dean a bewildered look. "Don't answer that." Dean added.

"Well?" I asked, walking up to the house. "Are we going in or not?"

I grabbed my lock pick and kneeled down to open the door. Sam and Dean blocked me so no one from the street could see.

Dean smirked at Sam as I pushed the door open. "Well who knows, maybe you'll find your fairy godmother?"

We went into the house and I immediately followed Sam towards the living room. There was a noise coming from what seemed like the kitchen. Sam and Dean drew their guns and Dean pushed me behind him. I glared at the back of his head. There was another scuffle and then Dean nodded his head for Sam to follow him.

"Help I'm in here!" A girl's voice called.

"Hey, hey," Sam said as he entered the kitchen. There was a teenage girl, probably my age, chained to the oven. I handed Sam my lock pick as he held his hand out. He tried to get her out. "It's OK we're here we got you," Sam said.

"You have to help me, she's a lunatic," the girl cried.

"What happened?" I asked.

"My step mom, she just freaked out, screamed at me, beat me. Chained me up," she said, tears falling from her eyes.

"Where is she now?" Dean asked, on guard.

The girl shook her head. "I don't know."

Dean nudged me in the side. I looked up to see the little pale dark haired girl. "Sam," I said. As soon as Sam looked up she turned away.

Dean nodded for me to stay with Sam, so I did as he walked into the living room area.

Sam got the girl unchained and I went to go find Dean, who was silent. I walked into the living room and he was holding an apple. "Huh," he said, showing it to me.

"Nice," I said, tossing it back to him. "But what does that mean?"

"Just another fairy tale thing, I think," Dean said. We walked out to the car. Sam had already helped Cinderella out of the house and called the paramedics for her. Dean and I had to disappear just to be careful.

Dean sat on the hood of the car and played with the apple. "Paramedics picked up Cinderella," Sam said, approaching.

"That's good," Dean said. He tossed the apple to Sam. "So... Little girl, shiny red apple. I'm guessing that means something to you, fairy tale boy?"

"I think its Snow White," Sam said.

"Snow White?" I asked.

"Ah I saw that movie," Dean said. Both Sam and I gave him a look. "Oh the porn version anyway. There was this wicked Stepmother? Woo, she was wicked." Dean grinned at me. I rolled my eyes.

"There is a wicked Stepmother," Sam stated. "And she tries to kill Snow White with a poison apple."

"But the apple doesn't actually kill the girl, right?" I asked. It puts her into a deep sleep, so deep it's almost like she's dead."

Sam nodded, and smirked. "How much you wanna bet our little mystery girl is at the hospital?"

The nurse shook her head. "No, sorry. We don't have any comatose little girls."

"You sure?" Sam asked, desperately. He had really thought that this was the answer.

"Totally. It's mostly old guys," the nurse said. "And well...Callie. She's been around since before I started here."

"Callie?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's so sad. And poor Dr. Garrison he just won't give up on her," she said sadly.

"Is Callie one of his patients?" Sam asked.

"No," the nurse said. "His daughter."

"And where uh, can we find her?" I asked. The nurse pointed down the hall.

The boys and I headed down there and found Dr. Garrison sitting at the bedside of his daughter. He was holding a book of fairytales, and I was sure we had found the right person.

"Ah, here we are."Just press the latch called out the Grandmother. I'm too weak to get up."" Dr. Garrison read.

"Well" I said, looking at the boys. "I think this is pretty obvious now."

"...and the Huntsman stepped inside, and in the bed laid the Wolf. So the Huntsman took a pair of scissors and cut open the Wolf's belly." Dr. Garrison went on. He looked up and noticed us. "Detectives. Can I help you?" he asked, putting the book down and standing up.

"We just...heard that Callie is your daughter," I stuttered.

"And we wanted to say how very sorry we are," Sam jumped in.

"Well, uh. Thank you," he said, with a nod. "If you'll excuse me."

"Oh, heading this way? We'll walk with you," Dean said, shoving his way through me and Sam to walk along the doctor. "How long's Callie been like that?"

"We don't mean to intrude, we can't possibly understand how hard it must be for you seeing her like this," Sam added, shooting Dean a look.

"It's not easy," he replied. "She's uh, been here since she was eight years old."

"That's when she was poisoned?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Swallowed bleach. Never figured out how she got her hands on the bottle," Dr. Garrison replied. "My wife found her, uh, brought her to the ER here and I was on call."

"You're wife was uh, was that Callie's stepmother?" I asked.

Dr. Garrison stopped walking and stared at me. "Actually, yes. How'd you know that?"

I shrugged. "Lucky guess."

"Well, Julie was the only mother that uh, Callie ever knew," Dr. Garrison stated. "My wife passed away last year and uh, it's just my daughter and me now. She's all I got left." He paused for a moment. "Uhm, excuse me I gotta get back to work."

"Yeah," Dean said, as he walked off. "Well you're right. It's Snow White in spades."

"Yep. Step-mom poisons the girl, puts her into a deep sleep," Sam said.

"What's the motive you think?" I asked.

"Could be like Mischa Barton. Sixth Sense not the O.C." Dean suggested.

"What?" Sam asked, with a snort.

"Hey, you know fairy tales, I know movies," Dean said. "She played the pasty ghost. You know the, uh, remember the mom had that thing you know, where you keep the kid sick so you get all the attention?"

"Oh yeah, uh, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy," Sam said. "Huh, could be."

"So say all these years Callie's been suffering silently because nobody knows the truth about what mommy dearest did?" Dean said.

"It would piss me off enough to wanna kill some people," I stated. Both Sam and Dean stared at me. "What? It wouldn't make you two mad?" They stopped staring after that.

"Anyway," Sam said. "And after all this time her spirit just gets angrier and angrier, until it finally just starts lashing out."

"Right," Dean said. "Meanwhile she has to listen to dad tell her these deranged stories about a rabid wolf or a cannibalistic old lady, it's enough to drive anybody nuts. Like Lexie said, to kill people."

"OK, but how are we gonna stop her, I mean Callie's stuck here, her father's keeping her body alive," Sam said.

"It's not like we can just go in and 'accidently' pull the plug," I said.

"It does make it a bit hard to burn the bones," Dean said.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You think?"

"Coming in!" A voice shouted. We turned around to watch EMTs bring in an old lady on a stretcher. They dragged her off into the hospital and I looked up at Sam.

"Is that a bite?" the doctor asked.

The EMT nodded. "Looks like she was mauled by a mad dog or, maybe a wolf?"

"What was the last story Dr. Garrison was reading Callie?" Dean asked.

"Little Red Riding Hood," I said softly. The old lady started coding and the doctors slowly but surely gave up on her and then pulled the white sheet over her head.

"Excuse me," Sam said, going up to an EMT. He showed him his badge. "Was she the only victim?"

"She was found by the side of the road, barely alive. Alone," the man answered.

"We need to find her next of kin," Dean said.

"Yeah, she has a granddaughter," The EMT said.

"Do you have an address?" I asked. He handed me a piece of paper. "Thank you," I smiled.

"You look really young to be a police officer," he said.

I felt Dean tense behind me, but I just grinned. "Oh, you're so sweet," I giggled. I turned around and followed Dean to the other end of the hall with a grimace.

"Hey, you find a way to stop Callie, all right?"Dean said.

"What about you?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna go stop the Big Bad Wolf," Dean said. He sighed. "Which is the weirdest thing I've ever said."

He started to walk away and I looked up at Sam. Sam nodded at me to follow him. I shot him a look but he nodded again. I ran after Dean. "I'm coming with you," I said.

"I thought I said for you two to stay here," Dean stated. I shrugged. "Is this because you don't want me going off the deep end or something?"

I shrugged again. "Or maybe it's just that I'd rather kick some wolf butt."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah."

We made it to the little girl's house within minutes. Dean handed me a gun, and I took it carefully from him. We entered the house slowly and stealthily. I could hear a little girl crying to my right, so I nodded at Dean. He pushed me behind him and went first.

There was a little girl in a red hoodie (go figure), crumpled on the floor.

"You OK?" Dean asked. Her.

"Yeah, AH!" the girl screamed. I turned around to see the wolf staring me in the face. He whipped my gun out of my hand and I jumped out of the way just in time. Dean however, got into it with him. Dean was thrown across the room into the dining table.

"Get her out of here, Lex!" Dean shouted.

I helped her up and ran with her out of the house, not looking back. She was trembling next to me on the porch. "I'm going to go help my brother," I said. "Can you stay right here? Don't move." She nodded so I ran back in.

As I walked back in, Dean was being smashed into a china cabinet. Glass shattered to the carpet.

I stared for a second too long and was pushed into the wall behind me, slashing my arm on some of the broken glass shards that were everywhere. I gasped and held it to stop the blood. I spotted scissors in a basket and threw them towards Dean. He grabbed them and started swinging.

I sat up to see Callie standing there smiling at the scene. Then she frowned, and flickered out of view. Meanwhile Dean had punched the man into a bookshelf where he lay collapsed. He was quickly back on his feet and coming towards me. I grabbed the gun on the floor but he was lifting me into the air before I could get a good enough grip. Dean lunged at him with the scissors, and the man threw me. I landed on the other side of the couch with the wind knocked out of me. Dean struggled to get the scissors out of man's grip.

They both struggled for the scissors and Dean got the better hand, pinning him to the floor. He raised the scissors to stab him, but the man gasped in surprise.

"Whoa! Stop, stop! Whoa stop! Whoa! Where am I? What's going on?" the man demanded.

Dean slowly lowered the scissors, exhausted. I let go of the couch and collapsed back to the floor.

That had been a close one.

We made it back to the hospital and stood with Dr. Garrison. He had just finished stitching up my arm. It felt weird to have actual antiseptic poured on my wound instead of alcohol. I played with the bandage as we talked.

"And the girl's OK?" the doctor asked. Dean and I nodded. "So, it's really over," he sighed.

"Yeah. All thanks to you," Sam said with a smile. I begrudgingly nodded. Oh yeah, me saving that girl and getting my arm busted had nothing to do with it.

"Callie was the most important thing in my life," Dr. Garrison said. "But I should've let her go a long time ago."

"See ya 'round, Doc," Dean said.

The doctor gave him a small smirk. "I sure hope not." He patted me on the shoulder and walked away.

"You know what he said? Some good advice." Dean stated, looking at Sam.

"S'not good advice," I sighed.

"Is that what you want me to do Dean? Just let you go?" Sam demanded. Dean said nothing, and just walked away.

Sam looked at me. "What is wrong with him?" he asked.

I shrugged. "He doesn't want you to be Dr. Garrison." Sam said nothing, and left me standing there alone as he followed Dean out the door.

We headed to our motel room a little ways out of town in silence. "What do you two want for dinner?" Dean finally asked.

"Anything," I said.

Dean pulled into the next fast food joint and we all got food to go. As we entered our motel room minutes later, Sam went right to the bathroom. "What's wrong with him?" Dean asked.

"Oh, I don't know," I said, sarcastically. "You think it's maybe what you said earlier?" Dean said nothing in response to that. "You know if you don't at least pretend like you want to live past this year, he's going to start doing something drastic, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Dean said, eating another fry. He swallowed and looked at me. "Do me a favor? Keep an eye on him."

"I always do," I smirked.

"Why aren't you freaking out like him?" Dean asked after a long silence and hearing Sam starting up the shower.

I tensed. "Maybe I'm more like you than we both want to realize."

Dean sighed. "I think you're scared to make a move." Dean looked over at me. "You're a very analytical person, Lexie."

I fought the tears that were about to fall and smiled instead. "Ooh, Dean's using big words."

"Oh, shut up," Dean laughed.

Sam came out not too much later and said he just wanted to lie in bed and relax. As it got later and Dean fell asleep in front of the TV, I could feel Sam becoming more and more anxious. I knew he was up to something. He got up out of bed about an hour later and pulled his jeans on. I waited until he was out of the door to pull my jeans on and follow him. He heard me a lot quicker than he should've since I actually was trying to be quiet, but that was just the Winchester charm I guess.

He whipped around and glared at me. "Go back inside, Alexis."

"No," I said. "Take me with you."

"No," he replied, annoyed. "Get back to Dean." He turned to walk away, and I followed anyway. "Lexie, you don't even care about saving Dean, you don't need to be here for this."

"I care," I said. "Please, I care Sam. I want to help you okay? Just take me with you."

He stopped, taken aback. "You want to help?"

"Yes," I said. "Oh so badly, now can we go before Dean realizes we left?"

Sam nodded and we headed into the night. He took me to a crossroads and I already knew what he was planning to do, and I already had a feeling that it wasn't going to work. However, I followed him into the dark street anyways.

He crouched at the middle of the road and dug a small hole. In it, he placed a box, adding an ID to it. He then covered the hole, and stood up. We waited in silence and then she appeared, her eyes as red as blood.

"Well. Little Sammy Winchester and his baby sis Lexie!" she said, smiling. "I'm touched. I mean...your brother's been to see me twice, but you two? I never had the pleasure." She took a step forward. "What can I do for you, Sam?"

Sam pulled out the Colt and pointed it at her. "You can beg for your life."

She frowned. "We were having such a nice conversation, and then you had to go and ruin the mood."

"If I were you I'd drop the wisecracks and start acting scared," Sam stated.

"It's not my style," She shrugged. "That's not the original Colt. Where did you get that?" When Sam said nothing, the demon sighed. "Ruby. Had to be. She is such a pain in my ass. She'll get what coming to her…you can count on it."

"That's enough," Sam said, "I came here to make you an offer."

"You're gonna make ME an offer?" she laughed. "That's adorable."

Sam's gaze didn't break. "You can let Dean out of his deal right now. He lives, I live. You live. Everyone goes home happy. Or..." Sam cocked the Colt. "You stop breathing. Permanently."

"Oh," she laughed. "All this tough talk. I have to tell you, it's not very convincing. I mean, come on Sam. Do you even wanna break the deal?" She looked to me. "Sissy doesn't."

"What do you think?" Sam asked, ignoring my step forward.

"I don't know," she said. "Aren't you tired of cleaning up Dean's messes? Of dealing with that broken psyche of his? Aren't you tired of being bossed around like a snot-nosed little brother? You're stronger than Dean. You're better than him."

"Watch your mouth," I piped up.

"Admit it. You're here, going through the motions," She said. "But truth is…you'll be a tiny bit relieved when he's gone."

"Shut up." Sam said.

"No more desperate, sloppy, needy Dean. You can finally be free," she went on.

"He said shut up!" I yelled. I took the gun from Sam and pointed it at her. "Shut up!"

"Huh. Doth protest too much if you ask me," she laughed.

"All right, enough of your crap," Sam said. "You let Dean out of his deal right now."

"Are you sure about this Lexie?" she asked. She smiled at me. "Are you choosing?"

"No," I said, backing away.

"Sorry sweetheart, but your brother's an adult," she said. "He made that deal of his own free will, fair and square. It's iron clad."

"Every deal can be broken," Sam said.

"Not this one," she shook her head.

"Fine. Then I'll kill you," Sam said, taking the gun back from me. "If you're gone, so's the deal."

She laughed. "Guess again."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I'm just a sales woman," she said. "I got a boss like everybody. He holds the contract, not me. She wants Dean's soul, bad. And believe me. She's not going to let it go."

"You're bluffing," Sam said.

"Am I? Shoot me, if it'll get you off, but the deal still holds, and when Dean's time is up, he's getting dragged into the pit," she said.

"Then who's your boss?" I asked. "Who holds the contract?"

"She's not as cuddly as me I can tell you that," the demon stated.

"Who is it?" Sam asked.

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry Sam," she said. "There's no way outta this one. Not this time."

Sam looked to me, and sighed. He lowered the gun slightly. However, he then held it back straight and shot the demon right between the eyes. She looked surprised for a millisecond before falling to the ground, dead. I looked at Sam surprised. He didn't look remorseful at all and just walked away.

As I slowly took one last look at the demon and walked away following Sam, I could only think one vital thing that scared the crap out of me. One step forward and it could all fall apart.


	61. Season 3, Chapter Seven

**Enjoy =) And please review! **

**I own nothing but Alexis and Dylan.**

Chapter Sixty One

There was more than a tense silence in this car. The tension was so thick I probably could have cut through it with a knife. I was almost to the point where I couldn't even stand it anymore. I was going to just scream out what Sam and I had done just so that someone would say something. Just say anything.

"So, I've been waiting since Maple Springs," Dean said finally. "You got something to tell me?"

"It's not your birthday..." Sam said, playing dumb. I just kept my mouth shut.

"Sam," Dean warned.

"Happy... Purim?" Sam asked. "Dude, I don't know. I have no idea what you're talking –"

"There's a bullet missing from the Colt," Dean stated. "You want to tell me how that happened? I know it wasn't me. So unless you were shooting at some incredibly evil cans..."

Sam shook his head, so Dean turned to me. "Lex? You use the bullet?"

"Nope," I stated. "I don't have any evil cans on my ass."

Dean sighed looking at Sam. "You went after her, didn't you?" he asked. "The Crossroads Demon. After I told you not to."

"Yeah, well..." Sam started.

"And you went with him," he said, looking back at me. I stayed silent. "You could have gotten yourselves killed!"

"I didn't," Sam said.

Dean went on. "And you shot her."

Sam sighed. "She was a smartass."

"So, what? Does that mean I'm out of my deal?" Dean asked.

"Don't you think I might have mentioned that little fact, Dean?" Sam asked, incredulously. "No. someone else holds the contract."

"Who?" Dean asked.

"She wouldn't say," I stated quietly.

"Well, we should find out whom," Dean said. "Of course, our best lead would be the Crossroads Demon. Oh, wait a minute..."

"That's not funny," Sam stated.

"No, it's not! It was a stupid freaking risk, and you shouldn't have done it," Dean complained.

"I shouldn't have done it?" Sam scoffed. "You're my brother, Dean. And no matter what you do, I'm gonna try and save you. And I'm sure as hell not gonna apologize for it, all right?"

There was another long tense silence. We said nothing else for a really long time. Eventually, Sam said something like "turn right," and Dean followed his directions to this lady's house whose family member died in some weird way. It seemed to be all that we did lately was this. All we did was argue and then end up on some case that would only make it worse. Instead of saying anything, or punching Dean in the face like I wanted to so badly right now, I got out of the car and followed them into the woman's house.

The woman was older, like a grandma's age, and she was very rich. Her clothes and the decorations of the house told it all. "But I don't understand," She said. "I already went over all this with the other detectives."

"Right, yes. But, see, we're with the Sheriff's Department, not the police department – different departments," Dean said, pulling anything out of his ass.

"So, Mrs. Case..." Sam started.

Ms. Case smiled at him. "Please. Ms. Case."

"Okay. Um, Ms. Case, um..." Sam said, a little taken aback. "You were the one who found your niece, correct?"

"I came home, she was in the shower," she nodded.

"Drowned?" I asked.

"So the coroner says," she scoffed. "Now, you tell me, how can someone drown in the shower?"

"How would you describe Sheila's behavior in the days before her death?" Sam asked. "I mean, did she seem frightened? Maybe she said something out of the ordinary?"

"Wait a minute. You're working with Alex, aren't you?" Ms. Case asked excitedly.

"Yep. Absolutely," Dean said quickly. "That's…Alex and us, we're like this," he laughed, showing her just how close we were with whoever the hell Alex was.

"Why didn't you say so?" she said, waving her hand. "Alex has been such a comfort. But I'm sorry. I thought the case was solved."

"Well, no. No, not yet," Sam said.

"I see," Ms. Case stated.

"So, anyways, we were talking about your niece," I said, trying to get us back on track.

"Well, yes," She said. "Sheila mentioned something quite strange before she died. She said she saw a boat."

"A boat?" I asked. "You live by the docks…:

"Yes, but this was weird." Ms. Case said. "One minute it was there, and then it was gone. It just disappeared right before her eyes. You think it could be a ghost ship? Alex thinks it could be a ghost ship."

"Uh, Could be," Sam said.

"What kind of boat?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"Sort of," I shrugged.

"A large, old one," she said, "Maybe a three clipper? I'm not sure, she didn't really say."

"That's okay," Sam said. "Thank you."

Ms. Case smiled largely at him. "You let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." She grabbed Sam's hand and traced a finger slowly down it. Dean and I struggled not to laugh. "Anything at all," She emphasized.

"Right," Sam said, grabbing his hand back. "Thank you."

"You have a nice day now," she said, waving us off.

We left her house and walked along the dock to get back to the car. There were some nice boats anchored all around. "What a crazy, old broad," Dean remarked.

"Why? Because she believes in ghosts?" Sam asked.

"Look at you. Sticking up for your girlfriend," Dean smiled. "You cougar hound!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Bite me," he stated.

"Not if she bites you first," Dean smirked. "So, who's this Alex? We got another player in town?"

"Maybe, Maybe not," Sam sighed. "Doesn't change our job."

"And what looked like a ghost ship, right?" I asked. "Odd."

"It's not the first one sighted around here, either," Sam said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Every 37 years, like clockwork, reports of a vanishing three-mast clipper ship out in the bay. And every 37 years, a rash of weirdo, dry-land drowning."

"So, whatever's happening is just getting started," I said. Sam nodded and I sighed.

"What's the lore?" Dean asked.

"Well, there are apparitions of old wrecks sighted all over the world," Sam said. "The S.S. Violet, the Griffin, the Flying Dutchman -almost all of them are death omens."

"So, you see the ship and then a few hours later, you pucker up and kiss your ass goodbye?" Dean asked.

"Basically," Sam said.

"What's the next step?" I asked.

"We gotta I.D. the boat," Sam said.

Dean smiled. "That shouldn't be too hard. I mean, how many three-mast clipper ships have wrecked off the coast?"

"I checked that too, actually. Over 150," Sam sighed.

"Wow," I said.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Crap," Dean remarked. We got back to where I was pretty sure we parked, but there was no car there. Dean spun around. "This is where we parked the car, right?" he asked.

"I thought so," Sam said.

Dean started to freak out. I could see the little vein in his head start to throb. "Where's my car?"

"Did you feed the meter?" I asked.

"Yes, I fed the meter," he said, irritated. "Guys, where's my car? Somebody stole my car!"

"Calm down," Sam said.

"I am calmed down! Somebody stole my ca—" He started to hyperventilate.

"Whoa, De," I said, grabbing his shoulders. "Calm down. Breathe," I begged.

"The '67 Impala? Was that yours?" A voice said.

Dean jumped up straight. I looked up to see Bela sauntering up to us. "Bela."

"I'm sorry. I had that car towed," she shrugged.

"You what?" Dean demanded. I thought he was going to blow a gasket.

Bela looked over at him innocently. "Well, it was in a tow-away zone."

Dean glared. "No, it wasn't!"

"It was when I finished with it," she remarked.

"What the hell are you even doing here?" Dean insisted.

"A little yachting," Bela said, dismissively.

"You're Alex," I stated. "You're working with that old lady."

"Gert's a dear old friend," Bela explained.

"Yeah, right. What's your angle?" Dean asked.

"There's no angle. There are a lot of lovely old women like Gert up and down the eastern seaboard. I sell them charms, perform séances so they can commune with their dead cats," she shrugged.

"And let me guess, it's all a con," I said.

Bela looked at me evilly. "The comfort I provide them is very real."

"How do you sleep at night?" Sam asked, shaking his head.

"On silk sheets, rolling naked in money," Bela said. "Really, Sam. I'd expect the attitude from him, but you?"

Sam glared at her. "You shot me!"

"I barely grazed you," she said, rolling her eyes. She looked to Dean. "Cute. But a bit of a drama queen, yeah?"

"You do know what's going on around here," Dean asked, ignoring her. "This ghost-ship thing, it is real."

"I'm aware," she said. "Thanks for telling Gert the case wasn't solved, by the way."

"It isn't," I argued.

"She didn't know that," Bela confirmed. "Now the old bag's stopped payment and she's demanding some real answers. Look... just stay out of my way before you cause any more trouble. I'd get to that car if I were you... before they find the arsenal in the trunk. Ciao." She smiled one last time at us and then turned around and left.

"Can I shoot her?" Dean asked.

"Not in public," Sam warned.

"Then let's take her somewhere private," I stated.

"I second that."

We approached the latest victim's house and I immediately saw Bela interviewing someone. "No," the man said. "Police said that he drowned, but I don't u-understand how..."

"I am so sorry for your loss, Mr. Warren," Bela said. "Now, if you could just tell me one more time about the ship your brother saw."

I nodded to Dean, who smirked to himself. He approached Bela and tapped her on the shoulder. "Ma'am, I think this man's been through quite enough," Dean said. He flashed his badge. "You should go."

"But I just have a few more questions," she complained.

"No, you don't," I said, warningly.

Bela glared at me, but smiled at the man. "Thank you for your time."

"Sorry you had to deal with that," Dean said. "They're like roaches."

"So, we heard you say your brother saw a ship," I said.

"Yeah, that's right," Mr. Warren said.

"Did he tell you what it looked like?" I asked.

"It was, uh... like the old Yankee clippers. A smuggling vessel. The rakish topsail, a barkentine rigging. Angel figurehead on the bow," he said, closing his eyes.

"That's a lot of detail for a ship your brother saw," Sam said.

"My brother and I were night diving," he said. "I saw the ship, too."

I looked behind me and saw Bela talking to real cops and nodding our way. I nudged Dean in the side and he nodded in recognition. "All right. Well, we'll be in touch," Dean smiled.

"Thank you," I added as we ran away. We headed back to the Impala, which we had gotten back last night.

"We've got to keep an eye on this guy," Sam said. "He saw the boat, he'll be next."

"Okay," Dean said. "Let's ready for a stake out tonight then. Should be okay. Maybe we can even ID our ghost then." He opened the trunk and we started to load up shotguns.

"I see you got your car back," Bela said, walking up behind us again.

"You really want to come near me when I got a loaded gun in my hands?" Dean asked, turning towards her.

"Now, now. Mind your blood pressure," she smiled. "Why are you even still here? You have enough to I.D. the boat."

"That guy back there saw the ship," Sam explained.

"Yeah? And?"

I scoffed. "And he's going to die, so we have to save him."

"How sweet," she remarked.

"You think this is funny?" Dean asked.

"He's cannon fodder. He can't be saved in time, and you know it."

"Yeah, well, see, we have souls, so we're gonna try," Dean reminded her.

"Well, I'm actually going to find the ship and put an end to this," she said. "But you have fun."

"Hey, Bela, how'd you get like this, huh?" Dean asked. "What, did daddy not give you enough hugs or something?"

Bela shrugged, completely unaffected. "I don't know. Your daddy give you enough? Don't you dare look down your nose at me. You're not better than I am."

"We help people," I insisted.

"Come on," she scoffed. "You do this out of vengeance and obsession. You're a stone's throw from being a serial killer. Whereas I, on the other hand, I get paid to do a job and I do it. So, you tell me - which is healthier?"

I took a step forward, but Sam held me back. "Bela, why don't you just leave? We've got work to do," Sam said.

"Yeah. You're 0 for 2. Bang-up job so far," she said. She turned on her heel and left without another word.

"I hate her," I stated.

"We all do, ankle biter," Dean said, handing me a loaded gun. I got into the backseat of the car and we waited. And waited. And waited.

"Anything good?" Dean asked Sam.

"No, not really," Sam said. "I mean, both brothers are Duke University grads. No criminal record. I mean, a few speeding tickets. They inherited their father's real estate fortune six years ago."

"How much?" I asked.

"$112 million," Sam read.

"Nice life," Dean replied.

"Yeah. I mean, nice, clean, and aboveboard. So why did they see the ship? Why Sheila, too? What do they all have in common?"

"Maybe nothing," I said.

"No," Sam said. "There's always something."

We went back to silence. I was busy trying not to claw my eyes out from boredom when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, Winchester," the voice said back. "I heard you're on a pretty interesting case…"

"Don't even think about it Porter," I said. "We've got enough hunters on this case."

"Winchester, you found a ghost ship, that's awesome, and I'm right outside of town. C'mon," he said.

"Dylan, trust me, you don't need in on—"

"Hey, you!" A voice said.

"I think we've been made," Dean said. "C'mon." He started to get out of the car.

"Dylan, hang on a second, I said, and threw my phone on the seat. I followed him out of the car.

"What are you guys doing? You watching me?" he demanded.

"Sir, calm down. Please," Sam persisted.

"You guys aren't cops! Not dressed like that. Not - not in that crappy car," he said back.

Dean looked taken aback. "Whoa, hey. No need to get nasty," he said, looking back at his car.

"We are cops, okay? We're undercover. We're here because we think you're in danger," I said, trying to calm this guy down.

"From who?" the man demanded.

"If you just settle down, we'll talk about it," Sam said.

"Look, you guys just stay away from me!" he said. He ran off.

"Hey, you moron! We're trying to help you!" Dean called after him. The man ran to his car and tried to get out of his drive. Before he made it out of the drive, his car died. "That can't be good,"

"No," Sam said. "Get the salt gun…"

I ran back to the car and grabbed the gun, but stopped to grab my phone. "Dyl, I'll call you—"

"Lexie!" Dean yelled.

I threw my phone back in the car and ran to the man's car. "Peter!" Sam shouted into his car. The man didn't respond. There was someone in the passenger seat who looked wet and sailorish I supposed. Dean took the gun from me, aimed, and fired into the car. Sam yanked the car door open, and pulled Peter out.

Sam felt for a pulse, but then stood up and shook his head. Dean angrily kicked the car in frustration. Damn.

We cleaned up the area and then disappeared into the night. We were speeding along when Dean finally said something. "Do you wanna say it or should I?" Dean asked.

"What?" Sam asked, moodily.

"You can't save everybody, Sam," Dean stated.

"Yeah, right, so - so what, you feel better now or what?" Sam asked.

"No, not really," Dean replied.

"Me neither," I added from the backseat.

"You gotta understa-"

"It's just lately, I feel like I can't save anybody," Sam said, slowly. Dean said nothing to that.

We had decided to squat in a house this time to be closer to the docks, plus as Dean liked to say, it was free. Sam was sitting on a chair reading and Dean was on his phone. I lay on the dusty couch just staring at the ceiling. There was a knock on the door. Dean looked at me, but then checked to see who was outside the door. Dean scoffed, but opened it.

"Dear God, are you actually squatting?" Bela asked. "So how'd things go last night with Peter?" I looked away. I still felt like it was my fault because I stopped to hang up the phone. "That well, huh?" Bela asked.

"If you say 'I told you so', I swear to God I'll start swinging,' Dean stated.

"Look, I think the three of us should have a heart to heart," Bela said.

"That's assuming that you have a heart," Dean remarked.

Bela looked sad. "Dean, please... I'm sorry about what I said before, ok? I come bearing gifts."

"Such as?" I asked, standing up.

"I've ID'd the ship," she said. "It's the Espirita Santo a merchant sailing vessel, quite a colorful history. In 1859 a sailor was accused of treason. He was tried aboard a ship in a kangaroo court and hanged. He was 37."

"Which would explain the 37 year cycle," Sam said, looking at Dean.

Bela smirked. "Aren't you a sharp tack?" She asked. "I have a photo of his somewhere... here."

"Isn't that the customer we saw last night?" Dean asked.

"You saw him?" Bela demanded.

"Yeah, that's him, except he was missing a hand," I said.

"His right hand?" Bela asked.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"The sailor's body was cremated, but not before they cut off his hand to make a hand of glory," Bela replied.

"A hand of glory, I think I got one of those at the end of my Thai massage last week," Dean laughed.

"Dean, the right hand of a hanged man is a serious cult object and is very powerful," Sam admonished. Dean shut up.

"So they say," Bela said.

"And officially counts as remains," I added.

"But still, none of this explains why the ghost is choosing these victims," Sam said.

"I'll tell you why, who cares," Bela scoffed. "Find the hand, burn it and stop the bloody thing."

"I don't get it, why are you telling us all of this?" I asked, staring her down.

"Because I know exactly where the hand is," Bela said.

"Where?" Dean asked.

"At the Sea Pines Museum, it's a carp bit of maritime history. But I need help."

"What kind of help?" I asked.

"We're going to a party," Bela smiled. "And I've got enough tickets for two, plus Gert said she would take Sam here, so we're all set."

"What about Lex?" Dean asked.

"She doesn't need to come," Bela said, looking down at me. "I'm sure we're fine without her."

Dean and Sam exchanged a glance, and I huffed in annoyance. "I can be a big help," I insisted. "I'm not just a dead weight, you know."

"I'm sure you're not sweetie," Bela said. "But if you want to come, you've got to find your own way."

I looked to Dean, who just shrugged at me, telling me I was on my own for this one. I looked over at Bela with a look that could kill. "Fine," I said. "I will." I turned on my heel and went upstairs. I grabbed my phone.

"Hello?" Dylan said.

"Hey," I said. "Sorry about before. Ghost showed up. But now I need your help."

"Awesome," Dylan remarked. "With what?"

"You want in on this case?" I asked. "You need to get tickets to a party at the Sea Pines Museum. And then pick me up at least two hours early."

"Seriously?" Dylan asked. "Why?"

"Porter, you want in on this case or not?" I asked. "I'm squatting in a house on the docks; you can pick me up there."

"I'll pick you up at six," he said, and hung up.

I came back downstairs, but Bela was already gone. "I'm going," I said.

"With who?" Dean asked.

"You'll find out," I smiled, grabbing my coat. "I'll be back." I went out into the rain and went to the nearest food place and called Dylan back. "Hey," I said. "Meet me at the café at the corner of east 9th."

"Okay," he said. "I should be there any minute."

"Awesome," I said. I hung up and then waited for him for about fifteen minutes. He walked in and spotted me. He gave me this huge smirk.

"Okay," he said. "I got the tickets. Don't ask how. But I did. Now what?"

"Now," I said. "I have to find something to wear. C'mon." I threw a five on the table and started heading out.

"Where are we going?" Dylan asked.

I smiled. "We're going shopping."

Almost an hour later, Dylan was about ready to kill me. "Are you done yet?" he asked, with an exasperated sigh. "We've been here forever."

"I think this is it," I said, coming out of the dressing room in a slinky black dress. It was one shoulder, and fell far down my back. I turned for him. "What do you think?" I asked.

He huffed as he turned to look, but then his mouth dropped open. "Whoa," he said. "You look…whoa."

I smiled. "Awesome. I'm getting it."

"You're brother's going to kill you," Dylan said. "You're brother's going to kill _me_."

"Oh you'll live," I said, going back into the dressing room. "I'll be right out and then we can go."

"Help," I said, as Dylan got off his bike. I was not used to walking in heels and the guy at the store convinced me to buy the five inch ones. I had to hold onto Dylan's arm and I was still wobbly. He smirked at me.

"You hobbling around like that?" he said. "Hilarious."

"Thank, Porter," I smiled. "I'll remember that when I kick you with these heels." His smile faded. "Let's just go," I said.

We walked into the party, my arm on Dylan's, and I felt great. We approached Dean at the bar and I smiled at him. His eyes fell to my body. "What the hell are you wearing, Alexis?"

"Just something I bought this afternoon," I smiled. "You like it?"

"No," he said. "You're either putting a sweater on or you're leaving."

I scoffed. "Please, Dean. Dylan likes it." I looked to Dylan.

Porter stammered. "I-never- I—"

"I bet he does," Dean said, shooting him a look, "But that doesn't change anything."

"Exactly how long do you expect me to entertain my date?" Sam asked, irritated. Gert apparently had her hands all over him.

"As long as it takes," Bela said.

"Look, there's security all over this place, alright, this is an uncrashable party without Gert's invitation, so..." Dean said.

"We can crash anything, Dean," Sam said.

"Yeah, I know, but this is easier and it's a lot more entertaining," Dean smirked.

"You know there are limits to what I'll do, right?" Sam asked.

"Ohm, he's playing hard to get, that's cute," Dean laughed. "Come on," Dean said to Bela. "Lexie, you better as hell stay in Sam's sight at all times and that dress is getting burned along with the hand. Sam, I want all the details in the morning!"

"To us," Gert said, raising a glass.

I sat at the bar with Dylan and watched Gert and Sam be all awkward together. Dylan put his hand on mine. I looked at him oddly, and he quickly removed it. "Sorry," he said. "I thought you were getting up."

"Uh huh," I said, looking away.

"Let's dance hot stuff," Gert said to Sam, and dragged him out on the floor.

I took out my phone. "What are you doing?" Dylan asked.

"Recording this moment forever," I stated, pointing to Gert and Sam out on the dance floor. I was trying so hard not to laugh hysterically as Gert rubbed her old hands all over Sam's ass.

My phone started to ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, I need your help," he said.

"With what?" I asked.

"Security on this glass case," he said. "I tried Sam, but he didn't answer."

"Yeah, he's a little busy," I said, and Dylan laughed.

"Please God, tell me you got that on tape," Dean said.

"Of course I did," I snorted.

"Awesome," he said. "Now get your ass up here."

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed, and started to head upstairs. "I'll be back," I called to Dylan.

I went into the lobby and saw that the stairs were guarded. "Excuse me," I said. "I'm looking for my sister? Can you help me?"

"Sure," he said.

"I think she may have went that way?" I said, "If you could help me look I'd be so, so thankful." The guard looked around and then went the way that I pointed. I followed behind for a second and then turned and went up the stairs.

Dean was at the top waiting for me. "What took you so long?" he demanded.

"Sorry," I shrugged. I followed him into a room where the hand was and then analyzed the case. I took out the smallest lock pick I had and wedged it just right to pop the lock open. I pulled the wires out so the alarm wouldn't go off. "There," I stated. "Can I go now?"

"Get out," Dean said, taking the hand.

I went back downstairs and back to Dylan. "I miss anything good?" I asked. Dylan smirked, but shook his head. "Care to dance?" I asked Dylan, getting up again.

"You sure you can on those heels?" he asked.

"I can manage," I said, taking his hand.

"Man, this is one long song," Sam remarked as we neared him.

Gert took a big breath. "I hope it never ends... how's the investigation going?"

"These things take time," Sam said to her. I smiled at him as Dylan turned the other way.

"People are talking about the Warren brother's deaths, strange; do you think it's connected to Shelia's?" Gert asked.

"Yeah, yeah we think so," Sam said.

"I think they had it coming, you know. In a biblical sort of way," Gert said.

"Whadda mean?" Sam asked.

"You know about their father?" Gert asked. I frowned at Dylan, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.

"No?" Sam asked.

"Come here, I'll whisper it to you," Gert smiled. "People say that the old man didn't die of natural causes," she whispered. I could barely hear her but I was skilled in the art of lip reading.

"Then how?" Sam asked.

"Rumor is the boys did it, nothing was ever proven but people still whisper," Gert giggled.

"OK, okay. So... did Shelia have any connection to them?" Sam asked, backing away from Gert.

"None that I know of," Gert frowned.

"Did Shelia have any kind of tragedy in her life?" Sam asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact there was a... car accident when she was a teenager," Gert said.

Sam shot me a look to go and find Dean. "What happened?" he asked. I saw Dean coming so I stayed put and nodded over to him.

"Her car flipped over, she was OK but her cousin Brian was killed," Gert said. "Why, is that important?"

"Well, having a nice time?" Bela asked Sam.

"He's delightful... he wants me!" Gert said excitedly.

"I'm going to get Gert into a cold shower," Bela smiled. "See you at the cemetery."

Dean looked at Sam. "You stink like sex," he stated.

I told Dylan to follow us and got into the Impala with Sam and Dean. "Ugh, my shoes are killing me. It wouldn't very ladylike to take them off, would it?" I asked, leaning on Sam for support as I ripped them off.

"You still try to be ladylike?" Sam asked. "Do you realize what it is you do for a living?" I mocked him and threw my shoes in the backseat. Dean came to the car and we got in. "You got it right? Tell me I didn't get groped all night by Mrs. Havisham for nothing," Sam said.

"I got it... Mrs. Who?" Dean asked.

"Never mind, just let me see it," Sam said. Dean's expression darkened.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm gonna kill her," Dean said. He drove back to the house that we were squatting in and lit up the place with candles since the electricity was turned off. Dylan joined us for awhile. Dean paced back and forth angrily. Dylan and I watched him go back and forth, eating candy that I had bought when I had gotten my dress.

"You know what, your right," Dean said. "I'm not gonna kill her, I think slow torture is the way to go."

"Dean look, you gotta relax," Sam said.

"Relax, oh yeah yeah, I'll relax," Dean grunted. "I can't believe she got another one over on us."

"You," I said.

Dean glared at me. "What?"

"I...I mean she got one over on you not us," I said, shrugging.

Dean huffed. "Thank you Alexis, it's very helpful"

There was a knock on the door once again, but this time it sounded anxious and scared. "Hello, could you open up?" Bela asked. Dean wrenched the door open. "Just let me explain... I sold it; I've had a buyer lined up since I knew it existed!"

"So the whole reason for us to go to the Charity Ball was...?" Sam asked, as she walked in.

"I needed a cover, you were convenient," she said.

"Look you sold it to a buyer, just go buy it back," Sam said.

"It's halfway across the ocean, I can't get it back in time," she stated.

"In time for what?" Dean asked.

"What's going on with you Bela, you look like you've seen a ghost," I commented.

She looked down. "I saw the ship," she admitted.

"You what?" Dylan asked eyes wide.

"Wow, you know, I knew you were an immoral thieving con artist bitch but just when I thought my opinion of you couldn't get any lower," Dean said, shaking his head.

Bela glared. "What are you talking about?"

"We figured out the spirits motive, this is the captain of our ship. The one who hung our ghost boy," Sam explained. Bela looked confused. "So they were brothers, very Cain and Abel. So now our spirit he's going after a very specific kind of target, people who've spilled their own family's blood. See first there was Shelia who killed her cousin in a car accident and then the Warren brothers, who murdered their father for the inheritance and now you."

"My God," She remarked.

"So who was it Bela? Hmmm who'd you kill, was it daddy? Little sis maybe?" Dean asked.

"It's none of your business," Bela retorted.

"No, you're right. Well have a nice life, you know whatever's left of it," Dean said. "Sam, Lexis, let's go."

"You can't just leave me here," Bela complained.

"Watch us," Dean spat.

"Please, I need your help!" Bela begged.

"Our help? Now how could a couple of serial killers possibly help you?" Dean asked.

"Ok that was a bit harsh, I admit it but it doesn't warrant a death sentence," Bela pleaded.

"That's not why your gonna die," I said,

"Whatcha do Bela?" Sam asked.

"You wouldn't understand, no one did," Bela said. "Never mind, I'll just do what I've always done, I'll deal with it myself."

"You do realize you just sold the one thing that could save your life," Dylan said.

"I'm aware," Bela stated.

"But, maybe not the only thing," Sam suggested.

We went to the graveyard and set up a séance. "Do you really think this is going to work?" Bela asked.

"Almost definitely not," Dean admitted.

Thunder rang loud and clear through the sky, and the rain started to pour. "Sammy, you better start reading," I said, handing him the last candle.

"Aziel, Castiel, Lamisniel, Rabam," Sam started, and then started going off in Latin.

"Stay close," Dean said.

"Behind you," Bela yelled.

Dean groaned as he went flying through the air. I shot the ghost away. Bela started to cough up water. "Sam, read faster" I yelled. Dean ran to Bela's side.

Suddenly two ghosts were there. "You... hanged me," the one choked out.

"I'm sorry," the other cried.

"Your own brother!" he yelled. He charged at the other one and they collided in an explosion of water. Bela gagged, but could breathe again.

"Is it over?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah," Sam said, "It's over."

We headed back to the house to sleep the rest of the night. Dylan and I took to the floor right next to Dean. When I woke up, I was staring Dylan in the face. I jumped and quickly got up. Awkward.

We packed out stuff and got ready to head out when the door opened. "You boys should learn to lock your doors, anyone could just barge in," she said.

"Anyone just did," Sam stated. "Have you come to say goodbye or thank you?"

"I've come to settle affairs... giving the spirit what he really wanted. His own brother. Very clever, Sam... So here," she said. She tossed him a load of bills. "It's ten thousand that should cover it. I don't like being in anyone's debt."

"So ponying up ten grand is easier for you than a simple thank you?" Dean asked. "You are so damaged."

"Takes on to know one," She said. "Goodbye lads." She sauntered back out the way she came.

"She's got style, you gotta give her that," I remarked.

"I suppose," Dean stated.

"You know Dean, we don't know where this money's been," Sam said.

"No, but I know where it's going... A-HA HA," Dean laughed. He grabbed the bags and headed to the car.

Sam shook his head and followed him. Then it was just me and Dylan. "You gonna hang with us for awhile?" I asked. "You're more than welcome to you know."

"You're brother would castrate me first I think," Dylan stated with a shudder. "I'll head off my own way. Catch you later probably."

"Okay," I said. "I guess I'll see you then." We walked to the door together, and he stopped and looked back towards me. "What?" I asked. He came slightly closer, to where I could feel his breath coming out.

"Promise me you won't punch me," he said slowly.

I couldn't move. "I make no promises," I stated, trying for a soft smirk, but it fell flat. This wasn't actually funny.

He leaned in, and our lips touched ever so lightly. This was a gentle as he had ever appeared to me. My heart raced slightly, my hands going clammy. Then it was over. "You didn't punch me," he stated.

"I didn't feel like it," I replied.

He smiled widely, and backed away. "I'll see you around, Lexie."

"Bye, Dylan," I said, and he walked away, hopping on his bike and speeding off. I got into the impala, my head still in the clouds.

"Seriously, Atlantic City?" Sam asked.

"Hell yeah, play some roulette," Dean said. "Always bet on black." His smile fell. "Hey listen I've been doing some thinking, um, I want you to know I understand why you did it. I understand why you went after the crossroads demon." Sam just sighed, and I did too. Leave it to Dean to ruin my mood. "And if the situation was reversed I guess I'd done the same thing. I mean I'm not blind, I see what you going through with this whole deal, me going away and all that. But you're gonna be ok."

"Hmm you think so," Sam asked.

"Yeah, you'll keep hunting, y'know, you live your life," Dean said simply. "Both of you, Your stronger than me, you are... you'll get over it. But I want you to know I'm sorry, I sorry for... putting you through all this, I am."

"You know what Dean, go screw yourself," Sam said. I flinched.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I don't want an apology from you - and by the way, I'm a big boy now, I can take care of myself," Sam said.

"Oh, well, excuse me," Dean scoffed.

"So will you please stop worrying about me, I mean that's the whole problem in the first place. I don't want you to worry about me, Dean; I want you to worry about you. I want you to give a crap that you're dying!" Sam exclaimed. "So, what, that's it? Nothing else to say for yourself?"

Dean stared straight ahead. "I think maybe I'll play craps," he said. Sam just scoffed.

"Hey," I said, leaning forward. "I know you two feel like you're in your own little world up here, but I'm part of this family too incase you forgot." I looked from Dean to Sam. "So shut the fuck up." I glared at each of them who both looked behind to glare at me. "I'm so sick of all this. Just stop. Sam, Dean doesn't want to admit that he cares, Sam, stop bothering him. You know he's never going to admit it. So both of you shut up right now, or I swear to God I'm jumping out of this car." Neither of them said a word.

"Thank you," I said, and lay back down with a definitive sigh. I went back to thinking about my kiss. It was then that I realized something. He hadn't even called me Winchester.

**Thanks for reading! I would love suggestions for this next original I'm writing. I put a poll on my profile! Anything else you want to say, just PM me guys! Thanks!**


	62. Season 3, Chapter Eight

**Here ya go guys, enjoy!**

**I own nothing but Dylan and Alexis.**

Chapter Sixty Two

"Are you going to help?" Dean asked me, holding out a shovel. I took it reluctantly. We were in a graveyard in the middle of the night digging up a grave. Not that this wasn't normal for us, but I felt horrible. It was the worst feeling I had in a long time.

I must have had a look on my face, because Sam frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't feel that great," I remarked. Dean took the shovel that he was holding out to me and put it down with a sigh. "What?" I asked.

"Why don't you feel good?" Sam asked, ignoring Dean.

"I don't know," I said, quietly. "I just don't feel right."

"She just doesn't want to help dig," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

I glared at him. "That has nothing to do with it," I stated. "I really don't feel right." I looked to Sam, who was giving me an empathetic smile.

"I think you're fine to help," Dean said, this time throwing the shovel at me. I scoffed and started to help him dig. I actually felt like I was about to fall over, but I knew that if I moved faster, we could be done and I could crawl into bed.

I suddenly got that queasy stomach feeling. I stopped shoveling and stood still for a moment. "What's wrong now?" Dean asked, annoyed.

I quickly jumped out of the grave and ran to a bush where I emptied the contents of my stomach. "That's what's wrong," I stated, tiredly.

"Oh," Dean said.

Sam came over, trying really hard not to look disgusted and helped me off the ground. "Thanks," I said, walking to the car.

"Hurry up, Dean," Sam said, walking behind me.

"So she upchucks and I have to do this by myself," Dean mumbled. "Great."

"Shut up Dean," I stated, not amused. "I am going to be sitting in the Impala you know. I might puke there too."

Dean started working a lot faster after that.

We headed back to the motel in silence and I was just holding my stomach in the backseat. I didn't feel nauseas anymore but I knew something was off. This wasn't a normal feeling. I started to feel a little panicky. I didn't like being sick and I didn't want to deal with this right now. We got out of the car and I flopped on the bed.

"You're going to sleep?" Dean asked. I just moaned at him and closed my eyes. He had been driving me crazy lately. He didn't seem to realize that the world didn't always revolve around him. I had to say, I had been quieter than normal. I was holding a lot of stuff inside, but I didn't want to talk about it anymore. Dean was going to die and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I just thought a lot, you know? About what was going to happen.

I awoke the next morning already feeling like a piece of shit. My stomach was killing me. I already hadn't eaten in forever. I was so tired too, my body telling me to lie around and do nothing. Sam was all over me like he thought I was about to die. He was trying to load me up on all sorts of meds. I had a feeling even a doctor wouldn't recommend what he was trying to do. Then again, I think he just wanted to get back to hunting before he went stir crazy. It probably had nothing to do with me at all. Dean on the other hand was so adamant that I was fine that he nearly convinced me.

"How you feeling today?" Dean asked, walking in the door. He was carrying a bag of cheap gas station breakfast burritos.

"I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth," I stated, as he tried to place one of the burritos in front of me.

"Maybe you should take some more Pepto," Sam said, already getting up to get it out of the first aid bag. "It'll help."

"No, Sam," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm pretty sure if I take any more of that stuff I'll OD on it." I went to get up and the worse pain that I had ever imagined came over me. It was in my side. I grabbed onto the chair with a grip that even Dean couldn't rival. It hurt so bad, I nearly fell over.

"Lex?" Dean asked, getting up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said in a groan. "I just think I'm dying."

"Where does it hurt?" Sam asked, with a frown.

I groaned again. "Here," I pointed. I whimpered in pain. "Dean, can I have your gun?"

"What?" Dean asked. "Why?"

"Shoot me with it."

"Oh stop being so dramatic," Dean said.

Sam was basically holding me up at this point. "Dean, I think she's seriously got something wrong with her. We have to get her to the hospital."

"No," Dean and I said together.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"It's too dangerous," Dean said. "We're still kinda on the FBI's most wanted list in case you don't remember."

"We won't use her real name. We have a million fake IDs, it shouldn't be an issue."

"I don't like doctors," I added. I stumbled slightly as another wave of pain overtook me.

"Alexis, you're burning up and in massive pain," Sam said, in his no nonsense voice. "We're going. Get in the car."

"Fine," I said, walking to the door. I walked all hunched over and Dean opened the door for me. "Thanks," I remarked. He said nothing, but I could feel him worrying behind me. He had been trying to ignore it, but he couldn't. He was worried about me.

We sped off to the hospital while I lay in the back of the car and clutched my side in pain. "Maybe it's appendicitis?" Sam asked, watching me from the front seat.

"Nah," Dean said. "That would be random."

"Appendicitis is random, Dean," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Guys!" I said, my eyes starting to water. "Can we just hurry this up, please? I'm dying!" I leaned back on the seat as Dean floored it.

Dean carried me into the hospital. No one really paid attention to him. "Can we get some help over here?" he demanded, as I nearly started to panic. I was in so much pain and I hated to admit it, but I was terrified. I hated hospitals and on top of that I didn't know what was wrong with me.

A gurney was wheeled out and Dean put me down on it. I must've given him a terrified look because he gripped my wrist. Apparently he was too manly to just hold my hand. They wheeled me into a room. A nurse came in after awhile of me complaining that I was going to die before they did anything.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked me, taking my pulse.

"I'm dying," I told her seriously.

Dean scoffed. "Her stomach hurts her."

The nurse frowned. "Where?"

"Here," I moaned.

She put her hand on it and I yelped. "Might be appendicitis," she said. "I'll go get the doctor, but right now we need to do an ultrasound. Then I can start you on antibiotics and we can schedule surgery if needed."

"Okay," Dean said, nodding. "You do that." He seemed anxious. He got up from the chair that he was sitting on and sighed. "Okay, Sammy, I've gotta go fill out paperwork. Will you be okay?" he asked.

"I guess," Sam answered, looking at me. I just threw my head back on the pillow and closed my eyes.

After waiting about twenty minutes they did the ultrasound which told them that my appendix was inflamed. I could've told them that twenty minutes ago. The nurse came back in with an IV kit and started loading me up with pain killers and medication to make me relax. However, it wasn't helping.

"Where's Dean?" I asked Sam, feeling a little loopy.

"He's doing paperwork, remember?" Sam asked, scooting his chair closer to me.

"I'm not going to surgery until Dean comes back," I said stubbornly. The nurse wanted to put oxygen on me but I refused.

"C'mon Lex," Sam said. "You'll be fine. We'll see you when you get out."

I stopped struggling and sighed. "Fine." They started to put the oxygen on me and added the knock out drugs to my IV. "S'mmy?" I asked, feeling weird. "What's that?"

I pointed across the room to a person that I saw standing in the doorway. It was a very old man, who seemed to be staring at me. His skin was almost transparent. His hair was wispy and thin, that barely covered his head. He didn't seem to be looking at anything, as he had a glazed over look in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, confused. "You're pointing at the doorway."

"Hallucinations are a side effect of the anesthesia," the nurse said. "They'll wear off when she wakes up."

They started to wheel me out. "Sam!" I yelled. The old man was inching his way towards me and following me. "It's coming closer, Sam!"

"You're fine, Lex," he said, walking with me. "There's nothing there."

"Dean!" I yelled, since obviously he wasn't listening to me. "Dean!" I looked around to see the man getting closer to me. He was watching me, a small smirk on his face. "I can't – I struggled to stay awake. This stuff was knocking me out. "Dean…"

And then everything was just gone.

I was lying down. I knew I was even though my eyes weren't open. I could hear a faint beep behind me, but it sounded like it was a million miles away. The room felt cold, like I was in a fridge or something. I slowly peeked my eyes open. Everything was blurry, but I saw a person standing over me. It looked like Dean.

"Hey," I said, groggily. "What's going on?"

I got no answer. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My eyes opened more. That wasn't Dean. It was a scary looking old man. His skin was so wrinkly it looked like it would peel off. I gasped, prepared to scream, but he touched my shoulder, and it felt like he was taking all the energy I had. He was draining me.

I couldn't breathe. I could barely keep from passing out. What the hell was going on? I heard the machines around me start to beep rapidly. I was in so much pain. My heart felt like an empty void of space. My muscles were cramping. I was being squeezed into nothing.

"Help," I breathed silently. It made no noise.

This was it. I was dying right. I looked right into the man's face, silently begging him to stop. To leave me be. His eyes were dead.

Then it was over and I was once again in darkness.

The next time I opened my eyes, I heard the beeping of the alarms behind me as my heart rate increased. I gasped for breath like I was dying. But I was…fine? I'm not sure if that was the right word, considering that I felt like I just awakened from the dead.

Sam and Dean were on my case in seconds. "Are you alright?" Dean asked.

"How are you feeling?" Sam demanded.

"I'm…" I felt tears in my eyes. I took a deep breath. "What happened?"

"You had an appendectomy," Sam said. "You don't remember that?"

"No, I remember," I stated. "I meant the part where I nearly just died."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "Ankle biter, what are you talking about?" Dean asked. He sat on the end of the bed, while Sam took his place in a chair.

"I felt like I just stopped breathing," I stated. "You're telling me that didn't happen?"

Sam shook his head. "Must be the affects of the medication or something."

I shook my head. "This was no hallucination, Sam." I looked from Dean to Sam. They seemed confused by this, but I was getting annoyed. "It happened, I swear."

"Calm down, Lex," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "You just woke up. You're fine." Dean looked towards Sam and I could see the worry lines in his face. Why couldn't he ever just tell me what the hell was going on. He always had to hide it and that just made me worry more.

"I think I saw something," I admitted. "When I was leaving the ER, remember Sam?" I said. "And then I saw it again. I'm not kidding, I think something is after me!" They just exchanged a look again. "Stop doing that," I said, deadpan.

Dean sighed. "Lexie, we're in a hospital, it was just your imagination and the drugs talking. The doctor said it could happen. We've been here the entire time you've been back and nothing happened. You're not being attacked."

Sam smirked. "And this is coming from the person who sleeps with not one, but two knives under his pillow," he said.

"Why don't you two listen to me?" I admonished, annoyed. I leaned back into my pillow. "I'm so tired."

The nurse walked in. "Oh, you're awake," she smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty," I replied, annoyed.

"Alexis," Dean warned.

"I'm tired," I said, with an apologetic smile.

The nurse smiled back. "That's normal. Any pain?"

"Not really," I replied.

She looked to my brothers. "I have to change the dressing, so if you two would like to step out?" Sam sauntered out, with Dean behind him, glowering slightly at me, like as if he was warning me to be nice or something. "They're your brothers?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, as she took the old dressing off. The cut was about a couple inches and was closed with those dissolving stitches.

"They're very protective," she laughed. "They were in here as soon as they heard you were out. Especially the older one. He was pacing a hole in the floor."

"That's Dean," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You're lucky to have them," she said.

"I know," I sighed. "I know."

"You're looking good," the nurse went on, putting a clean gauze bandage on my side. "You should be able to head home tomorrow afternoon as long as you feel alright."

"Awesome," I smiled. "Thank you."

"Let me know if you need anything," she smiled, and left the room. Sam and Dean immediately came back in.

"I'm going to sleep," I stated. "So you two can go back to the motel and chill if you want. You don't have to stay here."

Dean looked at me and nodded. "Sam, you go, I'm going to stay here for awhile."

Sam stood up and smiled at me, then headed out the door with a quick goodbye. Dean sat in the chair and put his feet on my bed. He stared at me for a minute. "What?" I asked.

"Nothin'" he said, shrugging. "Hand me the remote."

I picked it up and thought about chucking it at his head, and then decided it wasn't worth it. One near death experience was enough for me. I handed it to him and then closed my eyes. I couldn't seem to fall asleep, and it was like I was on a high or something. I think it was the medication.

I was no good on drugs apparently.

Eventually I fell asleep. When I woke up again, Dean was snoring away in the chair, exactly how he was when I was awake. I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow at him. He sputtered awake. "Go home," I said, with a smirk. "You're disrupting my beauty sleep."

He scoffed at me. "You're going to be sleeping for a long time."

"Shut up," I said, narrowing my eyes.

He laughed and got up out of his chair. "You need anything before I go?"

"Unless you want to sneak me out of here?" I asked. "No." I smiled slightly. "But thanks, De." He nodded at me and waved a goodbye before disappearing.

I turned on the TV after awhile and watched some medical show. It was really late by the time I felt sleepy again. I tried to get comfortable, even though I wasn't at all. I hated these hospital beds. Plus it hurt to move still, although I could get up to go to the bathroom by myself. The TV started to get fuzzy, and I frowned.

"What the hell?" I asked when no channels would work. It felt like the temperature dropped about ten degrees suddenly. I took a deep breath and looked around. _Please no…_

A shadow passed by my room. I scooted to the end of the bed and tried to see farther. The shadow was going towards the end of the hall. I ignored the feeling in my gut to stay put and call Dean, and got out of bed.

Weaponless, exhausted, and in pain, I took my IV with me and walked out into the hallway. I could see my breath. I followed my instincts and went into the room next to mine.

The old man was hovering next to the bed. The woman in it was asleep. He touched her shoulder, and she shuddered in her sleep. I stayed at the door, unsure of what to do. "Hey!" I yelled. "Stop!"

The ghost did nothing, but ignored me. The woman's breath hitched. She started to look really pale. "Stop it," I said, looking around me for someone to help. "Help!" I yelled.

A nurse came running towards me. "What are you doing out of bed?" she asked me. "C'mon, you've got to get back to your own room."

"No," I said, looking back to the woman, but the ghost was gone. "What the – ?"

"C'mon sweetie, I'll get you some more pain medicine," the nurse said, helping me back to bed.

I did not sleep that night.

"Dean," I complained. "I'm not kidding. I saw it again. He was in the room right over there, and he was like, draining the woman or something. He was hurting her."

Sam walked in the room looking uncomfortable. "The woman died early this morning," Sam stated.

"See?" I said, waving my arms like a lunatic. "I told you."

"Maybe it was a reaper," Sam said.

"Then why didn't it kill me?" I asked. "He was going to. And why didn't he kill that woman when I was in there. Why can I see it? That doesn't make sense, Sam."

"Okay, okay," Dean said. "Calm down. Look, Lexie, you're tired and need sleep. Why don't we all just chill out and I'll check out the room with the EMF, okay? Will that make you feel better?"

I relaxed slightly and nodded.

There was a knock on the door and I glanced over to see Dylan shooting me his characteristically suave smile. "Hey Winchester," he smiled.

Even though I was actually really ticked off at my brothers, I smiled back. I couldn't help it, his smile was infectious. "Hey," I grinned.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Bobby told me something was wrong," Dylan frowned. "I thought I'd make sure you were all okay."

"She's okay," Sam said, with a small smile.

"No I'm not," I complained. Dean shot me a look. "De—"

"I'm going to get some fresh air," Dean stated, nodding for Sam to follow him. I huffed in annoyance.

Dylan eyed me suspiciously, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Things aren't all they're cracked up to be in Winchester land?" he asked. I shook my head sadly. "Why is it that there's always something going on with you?"

I smirked, "I like to keep it interesting."

He laughed. "Because being a hunter isn't enough for you?" I shrugged my shoulders. "You are one of a kind, Winchester."

"I know," I stated. I tried to sit up farther, failing miserably. "Hey, I gotta tell you something," I said seriously.

"What?" he asked.

"Something is going on in this hospital. Sam and Dean won't listen to me, but it killed my next door neighbor, and I'm pretty sure it's going to come in here soon. It already attacked me once," I stopped to gauge his reaction. He just stared at me. "I think it's an angry spirit."

"There's bound to be some ghosts here, Lexie," Dylan frowned. "I mean, it's a hospital."

"I realize that, thank you," I snapped. "But Dylan this is different. This thing hurt me, hurt that other lady and killed her. We can't just let that go, can we?" He only gave me an uneasy look. "Just come back here tonight once my brothers leave."

He opened his mouth like he was going to protest when Dean walked back in, Sam looking annoyed. "Here," he said, handing me a bag of ice chips. "This is my peace offering."

"Gee thanks," I said, and then ate the ice anyways.

"Consider it on the house," he sighed. I threw an ice chip at him.

"So, uh, you left this in our room," Dylan stated, handing me a t-shirt. "Sorry I didn't get it back to you sooner."

I took it, my face turning the shade of a tomato. "Thanks," I muttered.

Dean looked from me to Dylan. "Your room?" he demanded. "Like as in together?"

"Um,"

"No," Dean said. "No. No, no no." He glared at me. "You did not." I said nothing, just shrugging my shoulders.

"Dean, nothing happened, he was locked in the bathroom, remember?" I questioned.

"Hell no, Lex."

"Dean," Sam said. "Stop."

The vein in Dean's forehead throbbed, but he stopped. "Okay," he said, throwing his hands up. "Okay."

"Should I go?" Dylan asked, looking uneasy.

"No," we all said together. He sat down in the chair by the door.

Later that night, after I told Dean to go back to the motel room and actually get some rest, Dylan was on his way back up. He walked into the room like he was walking to his death. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, sitting down. "Now what?"

"Now," I smiled. "Now we wait."

An hour went by before we really said anything. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble," he stated, looking at the wall.

"It's fine," I said, shrugging. "Dean needs to relax." Dylan nodded and then sighed. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to be waiting for."

"I don't know," I sighed. "A ghost. He looks like an old guy." He glared at me. "Well he does."

"Well wake me up when he appears," Dylan stated, closing his eyes. I smirked and waited.

A shadow passed by my door. I shuddered to myself. "It's here," I said. Dylan had been softly snoring in the corner for the past half an hour. I slapped him on the leg. "It's here!"

Dylan awoke with a start. "What?" he grumbled.

"It's out there," I said, trying to get out of bed.

"Whoa," Dylan said, stopping me. "I'll check it out. You stay here."

I huffed, but stayed in bed. "Be careful," I called after him. He just waved his hand at me. I waited by myself.

I felt even colder. "Dylan," I called, feeling nervous. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. "Oh c'mon," I said.

A dead man stood at the end of my bed. I grabbed the salt packet that I saved from dinner, and gripped it so hard in my hand that it hurt. He disappeared, and I relaxed for a second, until he appeared closer to me. I threw the salt at him and he disappeared again.

"Dylan!" I called.

Pain. There was a sharp pain in my side where the stitches were. It felt like I was being burned from the inside out. He smiled evilly at me, his hand at my side. "Stop!" I yelled. My flesh was melting off. The machine behind me started beeping.

The nurse ran into the room, I think her name was Kara. "What's wrong?" she demanded, checking the monitors. "Oh you have a fever." She looked at me. "You feeling okay? Any pain?"

I nodded. "It hurts."

"Okay, I'll get you some more pain medication. You take it easy. Get some rest."

Dylan came back into the room. "You're not family," Kara said.

"Yeah, brother," I stated. Dylan just smiled and nodded.

"What happened?" he asked as she left.

"It was in here," I said. "I'm tired." I started to close my eyes.

"Hey, whoa," Dylan said, grabbing my face. "What did he do to you?"

I could barely keep my eyes open I was so tired. "G47QR"

Dylan frowned. "What?"

I closed my eyes drowsily. I pointed at my wrist. "G47QR," I said. "That's what his said." Then, I fell into a deep sleep.

The next time I opened my eyes, Dean was standing over me, the worry lines evident on his face. "Hi," I groaned. My side still felt like it was on fire. "What's going on?" I asked.

"You have a major infection," the nurse said. She was standing next to me. "We have you on a course of antibiotics."

"Ankle biter, you scared the hell out of me," Dean said, shaking his head. The nurse walked out of the room. He nodded at Dylan. "He said the ghost attacked you."

I nodded. "Believe me now?"

"Shut it," Dean growled. "You said that number. Came up as a Robert Johnson."

"So get him," I said. "Burn his bones."

"Yeah there's an issue," Dylan said. "He's still in the hospital morgue."

"Oh," I said. I looked at Dean. "So…"

"I'll go tonight," Dean said. "Sam, you and Dylan stay with Lex."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

As the day progressed, my infection worsened and I started to get nauseous. The nurse changed the bandage on my wound and it was bright red with pus.

"Oh," she said. "The doctor will want to see this."

I took that as a bad sign.

Dean paced around the room with worry. He didn't want to wait until tonight, but he really didn't have a choice. There were too many people around to steal a body. He had to wait.

Night soon came and Dean disappeared. Sam and Dylan and I waited. I tried my best not to fall asleep. I couldn't be asleep if something bad happened.

Around midnight, the hair on the back of my neck once again was on end. "Guys," I choked out. "It's here."

Sam was at the ready with salt. Dylan had an iron stick of some sort. It was his own thing he brought. The ghost appeared next to me, behind both Sam and Dylan. I screamed and they came at him. Sam was thrown into the wall. Dylan threw the iron at him. It landed with a thud on the ground.

The ghost touched my side and I writhed in pain. I felt like I couldn't even breathe. This was it, I had to be dying. I choked on my own breath.

Sam threw some salt and he was gone.

"Dylan, get Lex out of the room," Sam said, as the ghost came for me again.

"How?" he asked, helping me up and failing at it. Sam didn't answer. He had his hands full. Dylan sighed and picked me up like a baby and carried me out of the room, dragging the IV tower with him. I held onto his neck for dear life.

The ghost didn't seem to follow us, but the nurse did. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded.

"Oh, uh," Dylan stuttered.

"I had to go to the bathroom," I said, smiling. "He thought I meant the one out here. I was half asleep. Sorry."

Sam came out of the room looking ruffled, but otherwise unharmed. He nodded at us that it was safe. I smiled. "C'mon Porter, put me back."

Dylan just nodded and took me back to the room. He placed me back in the bed. Dean waltzed back in looking proud of himself. "Done," he smirked, and then he frowned. "What happened up here?"

"A lot," I stated.

The nurse followed us back in and glared at me. "You realize that you're breaking about a million hospital rules," she said.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'll be good now." And this time I meant it.

She looked at my vital signs. "You're fever is going down. If it's gone by morning you should be okay to go home." She looked at all the boys. "Thankfully."

"Thanks," I said, getting out of the wheel chair. "I'm good." I walked the rest of the way to the Impala. Dean was the only one who came to pick me up. Dylan and Sam were probably asleep somewhere. I stared out the window in silence as we drove.

"Okay," Dean said, stopping the car. "What's wrong?"

"What?" I frowned.

"There is something seriously wrong with you," he stated. "What is it?"

"Dean, I'm fine," I replied.

"God damn it Alexis, you're not fine," he said. "You say that but you're not fine, okay. I know what fine looks like. This ain't it. I can take Sam crying at me and being his whiny bitch self but not this." I just stared at him. "Lex, yell at me. Cry. Be a girl. Do something, before I go crazy!"

I took a deep breath. "Is that why you've been a jerk? You want to piss me off?"

"You're like an emotionless void," he snapped back at me.

I said nothing. He drove all the way back to the motel when he stopped. "Get out of the car."

"Leave me alone, Dean," I said, walking away from him. He grabbed me by my arm. "Dean, stop."

"No!"

There were so many things I could've said. I could've told him I was emotionless because I was scared to deal with all this. I could've said that I was hiding away from him because I couldn't tell him I was going to miss him when he died. I could've said a lot. But all that came out of my mouth were three words.

"I hate you."

**Please Review!**


	63. Season 3, Chapter Nine

**Thanks for all the reviews! Love you guys! Enjoy this next chapter! **

**I own nothing but Dylan and Lexie**

Chapter Sixty Three

Dean looked taken aback. For once in his life, he was speechless. "What?" he asked dumbfounded.

He really hadn't expected that to come out of my mouth. "I can't – I…" I started backing away. "I can't deal with this." I turned and ran as fast as I could away from him. I couldn't deal with his reaction. I needed some space before I dealt with Dean.

I wasn't sure where I was going until I was about to knock on the door. I was in front of Dylan's motel room. I stood there for a few minutes, my hand raised to knock. I backed up and turned around. I couldn't ask him for help. I just could see the stupid smug smile on his face and couldn't do it.

I walked away and went to the bar down the street. I sat on the stool and stared for a moment. "Sam Adams," I said to the bartender.

He eyed me warily. "Can I see an ID?"

I scoffed and pulled out my fake one that said I was twenty two. "There," I said. "Sam Adams, please." He just rolled his eyes and walked away to get it for me.

"Please tell me you still aren't on medication from the hospital," Dylan remarked, shaking his head.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, gulping at my beer.

"I saw you creeping outside my room," he stated, sitting down. "What are you doing in here?" he asked, motioning to the room around us.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. I finished my beer and stared around at the people. Dylan ordered me another one and watched me start to drink it, slower this time. "I think I'm going to get drunk."

"Well then you're off to a good start," he remarked, taking the beer from me. "Take it easy, Lex, you're going to puke."

"You wanna do some shots?" I asked, motioning for the bartender again. "I need some shots."

Dylan got up and stood closer to me. "Would you slow down," he insisted, watching me take a shot of vodka.

"Why?" I asked, getting up and stumbling a little.

"Because you're going to start puking soon and I'm not the buddy who's going to hold your hair," he stated. "C'mon let's go back to my room."

"Hey," I remarked, with a small laugh. "I'm not that easy."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Lex, let's go."

I got up and he took my arm. "Hey," a voice said. "Is he bothering you?"

A man from a booth got up and stepped in between me and Dylan. "No man, this is my sister," Dylan said. "I'm just trying to get her home before she makes an ass of herself."

"I'm not your sister," I said, annoyed. "And I don't need your help."

The man ignored the latter part of my drunken slur and Dylan tried to pull me out of there again. "C'mon Lexie, we're going."

"Let the lady go," the man said threateningly.

Dylan stopped. "Look man, this is none of your business, okay?"

I side-stepped out of the way, nearly tripping over my own feet in the process. Dylan and the man glared at each other for second before the man threw a huge punch right into his face. Dylan took it square in the eye. I don't think he thought the man was actually going to hit him. Dylan wiped his face and glared at the man for a moment before throwing an even harder punch back. The man doubled over and Dylan kicked him in the head. The man was on the ground, whimpering in pain.

No one else did anything, but Dylan grabbed my hand and took me out of the bar. I followed him as best I could, stumbling after him. I nearly tripped over my own feet a few times. He hopped on his bike and we took off at an amazingly fast speed.

We got back to the motel room and he went to the bathroom. I lay on the bed, and closed my eyes. The next time I opened my eyes I could tell it had been awhile because the sun was completely out of the sky. It was dark and I was pretty sure it was raining.

I sat up and groaned as my head throbbed.

"Why is it every time I'm with you I end up getting punched?" Dylan asked from across the room.

"I'm sorry," I stated, lying on the bed. "If it's any consolation I have a huge head ache."

"Oh I'm so sorry," he stated. He sat down next to me on the bed. "At least you seem sobered up now."

"How long was I out?" I asked, sitting up.

"About four hours," he replied.

"Oh," I sighed, I got up. "Sorry for uh, getting you punched. Again." I said, pulling on my shoes.

"You can't leave yet," he scoffed. "You're still stumbling to walk and I know you didn't drive here."

"I think I can manage," I rolled my eyes. I headed for the door, but he stood in front of me. "What?" I demanded. He turned me around and as soon as I regained my balance I really wished he hadn't done that. I immediately ran to the bathroom and puked.

Dylan sat down on the couch and smirked at me as I wiped and washed out my mouth. "Would you stop watching me? It's gross," I stated.

"First off," he said. "This is my motel room and you're vomiting into my toilet. So I can do what I want. Second, I told you so. You'd have left and been puking all down the street."

"Why are you so annoying?"

"Long story," he remarked. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

"Would you please go away?" I asked. "I like to vomit in private thank you." He only smirked at me again. "What if I kill you?"

"Trust me, won't help."

"But it might make me feel better, so I'm thinking about taking the risk anyways," I spat.

He sighed and handed me a toothbrush. I took it thankfully. "Look, maybe if you didn't keep coming to me every time you want to cry and get wasted we wouldn't run into these problems."

I glared at him. "Excuse me? I think you were the one who followed me to the bar last night. And you didn't have to make me leave; you could have left me there. And the last time I followed _you_, remember?" He only shrugged.

I brushed my teeth so hard I made my gums bleed. I needed this taste out of my mouth. Dylan was standing in the kitchen when I finished. "You're very hypocritical."

"I'm hypocritical?" he asked, with a snort. "You realize that you're upset about your brother dying in May, and yet instead of trying to solve the problem or even just spending every waking moment with him you're here with me?"

I glared at him and stalked over. "Shut up."

"Why?" he asked, with a smirk. "Because you know I'm right?"

"I said shut up," I said, getting up in his face. There was slight pause, and then he was kissing me. His lips were all over mine, and his hands were snaking around my body. I placed my hands on his shoulders, a little more than confused.

We broke apart and I stared at him, at a loss for words. He sighed and let go of me. "You should go."

"What?" I asked, confused. He said nothing, he knew I heard him. "Yeah, you're not hypocritical at all…" He turned away from me. "Fine," I said.

He said nothing as I slammed the door behind me. I got out into the streets and started to cry again. Now I wasn't talking to Dylan anymore, told Dean I hated him, and was completely alone. Great. I sniffled and kept walking the 8 miles until I was back at the motel with Dean and Sam. It was mid morning before I got up the nerve to go back inside. I went and sat in an all night diner for awhile first, thinking.

I was embarrassed. I was acting like I was still a little kid. I needed to get my shit together and stop it. I was going to go crazy otherwise. I resolved in my head to go back to my brothers, act like nothing happened, and just…do nothing.

Yeah that made no sense.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS PSNPSNSPN

We made our way through the warehouse in silence. It was eerie and cold. I couldn't even see very well and it was so quiet I could hear my heart pounding. I was right behind Sam, Dean trailing up behind me. There was a shape on the floor. A man was slumped over, blood in a puddle around him. Sam and I crouched by him. He was panicking, as he should be, as he had just been bitten in the neck by a vampire.

"Hey, hey, don't worry," Sam said, trying to stop the man from moving. "We're gonna call you some help, okay?"

"Where is she? Where'd she go?!" Dean demanded, looking around like a mad man. The man groaned and gestured down the alley. Dean took off immediately, leaving Sam and I behind.

"I got this," Sam said, nodding at me to follow Dean. I gave him a reluctant look. "Just go," he sighed.

I got up and went to find Dean. He was standing there, staring out into the dark, his arm bleeding. "That's right. Come on. I smell good, don't I? I taste even better."

I could faintly make out a shape moving towards us. It hit the light and I saw a girl, maybe only a few years older than me, blood dripping down her chin. "Come on! Free lunch!" Dean shouted.

The vampire charged at him and sunk her teeth into his neck. I immediately ran towards Dean, trying to think of anything I could do. She fell to the floor and I frowned. Dean had stuck her with a syringe full of dead man's blood sticking out of her neck.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

"Well that's the first thing you've said to me all week," he remarked, rolling his eyes.

Sam came running in and gave him the same look I was. "What?" Dean asked.

"Cutting it a little close, don't you think?" Sam asked.

"Ah, that's just chum in the water. Worked, didn't it?" Dean grinned. He picked the girl up by flinging her over his shoulder and walked out.

I said nothing as we followed Dean back to the impala and finally into our motel room. It was a lot dingier than the motel rooms we usually occupied, and that was saying something. I mean, the owner was so out of it that he didn't even notice all the noise we were making Sam and I had flipped the mattresses up against the windows and the bed frames against the doors. There was some part of me that was nervous about blocking in not only the vampire, but also us with her.

Dean tied her up in a chair in the center of the room. She lazily opened her eyes. "You with us?" Dean asked. She opened her eyes in fear and struggled against the ropes holding her. "Oh, yeah, sorry. You're not going anywhere."

"Where's your nest?" I asked, staring at her.

She looked terrified. "What?"

"Your nest... where you and your bloodsucking pals hang out," Dean clarified.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she cried. "Please! I don't feel good."

"Yeah, well, you're gonna feel a hell of a lot worse if we give you another shot of dead man's blood," Dean scoffed.

The girl looked near tears. "Just let me go."

"Yeah, you know we can't do that," Dean stated, coldly.

"I'm telling you the truth. I'm just... I took something," she tried to explain. "I'm freaking out! I don't know what's going on!"

"You took something?" I asked.

"Yes! I can't...come down," She said. "I just want to come down."

Sam stepped in, concerned. "What's your name?"

"Lucy," she stuttered. "Please, just let me go."

"All right, Lucy, how about this?" Sam said. "If you tell us what happened, we'll let you go."

"You will?" she said, looking up in shock. She looked to me, and I nodded. Then she looked at Dean, who also nodded, but then looked at Sam, confused. Lucy seemed satisfied by that and sighed. "Uh, I don't really... um, it's not that clear. I was at Spider."

"Spider?" I asked.

"The club on Jefferson," she explained. "And there was this guy... he was buying me drinks."

"This guy... what's he look like?" Sam asked.

Lucy shook her head, trying to remember. "He was old, like thirty. He had brown hair, a leather jacket... Deacon or Dixon or something. Said he was a dealer... he had something for me."

"Something?" I asked.

"Something new."Better than anything you've ever tried." He put a few drops in my drink."

"Was the drug red and thick?" Dean asked. She slowly nodded. "Well, genius move there. That was vampire blood he dosed you with."

"What?" Lucy asked.

"You just took a big shot of the nastiest virus out there," Dean went on.

"You're crazy! He gave me roofies or something!" she shouted. "No... The next thing I know, we're at his place, and he says he's gonna get me something to eat, just wait. But I get so hungry."

"So you busted out?" I asked.

"But it won't wear off... whatever he gave me."

"Lights are too bright? Sunshine hurt your skin?" Dean asked.

"Yeah... And smells. And I can... hear blood pumping," she said.

"I hate to tell you this, sweetheart, but your blood's never pumping again," Dean remarked.

"Dean…" I sighed. That was going a little too far.

"Not mine... yours," she said. "I can hear a heart beating from half a block away. I just want it to stop."

"It's not going to stop. You've already killed two people... almost three," Dean recalled.

"No, I couldn't. I was hallucinating!" she yelled.

"You killed them, all right? We've been following a sloppy trail of corpses, and it leads straight to you."

"No. No, it wasn't real! It was the drug!" Lucy said. "Please! Please, you have to help me!" Sam nodded at Dean and I and we moved closer to him.

"Poor girl," Sam said.

"We don't have a choice," Dean stated.

Sam nodded and Dean avoided my gaze. "No...Please!" Lucy yelled. I kept my back turned as Lucy's screams turned to silence.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS PNSPNSPNSPN

"Here," Dean said, handing me my food. I took it with was going to thank him, but he was already walking away from me. I ate in silence. Sam gave both of us a wondering look. I looked away from him and decided to stare out the window instead. There was too much on my mind lately, and I knew it was soon going to get the better of me. I tried to ignore the feeling of impending doom and went back to eating.

We went to the club called Spider that night. There were a lot of people there. I could barely breathe. Dean glared around, frustrated. So far, no one had done anything out of the ordinary unless you counted the guy who jumped up on the bar and said that he was going to sleep with the queen of England if it was the last thing he did. I think alcohol played a part in that one though.

"That was a big, fat waste of time," Dean said.

"Look, three blondes have gone missing, including Lucy, all last sighted here. I'm telling you, Dean, this is the hunting ground," Sam stated.

I started to walk away from them, towards a dark, brooding guy at the bar. He had been shooting me looks all night. I thought I was going out on a limb, but I was young and blonde like the other three girls. Maybe this would help.

"Hi," I said, sitting down next to him.

"Hey," he said. "Sorry if I've been staring, you're just so beautiful."

I felt my face go red. "Thanks," I stammered. "Um, are you from around here?"

"Yeah, you could say that," he replied cryptically. "You?"

"I'm here visiting relatives," I answered. "But I ditched them. I need some time off."

"I get it," he said. "You wanted to have some fun." His eyes sparkled like he knew something that I didn't.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Exactly."

"I have something that can take the edge off." He stated. "It's like nothing you've ever tried before."

Bingo.

"Oh, really?" I asked. "Like something new?"

"You'll love it," he nodded.

"And where can I get some of this?" I asked, inching closer.

"Come outside with me," he said. "I promise I'll make you feel more powerful than you've ever felt before."

"Okay," I said, getting up.

We got to the door and I was begging that Sam or Dean looked my way. Both of them were still arguing with each other, but I saw Dean's eyes meet mine for a split second.

I waited while he pulled out a syringe looking thing that had red liquid in it. "You ready, sweetie? One taste of this, you'll never be the same."

I nodded and he raised the dropped to my tongue. C'mon dean where are you…

A hand shot out and grabbed the dropper. Dean punched the vampire square in the jaw. Sam pulled me backwards nearly throwing me into the opposite wall. The vampire hurled Dean into the wall next to me and then took off.

"Dean!" I yelled helping him up.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked, I was about to answer him but he stopped me. "I'm good. Come on. We gotta go."

We ran in the direction that the vampire went. As we rounded the corner, I didn't see the vampire, but something much worse. It was Gordon staring at us, holding a gun. "Mother fu-"

"Go!" Dean yelled, pushing me into Sam.

Gordon and the other man that he was with started firing freely at us. We dived behind parked cars, managing not to get shot. I moved to behind a wall instead for more cover and Sam and Dean followed me. "All right. Run. I'll draw them off," Dean whispered, as the shots stopped.

"What?! You're crazy!" Sam said.

Dean ignored us and darted out to where Gordon could see him. He leaped over a car and launched into a parking garage. Sam had to pull me with all his might to get me to move. "Alexis, c'mon," he said, yanking me away.

We ran all the way back to the impala. Sam gunned it faster than lightning and went right back to the motel room, taking the long way just in case. We arrived before Dean, which wasn't surprising, but still worrisome. Sam paced around the room. "He's okay, right?" he asked me.

"I'm sure he's okay, Sammy," I replied. I started sharpening the knives to keep my mind off of this for a minute.

He stopped pacing and looked at me. "What's going on between you two?" he demanded.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You two haven't talked in a week. You ignore each other, you avoid eye contact? What happened?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it," I said.

"I can't not worry about it," he stated bluntly.

Dean entered the room, finally. "There you are!"

"Yeah. Sorry, I stopped for a slice," Dean said, completely unconcerned.

"Nice move you pulled back there, Dean, running right at the weapons," Sam scoffed.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a bad-ass," he smirked.

As soon as he said that my thumb slipped and I sliced my finger open. "Yeah," I scoffed. "Running at weapons. What a badass."

"Well, you're an idiot," he stated, taking the block away from me. "You always sharpen away from you, you know that." I just grumbled at him under my breath. "So, I guess Gordon's out of jail."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Sam scoffed.

"You know, how the hell did he know where to find us?" I asked.

A look of realization came over Dean's face. "That bitch." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Hi, Bela. Question for you. When you called me yesterday, it wasn't to thank me for saving your ass, was it?" I could tell that Dean did not like her answer by the way the vain in his head throbbed.

"I don't know, maybe pick up the phone and tell us that a raging psychopath was dropping by!" Dean yelled. Apparently Bela had told him. "He tried to kill us!" He grunted. "Bela, if we make it out of this alive, the first thing I'm gonna do is kill you. Listen to my voice and tell me if I'm serious." He hung up.

Dean sat down on a chair and huffed. "Well?" he asked. "Now what?"

Sam and I said nothing. We all sat around for awhile, just ignoring the fact that there was now not only one thing out there to kill us, but two. I soon wished that we hadn't put the beds up against the windows and door. Now there was nothing to sit on or do. Normally, I was used to that since I was used to long drives across the country, but with Dean and I not talking, and now I had to avoid Sam too since he was gunning for an explanation, this was going to be longer than I thought.

Sam sighed. "That vampire's still out there, Dean," he stated

"First things first," Dean said, distracted by the knives in front of him.

"Gordon," I nodded.

"About that. When we find him, or if he finds us..." Dean said. "I'm just saying he's not leaving us a whole lot of options."

Sam didn't even look like that statement fazed him at all, which was a little shocking. "Yeah, I know. We've got to kill him."

"Really? Just like that?" Dean asked. "I thought you would have been like, "No, we can't, he's human, it's wrong."" Dean mocked, in a whiny voice.

Sam shook his head. "No, I'm done. Gordon's not gonna stop until we're dead... or till he is."

"Wow," I said, raising my eyebrows. "That's dramatic."

"It's true."

Dean's phone went off and he scowled angrily. "What?!" he demanded. "You're a hundred miles away. How the hell did you…" He calmed down a little bit. "Thanks."

He hung up the phone and looked at Sam. "Bela told us where Gordon is."

"That's good, I guess," Sam said, frowning.

"But she also said to run like hell."

"Maybe we should just run like hell," I suggested.

"Maybe," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "We aren't sissies." He picked up his knife and Sam took all the guns. "C'mon, we're going."

We made our way over to the warehouse that Bela had told Dean. It was abnormally quiet in there. There was no noise. You could've heard a pin drop. The vampire from before was kneeling in the middle of a smaller offset room. That wasn't the part that scared me though. There were two decapitated bodies hanging from chains. I grimaced and took a cautionary step behind Sam. Dean was holding a knife inching towards him.

"Go ahead. Do it. Kill me," the vampire stated.

"What happened here?" Sam asked.

"Gordon Walker. I never should have brought a hunter here. Never," he said. "I just... I just wanted some kind of revenge. Stupid... exposing him to my family."

"Oh, yeah, you're such a family man," Dean said, sarcastically.

"You don't understand," the vampire said, sadly.

"I don't want to understand, you son of—"

"I was desperate," he went on, tearing up. "You ever felt desperate? I've lost everyone I ever loved. I'm staring down eternity alone. Can you think of a worse hell?"

"Well, there's Hell," Dean said deadpan.

"I wasn't thinking. I just, I didn't care anymore. Do you know it's like when you just don't give a damn? It's like... it's like being dead already," he said. "So just go ahead. Do it."

Sam had moved over to the dead girls bodies. He looked scared. "Dean. Head wasn't cut off, it was ripped off. With someone's bare hands." He looked to the vampire. "What did you do to Gordon?"

We didn't even need an answer. Dean immediately slashed his head off, killing him. We all looked at each other. "Now what?" I asked, desperately. "He's going to kill us."

"Same as before," Dean said.

"No, Dean," I said, freaking out a little. "Before he was human."

"I don't know," Dean said. "We should search for him. The sun's going to be up soon which will slow him down. We can catch him when he's weak. Head him off."

"Okay," Sam said. "Lex and I will go west, you go east."

Dean nodded and walked off. Sam and I started searching, and it was pretty much all just business. "There's no one here," I said, as we exited the latest empty building.

"Yeah," Sam said. "I think we should head back."

"Okay," I replied, with a nod. There was silence as we walked.

"So, um," Sam said. "I know you don't want to tell me, but you and Dean barely talking and ignoring each other is getting really annoying."

"So that's why you volunteered to go with me," I said under my breath.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I don't see why it worries you so much."

"Because," Sam said. "It's freaking me out. When you two fight there is never this much silence."

"We're not fighting, Sam."

"Then what is—"

"I told him I hate him."

Sam stopped walking, and turned to face me. "You what?" I just shrugged. "Why would you say that?"

"I was mad," I said. "That's why I ran off for the night. I couldn't look at him."

Sam started walking again. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" I asked.

"Do you hate him?"

I thought about that for a minute. "No," I said. "I don't. But I wish I could." Sam didn't say anything else.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS PSNPSN

"Man, I must have checked three dozen motels, empty buildings, warehouses…" Dean sighed.

"Yeah, me too," Sam said. "Big city."

Dean washed his face in the sink. "It's like a giant haystack, and Gordon's a deadly needle. We're running out of daylight. Won't have the sun slowing him down."

"Yeah, he'll be unstoppable," Sam said. "Hey, give me your phone."

"What for?" Dean asked. I handed him mine.

"Well, if Gordon knows our cell numbers he can use the cell signal to track us down," Sam explained taking the SIM cards out. He put the phones on the ground and stomped on them.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," Dean said.

Dean went by the door and sighed. "Lexie, Sammy, stay here."

"What? Where you going now?" Sam asked.

Dean pulled the colt out of the bag. "I'm going after Gordon."

"What?" I asked.

"You heard me," Dean said.

"Not alone, you're not."

Dean scoffed. "Sam, I don't need you to sign me a permission slip, okay? He's after you, not me, and he's turbocharged. I want you to stay out of harm's way. I'll take care of it."

"You're not going by yourself, you're gonna get killed," I stated.

Dean looked at me, coldly. "Just another day at the office. It's a massively dangerous day at the office."

"So you're the guy with nothing to lose now, huh? Oh wait, let me guess. Because, uh, it's because you're already dead, right? Because Alexis said she hates you? So no one cares and neither do you?" I looked away from him when he said that.

Dean was stony silent. "If the shoe fits."

"You know what, man? I'm sick and tired of your kamikaze trip," Sam yelled.

"Whoa, whoa, kamikaze? I'm more like a ninja," Dean smirked.

"That's not funny," Sam replied.

"It's a little funny."

Sam glared. "No, it's not."

"What do you want me to do, Sam, huh?" Dean asked. "Sit around all day writing sad poems about how I'm gonna die? You know what? I got one. Let's see, what rhymes with "shut up, Sam"?"

"Dude, drop the attitude, Dean," Sam said. "Quit turning everything into a punch line. And you know something else? Stop trying to act like you're not afraid."

Dean scoffed. "I'm not!"

"You're lying," Sam shot back. "You may as well drop it 'cause we can see right through you."

"You got no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah, I do," Sam said earnestly. "You're scared, Dean. You're scared because your year is running out, and you're still going to Hell, and you're freaked."

"And how do you know that?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"Because I know you!"

Dean gave him a yeah right kind of look. "Really?"

"Yeah, I've been following you around my entire life! I mean, I've been looking up to you since I was four Dean," Sam said. "Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother. So yeah, I know you. Better than anyone else in the entire world except for maybe Alexis. And this is exactly how you act when you're terrified. And, I mean, I can't blame you. It's just..."

"What?" Dean demanded.

"I wish you would drop the show and be my brother again.'Cause... just 'cause." Sam looked at Dean sadder than I had seen in a long time.

Dean nodded back, solemnly. "All right, we'll hole up, cover our scent so he can't track us, and wait the night out here." He looked to me. "Is that okay with you?" I slowly nodded.

Dean barricaded the doors and windows with the mattresses again when he got back from the cell phone store getting us new phones. Sam lit the incense to try to hide our scent. We all sat silent and Dean stared out the window. Sam yawned and leaned up against the wall trying not to fall asleep. "Sammy, just take a nap man," Dean stated, rolling his eyes. "Me and Lex got this for an hour."

"You sure?" Sam asked, already closing his eyes.

"Positive."

Sam gave him a thankful smile, and soon I heard him snoring from the corner of the room. I got up and went over to Dean who was peering out of the window. "You've been standing here for six hours," I said, moving him aside. "Take a break."

Dean said nothing but sat against the wall where I had been previously. I stared out the window for a minute. "I don't hate you," I said suddenly, surprising even myself.

Dean didn't say anything for a long time after that. We sat in silence until I heard Dean shift. "Not even a little?" he asked, smirking.

I sighed. "Maybe a little."

"Okay," Dean nodded.

"Okay," I agreed. I went back to staring out the window, a small smile on my face.

Almost twenty minutes later, Dean's phone started to go off. I frowned. "You've had that phone two hours, Dean. Who'd you give the number to?"

"Nobody," Dean said, picking up the phone. "Hello?" Dean's face immediately hardened. "How'd you get this number?"

I got up and woke up Sam. Sam jumped awake and his eyes landed on Dean. "I guess you'll just have to find us. What's the matter, Gordo? You're not afraid of us, are you? We're just sitting here. Bring it on!" Dean's face changed again to fear. "Gordon, let the girl go." He got more desperate. "Gordon! Don't do this. You don't kill innocent people. You're still a hunter." He hung up the phone and threw it at the wall.

"We've gotta go help that girl," Sam said, getting a machete.

"Let's get going," Dean said, taking the Colt. We got into the impala and Dean was quiet. "Guys, listen. When we get there, you both stay behind me. You stay close. I have the colt and Gordon can't get one over on us, okay?"

"I thought we agreed no more kamikaze stuff," Sam grumbled.

"This isn't kamikaze stuff. This is I don't want to lose my family stuff," Dean replied. We pulled up to the factory. "Stay close," Dean said again.

We snuck into the building as stealthily as we could. It was hard to be sneaky when you knew that a vampire was on your trail. Sam ran ahead, apparently ignoring Dean's rant in the car about staying close to him. He was kneeling next to the girl trying to untie her. "Hey, we got you. Don't worry. We're gonna get you out of here," he said, as the girl whimpered. "Get up. Watch your head. Watch your head."

The girl was stumbling and started sobbing. Dean just slung her arm over his shoulders and picked her up. "Lex," he called. I wasn't paying attention and was looking around. Something was wrong, I could feel it. "Sam, stay close." Sam and I followed behind Dean. That was, until a door shut in front of us.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Dean!" Sam and I started kicking at the door. Dean was pounding at the other side.

"Damn it, Sam!" Dean yelled. "Alexis!"

The lights went out and I grabbed onto Sam. In these situations I wasn't usually so jumpy, but this was Gordon. He had a personal vendetta against us. "Stop," Sam said, as I followed him. "Stay by the wall."

I stayed with my back against the wall. "Gordon... you got me where you want me," Sam said, wandering away from me. "You might as well come out and fight!"

"I'm right here, Sam," Gordon said. I flinched. He was really close to me. "What's the matter, Sammy?"

"So, this is really the way you want to do it, huh?" Sam asked. I could tell from his voice he was terrified.

"Damn right I do," Gordon replied. "You have no idea what I faced to get here. I lost everything. My life. But it's worth it; 'cause I'm finally gonna kill the most dangerous thing I ever hunted. You're not human, Sam."

"Look who's talking," Sam said.

"You're right. I'm a bloodthirsty killer."

"Don't talk about it like you don't have a choice," Sam argued.

"I don't," Gordon shot back.

"Yes you do, Gordon," Sam said. "You didn't kill that girl."

"No, I didn't," Gordon said. "I did something much, much worse."

My eyes widened. Dean was with the girl. "Dean!" I yelled. "Watch your back!"

"Lexis's here," Gordon stated. I could hear the smile in his voice. I felt his breath on me before I was flying into the shelving. The wind was knocked out of me and I could barely speak.

"Lex!" Sam shouted. I only grunted in response. I could feel blood running down my arm.

"I got to hand it to you, Sam," Gordon went on. "You got a lot of people fooled. But see, I know the truth. I know what it's like. We're the same now, you and me. I know how it is walking around with something evil inside you. It's just too bad you won't do the right thing and kill yourself. I'm gonna... as soon as I'm done with you. Two last good deeds. Killing you, and killing myself."

Sam let out a loud grunt and I heard them crash into the wall. There was light again, enough that I could see that they crashed into the wall that had been separating us from Dean. Gordon was on top of Sam when I was able to get up and get over there. Sam's machete was on the ground. Dean was already heading for Gordon with the Colt, but he Gordon saw him.

Gordon lifted Dean up and slammed him into the wall. He sunk his teeth into Dean. "No!" I ran over and ripped him off. My strength seemed to surprise even him. He pushed me aside, knocking me on my ass and went for Sam, who was behind me.

He pinned Sam across a table. Sam grabbed wire and put it against Gordon's neck. Gordon started to choke, but was going relentlessly against the wire as I cut into his neck. Sam pushed harder, his hands bleeding. The wire cut all the through and Gordon fell to the ground headless. Dean staggered to his feet, holding his neck. He looked down at Gordon and then Sam, who just shrugged.

We all sort of limped out to the car, Dean holding his neck, Sam just limping, and me holding my arm. "You just charged a super-vamped-out Gordon with no weapon. That's a little reckless, don't you think?" Dean asked Sam, smirking.

"Shut up, Dean."

We got into the car and I sat in the back. I took my hand off my arm to look at it, but the cut was only an abrasion about an inch long. I gasped. "What?" Dean asked, turning around.

I stammered and shook my head. "Nothing, just, uh, scared myself I guess."

Dean gave me a confused look but said nothing and started to drive off. My heart rate was skyrocketing as I analyzed the cut, or where the cut used to be. I wasn't crazy right? I really did have a big gash there earlier. I mean, I had blood dripping down my arm. There was blood on my side. It looked like I scraped my arm instead, only there was a think pink line on either side like a scar that was healing. I tried not to start crying as I stared at my arm. What the hell just happened?

We went on the highway and then out into the back roads until we stopped at a small motel. I was suddenly so exhausted. I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I leaned on Dean as we waited for the guy to give us a room. "You okay?" Dean asked, concerned.

"Yeah," I stated. "I'm tired."

We finally made it to the room and I didn't even take my shoes off before I was on the bed and asleep. The next time I woke up it was light outside and Sam and Dean were both watching TV. "Hey," Sam smiled. "We thought you were never getting up."

"Why how long was I out?" I asked, yawning. I was starving and felt icky. I really needed a shower.

"About 16 hours," Sam replied. "And yesterday all you did was wake up around 3, eat, and go back to sleep."

So I've been out for like two days?" I asked, in shock. "I don't even remember waking up yesterday."

"You seemed out of it," Dean replied. "I think you said something about getting a tattoo of a butterfly on your ass."

"I did not," I said as Sam laughed. "I would totally get a fairy like Brittany Spears." That just made both of them laugh.

"Well if you're up now for good I think we should head out," Dean said, getting up and stretching. "I feel the need to drive my baby."

We packed up and after while Dean stopped. He claimed that he needed to fix the car, as something was rattling inside of it. Dean leaned under the hood of the car while Sam and I sat on the blacktop.

Sam got out a beer and handed it to Dean. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Dean said, wiping his forehead.

"Figure out what's making that rattle?" Sam asked.

"Not yet," Dean sighed. "Give me a box wrench, would you?"

Sam handed it to him, but Dean stopped and looked at him. "Wrong one?" Sam asked.

"No, come here for a second," Dean said. Sam got up, confused and leaned over the hood with Dean. "This rattle could be a couple of things. I'm thinking it's an out-of-tune carb." Sam just nodded. "All right, see this thing? It's a valve cover. Inside are all the parts that are on the head. Hand me that socket wrench. All right, you with me so far?"

"Yeah, uh, valve cover covers the heads," Sam stated.

"Very good," Dean said. "This is your intake manifold, and on top of it?"

Sam smiled, knowing the answer. "It's, uh, a carburetor."

"Carburetor... very good," Dean replied, proudly.

"What's with the auto shop?" Sam asked. Dean held out the wrench to him. "You don't mean you want... "

"Yeah, I do. You fix it," Dean said.

"Dean, you barely let me drive this thing," Sam said.

"Well, it's time. You should know how to fix it. You're gonna need to know these things for the future," Dean explained. We all know what he meant. "And besides, that's my job, right? Show my little brother the ropes?"

Sam nodded and took the wrench. Dean sat back next to me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Put your shoulder into it," Dean said to Sam.

Although this was a very touching moment, and I was happy to see Dean making an effort, I couldn't help the sad smile that was on my face. My arm had healed out of nowhere and then I passed out for nearly a day and a half. So even though things were looking up, my hands were cold and so was my heart.

**So I figured I'd put this at the end in case anyone wanted to read it. I know I've been gone a lot this past year. I'm so very sorry for keeping you all waiting for my updates. This past year has been the toughest of my life. But now, as I go into my first year of college (Ahh!), I hope to continue updating at a more constant rate. Thank you all for sticking with me!**

**Please review!**


	64. Season 3, Chapter Ten

**See? Told ya I'd update faster! =) Thanks for the reviews! Love you guys!**

**I own nothing but my own characters. **

**Chapter Sixty Four**

We were in Ypsilanti, Michigan for Christmas this year. "Sam," I stated, pulling on a jacket. "Next time let's find a case in Florida for Christmas okay?"

"Lex," Sam said, shaking his head. "There's not even snow on the ground."

"Exactly," I nodded. "It's either got to be like a real Christmas with snow or warm. Not in between."

"Let's just go talk to the family, okay?" Dean said. "I want to figure this out before Christmas."

Sam and I shared a confused look but didn't say anything. Who cared whether we were done before Christmas or not? It's not like we ever did anything for it.

We made it to the victim's house. Sam and I went inside and searched for any sign of something supernatural. I wasn't finding anything interesting, so I went by Sam. "Nothing," I stated.

"Look up here," Sam said, pointing to the chimney. "I think I see something, but I can't fit."

"I'm not going up the chimney, Sam," I scoffed. He gave me a look and I sighed. "Okay, move." I angled myself so that I was kneeling in the fireplace and then slowly inched upwards until I was able to see the thing that Sam was talking about. "Oh god," I stated.

"What?" Sam asked, concerned.

I climbed out and put the object in his hand. "It's a tooth."

Sam grimaced but kept the tooth in his hand as we walked out. "Thanks for letting us have a look around, Mrs. Walsh. I think we, uh, got just about everything we need," Sam nodded. "We're all set."

"We'll be in touch," I said, and we walked off.

"Agents…" Mrs. Walsh said, stopping us. We stopped and turned around. "The police said my husband might have been kidnapped."

"Could be," Dean nodded. He was lying through his teeth.

"Then why haven't the kidnappers called," She asked. "O-or or demanded a ransom? It's three days till Christmas. What am I supposed to tell our daughter?"

"We're very sorry," Sam said, sadly.

Mrs. Walsh looked on the verge of sobbing as we walked away. We waited until we were far enough away to talk about what Sam and I found.

"Find anything?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. "Stocking, mistletoe… this," he listed, handing Dean the tooth.

"A tooth? Where was this?" Dean asked.

"In the chimney," I replied.

"No way a man fits up a chimney," Dean said. "It's too narrow."

"No way he fits up in one piece," I mumbled.

"Alright, so, if dad went up the chimney…" Dean said. "We need to find out what dragged him up there."

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Sam was searching on his computer for anything that had to do with the recent abductions. There was some lore on the idea of Christmas demons, but not too many seemed feasible. Dean came back from the gas station and sat down next to me on the bed. "So, was I right? Is it the serial-killing chimney sweep?" he asked.

"Yep. It's, uh, it's actually Dick Van Dyke," Sam smirked.

Dean looked confused. "Who?"

"Mary Poppins," Sam led on.

Dean didn't seem to catch on. "Who's that?"

"Oh come on— Never mind," Sam sighed. "Lex, please tell me that you know who that is?"

"Guy from that Disney movie. Sings songs and whatnot," I replied, not really paying attention. I was trying to figure out where Dylan was using the GPS in his phone. Bobby was concerned about him again but I didn't want to call him.

"It turns out that Walsh is the second guy in town grabbed out of his house this month," Dean went on.

"Oh yeah?" Sam asked. " The other guy get dragged up the chimney, too?"

"Don't know. Witnesses said they heard a thump on the roof," Dean said. " So, what the hell do you think we're dealing with?"

"Actually, I have an idea," Sam said. "But, uh, it's gonna sound crazy."

"What could you possibly say that sounds crazy to me?" Dean asked, rolling his eyes.

"Um…," Sam started. "Evil Santa." Sam gave us a worried smile.

Dean and I exchanged a look. "Yeah, that's crazy," I nodded.

"Yeah… I mean, I'm just saying that there's some version of the anti Claus in every culture," Sam explained. He turned his laptop to show us. "You got Belsnickel, Krampus, Black Peter. "Whatever you want to call it, there's all sorts of lore."

"Saying what?" I asked.

"Saying back in the day Santa's brother went rogue and now he shows up around Christmas time, instead of bringing presents, he punishes the wicked," Sam said.

"By hauling their ass up chimneys?" I asked.

"For starters, yeah," Sam replied uneasily.

"So, this is your theory, huh?" Dean asked. "Santa's shady brother?"

"Well, I'm just saying that's what the lore says," Sam replied defensively.

"Santa doesn't have a brother," Dean stated. "There's no Santa."

"Yeah, I know. You're the one who told me that in the first place, remember," Sam shot back. Dean looked uncomfortable.

"Well, awkward," I said, getting up and grabbing water out of the fridge.

"Yeah, you know what, I could be wrong," Sam said, shaking his head.

"Maybe, maybe not," Dean said.

"What?" I asked, confused. "How is that not a stupid idea?"

"I did a little digging. Turns out both victims visited the same place before they got snatched," Dean said.

Sam got up. "Where?

SPNSPNSPNSNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNP SNPSNSPNSPNSPNSN

There was Christmas music, children running around, reindeer statues every few feet and santa sitting in a giant chair. "Ew," I stated, as we walked in.

"It does kind of lend Credence to the theory, don't it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, but anti-claus?" Sam asked. "Couldn't be."

"It's a Christmas miracle," Dean smirked. "Hey, speaking of, we should have one this year."

"Have one what?" I asked. "A miracle?"

"A Christmas," Dean replied earnestly.

Sam just scoffed and shook his head. "No, thanks."

"No, We'll get a tree, a little Boston market, just like when we're little," Dean replied.

"Dean, those weren't exactly hallmark memories for me, you know," Sam stated, lowering his eyes.

"What are you talking about, we had some great Christmases," Dean said, confusion all over his face.

I snorted. "Whose childhood are you talking about?" I shook my head. "Besides, didn't we have Christmas last year?"

"I mean like getting a tree," Dean explained. "Eggnog, the whole shebang." I just rolled my eyes. He looked to Sam. "Oh, come on, Sam."

"No, just… no," Sam said, shaking his head again.

Dean looked taken aback at our attitudes. "All right, Grinch." He walked off. I looked to Sam, who looked like he felt guilty. I knew he was thinking about something.

_BROKEN BOW, NEBRASKA: CHRISTMAS EVE, 1991_

_I, at three years old, was sitting in front of the TV, more interested in the special on Santa than on the fact that my dad had been gone for longer than usual. Sam was wrapping something on the couch with newspaper. "What is that?" Dean asked him. _

"_A present for dad," Sam smiled to himself. It wasn't every year that he had anything to give to dad for Christmas._

"_Yeah, right," Dean scoffed. At almost thirteen, Dean had become moody and easily pissed off. "Where'd you get the money? Steal it?"_

"_No," Sam said, annoyed. "Uncle Bobby gave it to me to give to him. Said it was real special."_

"_What is it?" Dean asked. _

_Sam rolled his eyes. "A pony."_

"_Very funny…" Dean scoffed again. _

_Dean sat down on the couch and started to read a magazine. I climbed up next to him and leaned into him as she continued to watch the TV screen. _

"_Dad's gonna be here, right?" Sam asked, as he finished with the present._

_Dean nodded. "He'll be here."_

"_It's Christmas," Sam said earnestly, as though that made a difference. _

"_He knows and he'll be here," Dean stated. Sam didn't look too comforted by that. "Promise," Dean added. _

"_Where is he anyway?" Sam asked._

"_On business." _

"_What kind of business?"_

_Dean was growing impatient with Sam's questions. "You know that. He sells stuff."_

"_What kind of stuff?" _

_Dean huffed. "Stuff!"_

_Sam lowered his eyes. "Nobody ever tells me anything."_

_Dean rolled his eyes again. "Then quit asking," He said. He got up and went to sit on the bed instead. _

"_Is dad a spy?" Sam asked. _

"_Mm-hmm," Dean hummed, not really paying attention. "He's James Bond."_

_Sam just kept going. "Why do we move around so much?"_

"_Cause everywhere we go, they get sick of your face," Dean said, his anger growing. _

"_I'm old enough, Dean," Sam begged. "You can tell me the truth."_

"_You don't wanna know the truth," Dean replied. "Believe me."_

"_Is that why we never talk about… mom?"_

_Dean jumped at the sound of that. He closed his magazine, fuming. "Shut up! Don't you ever talk about, mom. Ever!" I jumped at the sound of Dean screaming and looked back towards him. He got up and walked to the door._

"_Wait, where are you going?" Sam asked. _

"_Out," Dean snapped, and slammed the door. I started to whimper and walk to the door to follow him. _

"_Hey," Sam said, stopping me. "C'mon you can help me wrap dad's present." I looked back towards Dean but listened to him. _

"You'd think with the 10 bucks, it costs to get into this place, Santa could scrounge up a little snow," Dean said, walking back towards Sam and me.

Sam shook his head, coming out of his thoughts. "What?"

"Nothing," Dean replied. "What are we looking for, again?"

"Uhm…" Sam said, looking around. "Lore says that the anti-Claus will walk with a limp and smell like sweets."

"Great. So we're looking for a pimp Santa," I remarked. "Why the sweets?"

"Think about it, Lex," Sam said. "If you smell like candy, the kids will come closer, you know?"

"That's creepy," I replied.

"How does this thing know who's been naughty and who's been nice?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam shrugged.

I looked over to where the Santa was talking to a boy on his lap. He was saying that he had a special present for him. "Maybe we do," Dean replied.

"Welcome to Santa's court. Can I escort your child to Santa?" A girl said dressed as an elf.

"No. No," Dean smiled. "Uh, but actually my brother here… it's been a lifelong dream of his."

The elf frowned and looked up at Sam's over six foot tall frame like he was insane. "Uh, sorry. No kids over… 12."

"No, he's just kidding," Sam said. "We only came here to watch."

The elf looked terrified and looked at me. I just shook my head. She took a step back. "Ew," she said and walked off.

"I-I didn't mean that we came here to w— Y—" Sam stuttered. Dean and I shared a smile. "Thanks a lot, guys. Thanks for that."

"Check it out," Dean said, through laughing. He pointed to Santa, who got up out of his chair. He was limping.

"Are you seeing this?" Dean asked.

"A lot of people walk with limps, right?" I asked.

"Tell me you didn't smell that," Dean went on. "That was candy, man."

"That was ripple, I think. Had to be," Sam narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe," Dean nodded. "We're willing to take that chance?"

"We're following him, aren't we?" I asked. Sam and Dean nodded. "Awesome."

After a whole day of sitting at Santa's workshop and then following Santa home to his trailer, I was insanely bored. "What time is it?" Dean asked, for the fifth time in the last three minutes.

"Same as the last time you asked," Sam replied. "Here…" He handed Dean a thermos full of coffee. "Caffeinate."

He took it and attempted to pour some into a cup. It was empty however. Dean gave Sam an annoyed glance. "Wonderful."

"You can have some of my red bull," I said, handing it to him. "I'm wide awake."

"Yeah," Dean scoffed. "Give it about two hours."

I took another sip. "This is the most boring stake out ever," I stated. I leaned on Sam's shoulder. "This is stupid."

"Hey, Sam," Dean asked. "Why are you the boy that hates Christmas?"

Sam sighed. "Dean—"

"I mean, I admit it. We had a few bumpy holidays when we're kids…"

"Bumpy"?" I asked.

"That was then. We'll do it right this year," Dean finished, shooting me a look to shut up.

"Look, Dean. If you want to have Christmas, knock yourself out," Sam said. "Just don't involve me."

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great," Dean scoffed. "Me and Lexis making cranberry molds." Sam said, nothing to that. Dean looked back at the house. "What's up with saint Nicotine?"

We waited, but nothing happened. That was when we heard a scream. We all raced out of the car and headed up to the trailer's door. Dean peeked inside and then looked back. "What?" Dean asked at Sam's smirk.

"Nothing. It's just that, uh…" Sam smiled. "Well, you know, Mr. Gung Ho Christmas might have to blow away Santa."

Dean just rolled his eyes and busted open the door. The Santa stood up, scared. He was holding a bong and wore nothing but a tank top and boxers. The TV was playing some kind of porno.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Santa yelled.

Sam and I shared a shocked look. "Ah w—" Sam started.

"S-silent night…" Dean started singing. Sam and I half-heartedly joined in. "Holy… night. All is well, all is dry." Santa was so high he started to calm down and sat in his chair.

We walked out the door, ran back to the car, and headed back to the motel room. "Let's never speak of this again," I remarked, flopping on the bed.

"Deal," Sam replied.

I was already half asleep as I lay there. "How's that red bull working for you now?" Dean asked, nudging me.

"Shut up," I replied.

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"So, that's how your son described the attack? "Santa took daddy up the chimney"?" I asked. There had been yet another attack.

"That's what he says, yes," she nodded.

"And where were you?" Dean asked.

"I was asleep and all of a sudden… I was being dragged out of bed, screaming," she said, obviously terrified.

"Did you see the attacker?" Sam asked.

She shook her head. "It was dark, and he hit me. He knocked me out."

"I'm sorry. I know this is hard," Dean said.

"Yeah… um, Mrs. Caldwell, where did you get that wreath above the fireplace?" Sam asked.

Mrs. Caldwell frowned. "Excuse me?"

I gave Sam a very confused look. "Just curious, you know," Sam said, looking away.

"Okay," I said, smiling. "Well I think we have everything we need. Thank you." I walked out with Dean and Sam.

"Wreaths, huh?" Dean asked as we walked to the car. "Sure you didn't want to ask her about her shoes? I saw some nice handbags in the foyer."

"We've seen that wreath before, Dean," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Where?" I asked.

"The Walshes'. Yesterday," Sam stated, like we were slow.

"I know, I was just testing you," Dean stated.

"Uh huh," Sam said, getting into the car. My phone went off and it was a text from none other than the person I was trying to avoid.

_Stop trying to track my phone_

I smirked to myself, but didn't reply. We went to the motel and Sam enlisted the help of Bobby. I sat next to him at the table. "Yeah all right. Well keep looking, would you? Thanks Bobby," Sam said, getting off the phone with him. "Well… we're not dealing with the anti-Claus."

"What did Bobby say?" I asked.

"That we're morons," Sam said. "He also said that it was probably meadowsweet in those wreaths."

"Wow! Amazing," Dean remarked. "What the hell is meadowsweet?"

"It's pretty rare and it's probably the most powerful plant in pagan lore," I replied like Dean was really stupid.

"Oh c'mon, you didn't know that," Dean said.

I smirked. "It's on the laptop screen, stupid."

"See, they used meadowsweet for human sacrifices. It was kind of like a… chum for their Gods," Sam went on, ignoring us. "Gods were drawn to it and they'd stop by and snack on whatever was the nearest human."

"Why would somebody be using that for Christmas wreaths?" I asked.

"It's not as crazy as it sound, Lex. I mean, pretty much every Christmas tradition is pagan," Sam explained.

"Christmas is Jesus' birthday," Dean stated.

"No, Jesus' birthday was probably in the fall. It was actually the winter solstice festival that was co-opted by the church and renamed "Christmas". But the Yule log, the tree, even the Santa's red suit, that's all remnants of pagan worship," Sam went on.

"Sam," I commented. "Stop ruining Christmas."

"Seriously," Dean agreed. "How do you know that? What are you gonna tell me next? Easter bunny's jewish?" Sam just smirked. "So you think we're gonna dealing with a pagan God?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah, probably hold nickar, God of the winter solstice," Sam said.

"And all these Martha Stewart wannabes, buying these fancy wreaths…" Dean said.

"Yeah, it's pretty much like putting a neon sign on your front door saying "Come kill us"." Sam concluded.

"Great," I said.

"Hah… Guess what he gives you in return?" I said, looking down at the laptop.

"Lap dances, hopefully," Dean chimed in.

"Mild weather," I replied.

"Like no snow in the middle of December," Sam said.

"In the middle of Michigan, for instance," I said, waving towards outside.

"Do we know how to kill it yet?" Dean asked.

"No, Bobby's working on that right now. We got to figure out where they're selling those wreaths," Sam said.

"You think they're selling them on purpose?" I asked. "Feeding the victims to this thing?"

Sam exhaled, bringing up a list of Christmas shops. "Let's find out."

After the fourth Christmas shop, we were all annoyed and on edge. "Sam, this is dumb. We're not getting anywhere," I complained.

"Do you have a better idea?" Sam snapped.

"Can we just go in?" Dean asked opening the door.

"Can I help you boy?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Uh, hope so," Dean said. "Uh we're playing jenga with the Walshes the other night, and a… she hasn't shut up since about this Christmas wreath. I don't know you tell him." Dean nudged me forward.

"Sure," I said, shooting Dean a look. "It was great. I have to have it."

"I sell a lot of wreaths, guys," he said.

"Right, right, but you see, this one would have been really special. It had, uh, it had, uh, green leaves, um, white buds on it," I described. "It might have been made of, uh… meadowsweet?"

"Well, aren't you high maintenance," he stated. I glared and opened my mouth to argue, but Dean stopped me.

"She is…" Dean smiled.

"Anyway, I know the one you're talking about. I'm all out," he went on.

"Seems like this meadowsweet stuff's pretty rare and expensive," Sam said. "Why make wreaths out of it?"

"Beats me. I didn't make them," he shrugged.

"Who did?" I asked.

"Madge Carrigan, a local lady," he replied. "She said the wreaths were so special, she gave them for free."

"She didn't charge you?" Sam asked.

"Nope."

"Did you sell them for free?" Dean asked.

The shopkeeper scoffed. "Hell no, It's Christmas. People pay a buttload for this crap."

Dean smiled. "That's the spirit."

"Look," I said, stepping forward. "I'd really appreciate it if you could give me the address of the person who made them. Please."

The shopkeeper sighed. "Gimme a minute, princess."

I glared at the back of his head as he turned around. He handed me a piece of paper with the address on it. "Thank you," I smiled, and turned and walked out.

Back at the motel, we looked up the address and then decided to hit it up in the morning. "How much do you think meadowsweet wreath would've cost?" Dean asked.

"A couple of hundred dollars at least," Sam said.

"This lady's giving them away for free? What do you think about that?" I asked.

"Well, sounds pretty suspicious," Sam said.

"Remember that wreath dad brought home that one year?" Dean asked.

Sam and I exchanged a worried glance. "Do you mean the one he stole from, like, a liquor store?"

"Yeah, it was a bunch of empty beer cans. That thing was great," Dean chuckled. "I bet if I looked around hard enough, I could probably find one just like it."

Sam and I had a staring contest to see who was going to talk to Dean. I won. "All right… dude…, What's going on with you?" Sam asked.

Dean looked taken aback. "What?"

"I mean, since when are you being Crosby all of a sudden?" Sam asked. "Why do you want Christmas so bad?"

"Why are you so against it? Were your childhood memories that traumatic?" Dean asked.

"No, that has nothing to do with it," Sam argued.

"Then what?" Dean asked.

"I-I mean, I-I just, I don't get it. You haven't talked about Christmas in years," Sam said.

"Well yeah, this is my last year," Dean said.

I immediately felt my throat tighten. "I know… That's why I can't," Sam said.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I mean I can't just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything's okay. When I know next Christmas you'll be dead," Sam explained, sadly. "I just can't."

_Dean walked back into the room after being gone for about an hour. I ran over to him happily. "Hi Dee," I smiled. _

"_Hey Lexie," he said, and handed me a bag of chips. _

"_Thought you went out," Sam said. _

"_Yeah, to get you dinner," Dean explained. He was trying not to let what happened earlier affect them anymore. "Don't forget your vegetables." He tossed him chips. _

"_I know why you keep a gun under your pillow," Sam said, following Dean to the bed. Dean lifted his pillow up and saw the gun. Thankfully, I was back by the couch again, coloring in a notebook. _

"_No, you don't," Dean said quickly. "Stay out of my stuff."_

_Sam was relentless. "And I know why we lay salt down everywhere we go."_

"_No, you don't. Shut up." Dean took a swig of his pop. Sam threw something at him. It was his dad's journal. "Where'd you get that? That's dad's! He's gonna kick your ass for reading that."_

_Sam didn't seem to care. "Are monsters real?"_

"_What?" Dean asked, trying to lie his way through this "You're crazy."_

"_Tell me," Sam pleaded. _

_Dean was silent, hesitating. "I swear, if you ever tell dad I told you any of this, I will end you," Dean said. _

_Sam nodded. "Promise." _

"_Well, the first thing you have to know is we have the coolest dad in the world. He's a superhero," Dean whispered. The last thing he needed was me repeating this. _

"_He is?" Sam asked. _

"_Yeah. Monsters are real. Dad fights them. He's fighting them right now."_

"_But dad said the monster under my bed weren't real," Sam argued. _

"_That's cause he had already checked under there," Dean smirked to himself. "But yeah, they're real. Almost everything's real."_

_Sam looked as though in deep thought. "Is Santa real?" _

_Dean shook his head. "No." _

_Sam suddenly looked worried. "If monster are real, then they could get us. They could get me." _

"_Dad's not gonna let them get you," Dean answered. _

"_But what if they get him?" _

"_They aren't gonna get dad," Dean said. "Dad's, like, the best." _

"_I read in dad's book that they got mom," Sam accused. _

_Dean sighed. "It's complicated, Sam."_

"_If they got mom, they can get dad and if they can get dad, they can get us," Sam rationalized. _

"_Shh," dean said, looking over to where I was watching coloring. "It's not like that. Dad's fine. We're fine. Trust me." Sam paused, looking worried. "You're okay?" _

"_Yeah," Sam said, choking back tears. _

"_Hey, dad's gonna be here for Christmas," Dean said, as though that would fix it. "Just like he always is."_

"_I just want to get to sleep, okay?" Sam said, holding back tears. _

"_Yeah, okay," Dean said, backing off. "It all be better when you wake up. You'll see. Promise." _

_I wandered over. "Why Sammy sad?" I asked. Dean just shook his head. _

We had headed to the Carrigan's house early the next morning "This is where Mrs. Wreath lives, huh?" Dean asked, as we walked up to the door. "Can't you just feel the evil pagan vibe?"

I rang the door bell. "Yes?" A kindly old lady asked.

"Please tell me you're the Madge Carrigan who makes the meadowsweet wreaths," Dean said, putting on his charm.

"Why, yes I am," She smiled.

"Ha! Bingo," Dean said happily.

"Well, we were just admiring your wreaths in Mr. Sylar's place the other day," Sam started.

"You were? Well, isn't that meadowsweet just the finest-smelling thing you ever smelled?" she asked excitedly.

"It is, it sure is," I said. "But the problem is, is all you wreaths had sold out before we got the chance to buy one."

"Oh, fudge!" She said.

"You wouldn't have another one that we could buy from you, would you?" Dean asked.

"No, I'm afraid those were the only ones I had for this season," She said sadly.

"Tell me something, why did you decide to make them out of meadowsweet?" Dean asked.

"Why, the smell, of course! I don't think I've ever smelled anything finer," she smiled.

"Yeah… you mentioned that," I stated.

"What's going on, honey?" her husband said, coming to the door.

"Well, just some nice boys asking about my wreaths, dear," she replied.

"Oh the wreaths are fine. Fine wreaths," he said. "Oh, care for some peanut brittle?" He held it out.

Dean went to grab some, but I slapped his hand down. "We're okay," I said. "Thank you."

The closed the doors and we headed back to the motel room. Bobby called back and told us how to kill them. "They were such creepers," I stated. "I don't think you need to keep looking Sam."

"I know it," Sam scoffed. "See, something was way off with those two. Look."

"What'd you find?" I asked.

"The Carrigans lived in Seattle, last year, where two abductions took place right around Christmas," Sam said. "They moved here in January. All that Christmas crap in their house wasn't boughs of holly. It was vervain and mint."

"Pagan stuff?" Dean asked, sharpening his stick.

"Serious pagan stuff," Sam affirmed.

"So what, Ozzie and Harriet are keeping a pagan God hidden underneath their plastic-covered couch?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. All I know we're gotta check them out. So, what about Bobby? He's sure evergreen stakes will kill this thing, right?" Sam asked.

Dean held up the stake. "Yeah he's sure."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSN PSNPSNPSNPSNPSN

It was dark. We parked around the corner. Dean handed Sam a stake, but he didn't give one to me. "Don't I get one?" I asked.

"No," Dean said. "Stay out here. You're on back up."

"Why?" I demanded.

"Because," Dean said. "Now stay out here."

I huffed, but they went inside without me. I listened and snuck around back to see if I saw anything. That was when I heard the clatter and a muffled yell. I ran back around to the front of the house and saw Sam and Dean being carried by the Carrigans. I watched as they tied them up. I had to come up with a plan.

"Ooh, and here we thought you two lazybones were gonna sleep straight through all the fun stuff," Madge said giggling. Sam and Dean were coming around already.

"Miss all this? Nah, we're partyers," Dean remarked.

Edward, the husband, smoked his pipe. "Isn't he a kick in the pants, honey? You're hunters is what you are."

"And you're pagan Gods," Dean said. "So, why don't we just call it even and go our separate ways?"

"So you can bring more hunters and kill us? Ha ha… I don't think so," Edward replied.

"You should have thought about that before snacking on humans," Sam snapped.

"Oh now, Don't get all wet," Edward complained.

"Oh, why, we used to take over a hundred tributes a year and that's a fact," Madge added. She was putting napkins on their laps. I could only imagine why. What was I supposed to do? "Now what do we take? What, two? Three?" Madge went on. "Now, that's not so bad, is it?"

"You say it like that; I guess you guys are the Cunninghams," Dean said.

Edward frowned. "You, mister better show us a little respect."

"Or what?" Sam asked. "You'll eat us?"

"Not so fast," Edward smiled. "There's rituals to be followed first."

"Oh, we're just sticklers for ritual," Madge squeaked.

"And you know what kicks off the whole shebang?" Edward said.

Dean looked annoyed. "Let me guess… Meadowsweet." Madge grabbed something from the table. "Oh shucks, you're all out of wreaths. I guess we'll just have to cancel the sacrifice, huh?"

"Oh, don't be such a gloomy gus," she said, putting some on Dean and Sam. "Ohh… Don't they just look darling?"

"Good enough to eat," Edward said. "All right-roo. Step number two." Edward walked to Sam and sliced Sam's arm.

"D-Don't!" Sam screamed.

"Leave him alone, you son of a bitch!" Dean yelled.

"Hear how they talk to us?" Edward admonished. "To Gods? Listen, pal, back in the day, we were worshiped by millions."

"Times have changed!" Dean yelled.

"Tell me about it. All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the hot new thing in town," Edward scoffed. "All of a sudden, our altars are being burned down, and we're being hunted down like common monsters. "

"But did we say a peep? Oh… no, no, no, we did not," Madge said, going over to Dean. "Two millennium. We kept a low profile; we got jobs, a mortgage. Wh-What was that word, dear?"

"We assimilated."

Madge nodded. "Yeah, we assimilated. Why we play bridge on Tuesday and Fridays. We're just like everybody else."

"You're not blending in as smooth as you think, lady," Dean shot back.

"This might pinch a bit, dear," She smiled and cut Dean's arm. "You bitch!" Dean yelled.

"Oh, my goodness me! Somebody owes a nickel to the swear jar. Oh, do you know what I say when I feel like swearing?" Madge asked. "Fudge."

Dean was exasperated. "I'll try and remember that!"

"You boys have no idea how lucky you are," Edward stated, sadly. "There was a time when kids came from miles around. Just to be sitting where you are."

Sam started to panic when Edward came over with a pair of pliers. "What do you think you're doing with those?"

Dean growled as Madge came back over by him. "You fudging touch me again and I'll fudging kill you!"

Madge smiled as she sliced his other arm. "Very good!"

Sam screamed louder than he did when he broke his arm as Edward pulled his finger nail out. "Oh, we got a winner!"

"Well, what else, dear?" Madge asked.

"Well, let's see. Uh, fingernail, blood, Oh…" He hit his head. "Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick…" he laughed. "I forgot the tooth."

That did it. I had no plan, no weapon since Dean never gave me a stake, and no sense of what to do. So, I did the only thing that I could think of to do. I rang the doorbell.

I heard the scraping of a chair and then they were at the door. "Merry Christmas!" I shouted. "Would you like to buy some fruit cake?" I was totally pulling this out of my ass right now.

"Oh you know what sweetie?" Madge said, shaking her head. "We already bought our own fruitcake. But that is so nice of you to offer!"

"Oh, well, that's a shame," I said. "Oh well, merry Christmas."

"And to you too, dear," Edward said, with a smile.

As the closed the door behind me, I winced. I hoped that was enough time for Sam and Dean to get out. I ran to the front of the house where I had been watching the events go down. Dean was waving at me to get to the back. I did so and Sam let me inside.

They had Madge and Edward locked in the kitchen. "What do we do now? The evergreen stake's in the basement!" Dean shouted, as they both banged on the door.

"You know if you would've given me one this wouldn't be an issue," I remarked. Dean just smacked me on the back of the head.

"Well we need more evergreen, Dean!" Sam said. "I think I just found us some more," he went on looking at the tree.

"Help me get this," Dean said, pulling on the cabinet to put in front of the door where Madge and Edward were still yelling and knocking.

Sam helped it and I went to the tree and ripped a branch off, handing on to Dean and then to Sam, and then had one for myself. That was when it got eerily silent.

Suddenly, Edward ran in and attacked Dean from the side. Dean went flying.

"You little thing," Madge said, coming up to me. "I loved that tree." I held my stake steady, but she was faster and shoved me back into Sam, who stumbled into the wall. I got up quickly and Sam jumped in front of me. Madge pushed him to the ground, but Sam held the stake up. She wasn't expecting that and Sam drove the stake in.

"Madge!" Edward screamed. Dean took advantage of the distraction and killed him.

The three of us stood there, looking at the dead Carrigan's and sighed. "Merry Christmas," I remarked, and walked out.

"_Sam, Lexie, wake up!" Dean shouted, waking me up as well. I rubbed my eyes as Dean shook Sam awake. "Dad was here. Look what he brought."_

_I opened my eyes to see a very poorly decorated Christmas tree with three presents underneath it. I didn't realize how pathetic it looked at the time, but right then and there it was like heaven. _

"_Dad was here?" Sam asked. _

"_Yeah. Look at this we made a killing," Dean said excitedly. _

"_Why didn't he try to wake me up?" Sam questioned. _

_Dean laughed. "He tried to, like a thousand times."_

"_He did?" Sam asked. _

"_Yeah. Did I tell you he would give us Christmas or what?" dean asked. "Go on, dive in."_

_Sam jumped out of bed and joined me by the tree. Dean handed me a bag. I looked up at him and he nodded. I opened it and pulled out a stuffed dog. "Dee it's a doggie!" I exclaimed happily _

_Sam opened one of his and looked at Dean confused. "What is it?" Dean asked. _

"_Sapphire Barbie," Sam mumbled. _

_Dean chuckled. "Dad probably thinks you're a girl." _

"_Shut up!" Sam said, tossing the Barbie aside. _

"_Open that one," Dean said. Sam ripped open the paper and pulled out a pink cheer stick. _

_Sam sighed. "Dad never showed, did he?"_

_Dean looked desperate. "Yeah, he did, I swear."_

"_Dean…. Where'd you get all this stuff?" Sam asked. _

_Dean looked away. "Nice house up the block," he replied. Sam looked defeated. "I swear I didn't know they were chick presents. Look, I'm sure dad would have been here if he could."_

"_If he's alive," Sam stated. _

"_Don't say that. Of course he's alive. He's dad," Dean said. _

_Sam nodded and took Dad's present out of his pocket. "Here, take this," he said, handing it to Dean. _

"_No, no. That's for dad," Dean said, pushing it back. _

_Sam was persistent. "Dad lied to me. I want you to have it." Dean looked at it and sighed to himself. _

"_You sure?" _

_Sam nodded vigorously. "I'm sure." _

_Dean opened it and saw a necklace. Sam didn't know it then but Dean would never take it off. "Thank you, Sam. I-I love it," Dean smiled. _

_Sam looked to me, where I was cuddled up on the couch. "At least someone's happy," he said, motioning to me. Dean didn't know it then, but I would still have that stuffed dog at seventeen. _

"Lex," Sam said, as Dean left the motel room.

"What?" I asked. He pulled me off the bed excitedly.

"We've got to move fast," Sam said. "We're doing Christmas."

"Now?" I asked. "Seriously?" I sighed as he pulled out some beer. "What do you want me to do?"

"Go to the store," Sam said. "Get the eggnog, and cookies or something."

"Fine," I said. I went out and then realized I had no money. "Plan B…" I mumbled.

By the time I made it back, Sam was able to get some sort of Merry Christmas sign and a small tree with a bunch of really odd ornaments on it. "Nice," I remarked. "I brought cookies."

As I put the plate down on the table and Sam mixed the eggnog, Dean walked in. "Hey you get the beer?" Sam asked him, handing him a cup of eggnog.

Dean looked shock. "What's all this?" he asked. He chuckled at our makeshift Christmas.

"What do you think it is, stupid? It's- It's Christmas," I answered.

"Where'd you get this stuff?" he asked.

"You don't want to know," I said, looking away. Dean glared at me. "What? I did what you would do for us!"

"What made you changed your mind?" Dean asked, Sam.

Sam didn't answer the question. "Here, try the eggnog," he said. "Let me know if it needs some more kick."

Dean took a sip and shook his head. "No, we're good."

"Good. Well uh, have a seat. Let's do Christmas stuff or whatever," Sam said.

Dean nodded, happy. "All right, first things first," he said. He grabbed some packages from his pocket and handed it to us. "Merry Christmas, Sam," he said. "And you too, Ankle biter."

"Where'd you get this?" Sam asked.

"Someplace special," Dean smirked. We both stared at him. "The gas mart down the street," he admitted. "Open them up."

"Well, great minds think alike, Dean," Sam said, handing him gifts. I handed him mine too.

Dean looked ecstatic. "Really?"

"Skin mags!" Sam said laughing as he opened his. "And… Shaving cream."

"You like?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Here," I said, handing him mine. He opened them. I had gotten him a new wallet and candy. "Thanks, Lexie."

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Look at this," Dean said. He lifted up the energy bar and bottle of oil Sam got him. "Fuel for me and fuel for my baby. These are awesome, thanks."

"Good," Sam said.

Dean then opened mine. "A watch," he smiled. "Thanks ankle biter."

"Open yours," Sam said, nudging me.

"Okay," I said. Dean got me a keychain with my same on it, and a bag of peanut M&Ms. Sam got me a headband and some sort of makeup kit meant for three year olds. They were the best presents I ever got. "Thanks guys," I said, feeling tears in my eyes.

"Merry Christmas, guys," Sam said, lifting up his eggnog. We all drank and then there was silence. I think we were all taking in that as of that moment, this would be our last Christmas together. Dean would be gone by this time next year, and it would just be me and Sam.

"Hey, Dean," Sam said, looking to Dean. He hesitated for a second. "Do you feel like watching the game?"

Dean smiled. "Absolutely."

"All right," Sam said, turning on the TV.

And that's how we stayed for the next six hours. I had no idea what was happening in the game. I never liked football. The game didn't make sense to me, just like so many other things. But, I sat there and watched it, laughing with Sam and Dean just in that moment. Some things don't have to make sense. In this case it's probably better if it doesn't.

Merry Christmas.

**Don't Forget to Review!**


	65. Season 3, Chapter Eleven

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I moved into College this month and getting everything set up has been hectic. Anyways, here's the next chapter. The next one will be an original!** **See the note at the end for some input!**

**Disclaimer: I own Lexie and that's it!**

Chapter Sixty Five

Yet again, we were on a case. I felt like my life was becoming one long run of cases and a countdown. It was so monotonous. Dean would want to take cases to get his mind off of things. Sam would find one, Dean would jump the gun and drive us there, and I would get dragged along. It was one long string of burning bodies, exorcising demons, and long car drives. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could deal with.

"She was so scared. I couldn't help; I couldn't do anything to stop it," the man sobbed. "And I've talked to the police, and I've talked to the medical examiner and no one can explain it."

"Well that's why they put the call in to us Mr. Dutton," Dean said, nodding at me to follow Sam.

"But the CDC, that's disease control right? What do you think; it's some kind of virus?" he asked.

I followed Sam into the bathroom and he closed the door behind me. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I don't want him breathing down our necks," Sam explained.

"Anyone that might have a reason to hurt her?" Dean asked.

"Wait, what are you saying? That somebody poisoned her?" the husband, Paul, asked.

Sam went under the sink and pulled out a hex bag. He sighed and held it up for me. "Damn," I remarked.

Paul grew agitated. "What?! No, no, there's just no one that could've-"

Sam opened the door and nodded at Dean without a word. "Mr. Dutton?" Dean asked.

"Uh, everyone loved Janet," Paul replied.

"Okay. Thank you very much; I think we've got everything we need," Dean nodded. "We'll get out of your way now."

We went outside the house and headed back to the car. It was raining. "That dude seem a little evasive to you?" I asked.

"I don't know I was under a sink, pulling this out," Sam said, taking the hex bag out. Dean took it from him and opened it. "Hex bag," Sam sighed.

"Awww gross," Dena said, staring at the bones inside.

"Yeah, there are bird bones, rabbit's teeth," Sam said. "This cloth is probably cut from something Janet Dutton owned."

Dean looked back at the house. "So we're thinking witch?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, and not some new age wicked water douser either. This is old world black magic Dean, I mean, warts and all," Sam added.

We got in the car and I groaned. "I hate witches."

Sam just laughed, but Dean nodded. "They're always spewing their bodily fluids everywhere."

"Pretty much," Sam nodded.

"It's creepy, you know, it's down right unsanitary," Dean went on.

"Yeah, well someone definitely had it out for Janet Dutton," I said.

"Yeah, someone who snuck into that house and planted the bag. So what are we thinking, we're uh, looking for some old craggy Blair bitch in the woods," Dean said.

"No it could be anyone," Sam said. "Neighbor, coworker, man, woman that's the problem Dean, they're human, they're like everyone else."

"Great how do we find 'em?" Dean asked.

"This wasn't random; someone in Janet Dutton's life had an ugly axe to grind. We find the motive-"

"We find the murderer," I said, finishing Sam's sentence.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"I say we keep an eye on this guy," I said, motioning back to the house as Dean drove away. "Obviously there's something he doesn't want to tell us."

Both of the boys nodded in agreement. We stayed in the impala for the remainder of the day. It was long and boring and….I was so bored. "Guys," I stated. "This is the most boring stake out we've ever been on."

Dean turned around. "You say that every time we go on a stake out."

I scoffed. "That's not completely true." I pointed to the car where Paul was sitting. "Besides, look, he's eating a hamburger. Wow. Fascinating."

All the sudden we heard screams. It was Paul. He fell out of his car. Dean and Sam got out f the car and ran over. I followed half heartedly. He lay on the ground choking on seemingly nothing. Sam and Dean were holding onto him and trying to get him to breathe.

"Check the car!" Dean yelled at me, angrily.

I went in front of him and searched the car for a hex bag. I found one under the gas pedal. "Alexis!" Dean yelled at me again.

"Got it!" I said, grabbing the lighter from Sam. I lit it on fire and dropped it to the ground. "There it's done."

Paul started to breathe again and leaned back on his car. "You okay?" Dean asked.

"What the hell is happening to me?!" Paul demanded.

"Someone murdered your wife and now they're trying to kill you, that's what's happening to you," I said, deadpan.

"That's impossible!" Paul stated. "There's no way-"

"If we hadn't have been following you, you'd be a doornail right now," Dean explained. "Now who wants you dead?"

"I-uh..." Paul stuttered.

"Come on think," Dean insisted.

"There's a woman-uh.." Paul thought aloud. "An affair- a mistake, she was un-balanced, she was blackmailing me and I put an end to it a week ago."

"What's her name?" I asked.

"What could she have to do with-?"

Dean looked pissed. "Paul what is her name?"

"Amanda," he breathed. "Her name was Amanda."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPNSPSNPSNPSN SPNPSNPSNPSNPSNSPN

I kneeled on the ground. "What is taking so long?" Dean asked, scanning behind us.

"I'm so sorry," I stated, picking at the lock some more. "This isn't just stick it in and go Dean." He smirked at me and I rolled my eyes. "Go," I said, pushing the door open.

Dean and Sam and I all had our guns out, ready to fire. It was dark inside, and I nearly ran into Sam as he stopped. "That's a curveball," Dean said.

"What?" I asked. I walked ahead of Sam and saw Amanda lying in a pool of blood. Dean used his gun to lift up her arm. There were three jagged cuts going vertical down her forearm.

"Three per wrist, vertical," Dean said. "She wasn't foolin' around."

I put my gun away as Sam pointed to a platter with some sort of meat on it. "Yeah, looks like she was working some heavyweight evil here."

"That is disgusting," I remarked, eyeing the maggots creeping out of the food.

"Oh god!" Dean shouted, running into a rabbit hanging from the ceiling. It was dead, blood around the mouth. "Freakin' witches! Seriously man, come on!"

"Guess we know where she got the rabbit's teeth from," Sam stated.

"Well, Paul sure knows how to pick 'em huh?" Dean went on. "It's like Fatal Attraction all over again." He looked back at the rabbit. "And why does the rabbit always get screwed in the deal?! The poor little guy."

"You know what I don't get Dean?" Sam asked. "If she was so bent on revenge, why do this?"

"Well, she got Janet Dutton, thought she finished off Paul, decided to cap herself and make it a spurned lovers hat-trick," Dean suggested.

"Maybe," I sighed. I grabbed a hex bag that I found underneath the table where Amanda was lying.

"I mean, this doesn't exactly look like the TV room of a bright and stable person you know?" Dean added.

"No, but then..." I held up the bag. "There's this."

"Another hex bag?" Dean stated, as I tossed it to him. "Come on!" He opened it and threw it on the table. "Looks like we got a hit huh? A little witch on witch violence?"

"I guess," Sam said.

Dean sighed and dialed his phone. "I'd like to report a dead body, 309 Mayfair Circle," he stated. "My name? Yeah, sure my name is—" He hung up abruptly and looked back at Amanda. "Why are witches ganking each other?"

"I don't know, but I think maybe we got a coven on our hands," Sam replied.

"Awesome," I remarked. "Now what then?"

"I guess tomorrow we could talk to the neighbors?" Dean suggested. "See what they have to see about all this?" Sam nodded. "C'mon, we have to leave before the cops get here."

We went back to Amanda's house the next day, while the cops where still there just to see if they had learned anything else new. There was a neighbor outside, working in her garden. I glanced at Sam as he walked up her driveway. I guess I should follow. "You must have a green thumb," Sam remarked .

"Excuse me?" the woman said, looking confused.

"Getting these herbs to grow out of season like this, quite impressive," Sam stated. "I'm sorry; I should have introduced myself first." He took out his badge. "I'm uh, Detective Bachman, this is Detective Turner and our intern." I rolled my eyes. Apparently, I didn't get a name.

"We're following up on Amanda Burns' death, going around the neighborhood and talking to neighbors and stuff like that," Sam went on.

"But didn't she- I mean she killed herself right?" the woman asked worriedly.

"Maybe, maybe," I nodded.

"We heard you were friends with the deceased right?" Dean asked her.

The woman looked flustered. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Did you have any idea about her practices?" I asked. Dean shot me a look to shut up.

The woman looked confused. "I'm sorry, what kind of practices?"

"Well see, her house was littered with satanic paraphernalia," Dean went on. "A regular Black Sabbath."

The woman looked lost. "No, the- but she was an Episcopalian."

"Well, then we're pretty sure she was using the wrong bible," I remarked.

Two other women walked up to the driveway where we were standing. "Elizabeth, you alright?" The one lady asked.

"I'm fine uh Renee, these are detectives," Elizabeth said. "They say Amanda was- she was practicing-"

"I'm sorry detectives; you can tell that Elizabeth is a little bit upset," Renee said, looking at us like it was our fault.

"Of course, Miss.?" Dean asked.

"Mrs. Renee Van Allen," the woman replied haughtily. "Would you like me to spell it for you?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah sure. Spell it."

"We'll get by, thanks," Dean said, putting his hand on my shoulder and gripping it really har.

"This Amanda business has been hard for Liz, for all of us," Renee went on.

"Yeah, I mean, you think you know a person," the other woman with Renee said.

"Well, I guess we all have secrets don't we?" Dean said.

"Well, thanks, um, we'll be in touch," Sam said, walking off.

"Have a nice day, Mrs. Renee Van Allen," I smiled, and walked off with him.

"Well, I'm already sold on that Elizabeth chick," Dean remarked as we got into the car. "Did you see that victory garden of hers? Belladonna, wolfs bane, mandrake, not to mention that little flinch she threw when we mentioned the occult."

"Well, she's definitely had a good run lately, gone up a few tax brackets; won almost too many raffles," Sam said, already googling her on his laptop. I swear he was like a machine. "Kinda thing a little black magic always helps with."

"Yeah," I scoffed.

"I don't think she's alone either, look like Mrs. Renee Van Allen has won almost every craft contest she has entered in the past three months," Sam went on.

"Mrs. Renee Van Allen is a bitch," I stated.

"Yeah, a regular Martha Stewart huh?" Dean smirked. He pulled away and started to drive down the road back to our motel. "Except for the devil worship, I'm thinking that was the coven back there we met minus one member."

"Amanda was clearly going off the reservation, what do you think they killed her to keep up appearances?" Sam asked.

"Seems like an appearance kind of crowd don't you think?" Dean asked.

"Seems?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"If they killed the nut-job should we uh, thank them or what?" Dean asked.

"They're working black magic too Dean, they need to be stopped," Sam replied, without a thought.

Dean and I exchanged a glance. "'Stopped' like stopped?" I asked, leaning into the front seat. Sam turned around and gave me a look like I was an idiot or something.

Dean was as taken aback as I was. "They're human Sam."

Sam just shook his head. "They're murderers."

Dean looked at me in the rearview mirror again, and I looked at him confused and worried. This was not like Sam at all. Sam would usually be the one who was like "no! Humans shouldn't die!"

"Burn witch, burn," Dean remarked after a moment.

All the sudden the car started to stutter. We were slowing down; the car was giving out on us. Dean smacked his hands on the steering wheel. "What the hell?" he demanded.

"I don't think smacking it is going to do anything, Dean," I said, rolling my eyes.

He glared. "Maybe I should try it on you."

I glared right back. "Don't be mad at me because your car is stupid."

"Don't listen to her baby," Dean said, as we shuttered to a stop.

The headlights flickered. I could see a figure in front of us. I'll give you one guess as to who it was. Sam jumped out of the car. "Ruby."

"Sam, listen to me, there's no time," She said desperately.

"For what?" Sam asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You have to get out of town," she insisted.

"So this is Ruby huh?" Dean said, raising the Colt and aiming it at her. "Never had the pleasure."

"Dean!"Sam said, angrily.

"I was hoping you'd show up again," Dean smiled.

"Point that thing somewhere else," she warned.

Dean just laughed. "Hahahaha, right."

Ruby turned back to Sam. "Sam please, go, get in the car and don't look back."

"Why? I don't understand," Sam replied, shaking his head and frowning.

"Hey hot stuff we can take care of a few kitchen witches, thanks," Dean remarked.

"I'm not talking about witches, you jackass, witches are whores," she sneered. "I'm talking about who they serve."

"Demons," I stated, realizing what she meant. "They get their power from demons."

"A plus for you," she scoffed. "Yeah, and there's one here, now."

"Oh, what, you mean besides you?" Dean asked.

"Sam, it knows you're in town and it's gonna come after you and its way more than you can handle," Ruby explained.

"Oh come on, what is this huh? Please tell me you're not listening to this crap!" Dean demanded, looking at Sam.

"Put a leash on your brother Sam, if you wanna keep him," Ruby said, looking to Sam.

"Dean, look, just chill out," Sam said.

"No, no! She's messing with your head, God knows why, that's who they are!" Dean exclaimed. I stood closer to Dean, almost behind him. This was not something I wanted to get into the middle of.

"I'm telling you the truth," Ruby went on.

"And I'm telling you to shut up bitch," Dean said, cocking the colt.

"I'm sorry, why are you even a part of this conversation?!" Ruby asked, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know maybe because he's my brother you black eyed skank!" Dean said.

"Oh, right, right. You care about your brother so much, that's why you're checking out in a few months, leaving him all alone?"

Dean growled. "Shut up."

"At least let me try and save him, since you won't be here to do it anymore," Ruby smirked.

"I said shut up!" Dean said, and I knew he was about to fire.

"Dean no!" I said, pushing him arm out of the way. Dean yanked his arm away from me. I looked back to where Ruby was, but she had disappeared.

Dean looked at me with more anger than he had in a long time. I shrank under his gaze and he got into the car.

"Thanks, Lex," Sam said to me as I got back in the car.

"Don't," I said, shaking my head.

We drove in silence. I could feel the frustration coming off of Dean. I knew that I was in for it. "What the hell were you thinking?" Dean demanded, as we finally entered the motel room.

Luckily, he wasn't looking at me, but at Sam. "What?! What the hell was I thinking?" Sam asked, angrily.

"She's a demon Sam, period alright," Dean explained. "They want us dead, we want them dead."

"Oh, that's funny; I remember that demon chick in Ohio, Casey?" Sam said, rolling his eyes. "You didn't want her dead."

"Yeah, well she wasn't stringing me along like a fish on a hook," Dean said.

"Oh yeah," I stated, "She just trapped you in a basement."

"Shut up, I haven't gotten to you yet." I sat down on the bed.

"No one's stringing me along," Sam argued. "Look, I know it's dangerous, that she is dangerous, but like it or not, she is useful."

"No, we kill her before she kills us," Dean said.

"Kill her with what? The gun she fixed for us?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "Whatever works."

"Dean, if she wants us dead, all she has to do is stop saving our lives," Sam said. Dean turned away, frustrated. He splashed water on his face like he always did when frustrated. "Look, we have to start looking at the big picture Dean, start thinking in strategies and- and moves ahead," Sam went on. "It's not so simple, we're not- we're not just hunting anymore, we're at war." Dean said nothing, drying his face.

"Are you feeling okay?" Dean asked.

Sam looked lost. "Uh, why are you always asking me that?" He sat down next to me.

"Because you're taking advice from a demon for starters, and by the way, you seem less and less worried about offing people, it used to eat you up inside," Dean said.

"Yeah, and what has that gotten me?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, but it's just what you're supposed to do okay?" I said, piping in. "We're supposed to drive in the friggin' car and friggin' argue about this stuff."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "You know, you go on about the sanctity of life and all that crap."

"Wait, so- so you're mad because I'm starting to agree with you?" Sam asked.

"No, I'm not mad, I'm- I'm- I'm worried, Sam," Dean replied. He sat across from us. "I'm worried because you're not acting like yourself."

"Yeah, you're right, I'm not. I don't have a choice," Sam insisted.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dean frowned.

"Look, Dean, you're leaving right?"Sam said. "And I gotta stay here in this craphole of a world, without you. So the way I see it, if I'm gonna make it, if I'm gonna fight this war after you're gone, then I gotta change."

Dean leaned forward like he was in pain. "Change into what?" he asked.

"Into you, I gotta be more like you," Sam replied, sadly.

Dean's face light up with pain. "What's wrong?" I asked, getting up.

"I don't know," He grunted. "Oh- something's wrong- bunch of knives inside of me-" He leaned forward, his head between his knees. "Son of a bitch-"

"Dean, hey," I said, trying to get him to sit up.

"The coven man, it's gotta be the coven," Dean said.

"Don't worry," Sam said, jumping up. He grabbed the covers and threw them off the bed. Dean lay back; clutching his stomach in pain. He grabbed stuff off the sink, checked under the sink, and threw the room apart. I helped him, tearing pillows off the bed, flipping the mattresses up. Nothing was there.

Dean fell to the floor and started coughing up blood. "Sam!" I yelled, terrified. "I can't find it!"

"No," Sam said, desperately, going through his bag. He pulled out the Colt and headed for the door.

"Sam, what are you doing?" I demanded.

"Sam," Dean coughed. "Sam!"

"Sam! Don't just leave me here!" I screamed. "What do I do?" He ignored me and took off with the car.

Dean kept gasping and coughing up blood. "Okay, just try to breath, Dean," I said, kneeling next to him.

"Damn it Lex, I'm dying not having a baby," he sputtered.

"Well I don't know what to do!" I yelled.

The door burst open. It was Ruby.

"You wanna kill me? Get in line bitch," Dean said.

She went right up to him and pushed me away. "Hey!" I said running back. She forced his mouth open and poured in some black liquid. "What are you doing?"

"Stop calling me bitch," she said, as Dean choked on it. She picked up the gun that I had grabbed and then put back down after I realized that Dean was okay. "Next time you point that gun at me, I'm not gonna just disappear, understand?" she said, throwing it across the room.

"You saved my life," Dean stated, amazed.

"Don't mention it," Ruby said, off handedly.

"What was that stuff?" Dean asked. "God, it was ass, it tasted like ass."

"It's called witchcraft shortbus," she scoffed, walking out the door.

Dean scoffed right back. "You're the shortbus...shortbus."

I gave him an incredulous look. "C'mon," I said, getting him up. "We've got to go find Sam."

Dean hotwired a car and we took off to Renee Van Allen's house. I jumped out of the car first while Dean grabbed weapons. I peered in the window.

The one woman had Sam pinned against the wall. "Comments? Questions? Hmm, Sammy Winchester, wow!" she exclaimed. Renee was dead on the floor and Elizabeth was in the corner. "Right here in our little town. You know, my friends and I, we've been looking for you," Tammi went on,

"Why? Oh, right, cause I'm supposed to lead some piss poor demon army," Sam said, struggling against the wall.

"No, not at all," Tammi replied. "You're not our Messiah, we don't believe in you. But, there's a new leader rising in the west, a real leader. That's the horse to bet on Sam, the one who's gonna tear this world apart. Thing is, this demon, it doesn't like you very much, doesn't want the competition." She raised her hand and Sam slid up the wall.

"Nothing personal, it's a P.R. thing, so, buh-bye," Tammi smiled. She started crushing Sam into the wall. The plaster cracked behind him. Sam grunted in pain. I looked behind me where Dean was running up the drive. I dashed in and kicked open the door.

"Stop!" I yelled.

Tammi fixed her eyes on me and flung me into the wall next to Sam.

Dean came running in and was flung into the opposite wall. "Buy two get one free," she smiled. "Lovely."

Ruby was in the doorway before Tammi could do anything else. "Wait," she said, walking inside. She put her hands up in surrender. "Please, I just came to talk."

Tammi smiled. "You made it out of the gate, impressive. That was a bitch of a fight wasn't it?"

"Doors outta hell only open for so long," Ruby sighed.

Tammi rolled her eyes. "What do you want Ruby?"

Ruby gave her a pitiful look. "I've been lost without you, take me back. That's why I led the Winchesters here."

Dean looked pissed and gave an I-told-you-so look to me and Sam.

"They're for you, as a gift," Ruby smiled.

Tammi didn't look sure. "Really?"

"Let me serve you again, I've wanted it, I've wanted you for so long," Ruby begged.

Tammi smiled. "You were one of my best." Ruby looked at her for a moment and then pulled out her knife and tried to stab her. Tammi stopped her easily. "But then again, you always were a lying whore." She threw the knife across the floor.

Tammi and Ruby grabbed onto each other. Tammi threw Ruby into the TV. Ruby got right up and kicked her. However, Tammi was faster and clothes lined her to the floor. "You're really telling me you threw in your chips with Abbott and Costello here?" Tammi asked as she grabbed a fire poker. Ruby tried to get up, but Tammi smacked her across the head with the poker. "Come on, get up," Tammi demanded. Ruby lay there panting. "I said get up!" Tammi yelled, pulling Ruby up by her jacket.

Tammi smirked. "We've been here before haven't we?" She laughed to herself. "She didn't tell you?" Tammi said to Sam. "Pretty mortifying I guess. She was one of mine. I turned her out a long, long time ago. Ruby here was a witch. Of course that was when you were human."

I shared a confused glance with Dean. "Didn't want your friends to know that all those centuries back you sold yourself to me?" Tammi asked. "Embarrassing I guess, but don't worry love, no secrets where you're heading remember?"

Tammi began to chant an exorcism and Ruby started to cough up black smoke. Then, out of nowhere, Tammi began coughing. I fell to the floor and gasped. I kicked the knife over to Dean, who was also let go. Dean grabbed the knife and stabbed Tammi in the back with it three times before he was satisfied.

"Go," Ruby said, as we stared at the mess around us. "I'll clean up this mess."

Dean put his hand on my shoulder and led to the door. "Go," Ruby said again, when Sam stopped.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSN PSNSPNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPSN

Sam was washing his face in the sink. "I wanted to thank you," he said, drying himself off. "For earlier. Stopping Dean."

"Don't," I said, shaking my head. "I shouldn't of."

Sam said nothing to that. "Sam," I said. "What if Ruby can't do it. What if we can't save Dean?"

Sam glared at me. "Don't even say that."

"What would we do?" I asked, ignoring him. "Without him. What would we do?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "I don't want to think about it."

"We have to stick together," I said, earnestly. "Promise me that."

"I wouldn't leave you," he scoffed.

"Promise anyways," I insisted.

He sighed, putting his arm around my shoulder. "I promise, Lex."

"Thank you," I replied, as Dean walked in. He looked upset. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said, giving me a fake smile. "Are we going out tonight or what?" He grabbed his leather jacket. "C'mon, we need some cash."

I followed him out the door. I was running out of time, luck and a lot of things. But for now, I was going to focus on the present, because I wasn't sure I could handle anything else.

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	66. Season 3, Chapter Twelve

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Chapter Sixty Six

"What are you doing?" Dean asked, as I put my headphones on. I was nodding my head to the beat of the song.

"Dancing," I smirked, shaking my hips. "I got moves."

"You got nothing," Dean said, chuckling and pushing me into the car. "Get in, we're leaving. Sam!"

"Coming!" Sam yelled from inside the motel room.

"What's the rush?" I asked, getting comfortable in the back seat like usual.

Dean only shrugged. "I just feel like moving," he replied. I think he just wanted to drive. We had been abnormally idle for the last few days, sitting around and doing nothing. Something was up with Dean, but I didn't know what it was yet.

Sam finally came out of the motel room. He had a sour look on his face. "What's with the bitch face?" I asked, curiously.

"I don't have a bitch face," he snapped.

Dean and I shared and glance. I just shrugged. "Ok, sorry." I put my iPod on and we started to drive. I wasn't exactly sure where we were going at first. Dean had just sort of taken off without warning. He woke me up this morning and told me we were leaving. I just did my usual routine and then we left.

Sam apparently had a plan. He was taking us to some small town in Minnesota where there had been many disappearances. I don't think he even knew if they were of the supernatural sort, he just thought it was an idea since Dean wanted to drive. In all honesty, I thought it was a load of crap. None of the people were related at all.

"Sam," I said, as he went through newspapers. "I don't think this is even a case."

"Why?" he asked, not really paying attention to me.

"Because how is the disappearance of one old guy, a couple, and a school teacher related? According to their addresses they didn't even live close together."

"I'm sure there's something," Dean sighed, pulling off the highway. "There always is." He drove into this tiny town. The windows were still filled with discounted Christmas items, trees and ornaments. It was already mid-January, and I found that a little odd. I guess you never knew in small towns like this.

"Maybe we should split up," I stated. "Each take a victim?" I was waited for Dean's reaction mostly. I was never the one to come up with a plan, let alone volunteer to go off alone. I was usually handed off to one or the other.

However, things had been changing. Ever since Dean made his deal, I was being treated differently. Dean was letting up slightly on the whole Lex-is-still-a-kid thing. He was no longer on my case all the time about being safe. I think he knew that he wasn't going to be here much longer to protect me, so I better get my act together.

Therefore, I was trying my best to act independent, my true feelings be damned.

"Yeah, ok," Dean said handing me the car keys. "The museum is halfway across town. You head there and we'll meet you."

"You're giving me the car," I stated in disbelief. I was thinking for a moment that this was a joke, and the look on Sam's face told me he thought the same thing. Dean tossed the keys into my hands when I wasn't taking them.

"We'll meet you at four," he replied, walking off.

Sam cast me a glance and shrugged. I walked back to the impala feeling weird. I didn't think I liked the feeling of being on my own, especially with the responsibility of the car. I drove to the museum obeying all traffic laws and freaked out when parking. I checked to make sure I was straight and there was no possible way for anyone to hit the car for the millionth time and went inside.

"Hi," I said to the lady at the desk. "I was wondering if I could see the security tapes."

"And who are you?" she demanded, eyeing my over her glasses. I flashed my FBI badge at her with a kind smile. She narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Aren't you a little young?"

"I'm ahead of my times," I replied.

"I'd like a reference," she stated, folding her arms over her chest.

I gave her a fake smile and handed her my card. She dialed the number, reaching Dean. "Okay," she said, "Thank you." From the blush on her face I could tell that Dean had put the moves on her. _Thanks Dean._

She took me to the room and let me sit by myself. I watched the video, finding the part with the night guard who disappeared. He was walking around the museum, for three days until finally he no longer showed up. Nothing weird happened, he didn't talk to anyone, and he didn't do anything interesting. Overall, it was a waste of my time.

My cell phone rang. "Yeah?" I asked.

"We're on our way up," Dean remarked.

"You're here?" I asked. I looked at the time. "You're early."

"Yeah well," Dean replied, opening the door. "We found something out."

"What?" I asked.

Sam already pushed me out of the way and started fiddling around with the cameras. He pointed to the screen. "There's the teacher," he said, pointing to the woman on the screen. "And…there's the couple."

"They were all here," I replied.

"And they all went into that room," Sam said. "Why isn't it on camera?"

I shrugged. "I think it's a storage room, not an exhibit."

Sam and I exchanged a glance with each other and Dean sighed. "We'll have to come back at night," he stated. "There's no way that pushy secretary is going to let us sneak around in the storage rooms."

"Ok," I said, "Through the back door?"

Dean and Sam looked at each other. "Not exactly."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPNSPSNPSN PSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNSPNS

I sighed. "Do we have to do it this way?"

"Yes," Dean replied. "We do." He pushed me out of the car. "Now go."

I grumbled but hopped the fence anyways. It took me a minute, but I got inside. The guard was in the other room, so I took the initiative. I screamed.

The guard came running. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded.

I pointed behind me. "The mummy exhibit," I panted. "The mummy, it moved." The man looked at me like I was crazy. "Please," I cried. "Please, go look!"

He grabbed my arm. "How did you get in here? What are you talking about?"

"The mummy moved," I insisted, pulling towards the exhibit. "Look, please."

He followed me and I saw Dean's shadow as they headed towards the storage room. Once we made it to the mummy exhibit, the guard let go of my arm. I slowly let him walk ahead of me and then ducked into the next room. "There's nothing—Hey!"

I kept out of sight until he had run back to the front desk. Now was my time to get out of here. I dashed out the same way that I came in. I hopped back over the fence and met Sam and Dean on the other side. "Did you find anything?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam said annoyed. "EMF sparked all over these things." He pointed to the brass baby shoes that Dean was holding. "And he had his hands all over them."

"Oh shut up, you touched them too," Dean accused.

"You threw them at me, Dean," Sam stated.

"I really doubt that these are the cause of people disappearing," Dean stated, rolling his eyes. "They're just baby shoes. What's gonna happen? A ghost baby pees on me?"

"Let's just get out of here before that guard comes out here looking for me," I said. "They have me on tape now."

Sam held up a VHS tape. "No they don't."

"Nice," I said, surprised. "Let's go."

When we finally got back to the room, Dean and I flopped onto the beds. Sam however, went right to his laptop. "There's nothing on shoes except how to make them," Sam stated, as if we cared. "We'd have to melt these had extremely high temperatures to get rid of them."

"Who says that's how we get rid of them?" Dean asked, his face buried into the bed. "Maybe we have to do something else."

"Besides," I added. "We don't even know what they do. Or even who they belong to."

"Ah," Sam said, looking back at the screen. "They bronzed these shoes to preserve the shoes that the baby took his or her first steps in. It's a keepsake."

"Well duh," Dean said, "Not like they did it for shits and giggles."

"We need to figure out whose shoes these are," Sam said, ignoring us.

"Why don't we do that tomorrow?" I asked, closing my eyes. "Around let's say noon?" Sam threw a shoe at me. It bounced off my back. "Ow," I stated, still not opening my eyes.

I didn't move for the rest of the night.

When I got up to get some shorts on to sleep in, Dean was sitting at the table with Sam I stared at him confused for a minute. I blinked a few times. "What?" he asked, catching me staring.

I shook my head. "I don't know," I replied. "Did you do something to your hair?"

He frowned and ran his fingers through his hair. "No, why?" he asked. I only shrugged. I looked away from him, or tried to, but something still wasn't right. I just couldn't pin it.

"Lex," he said, rolling his eyes. "Would you stop?"

"I'm sorry," I said, getting up and grabbing my clothes from the floor. I still felt like something wasn't right.

The next morning I woke up to screaming. I jumped out of bed, already reaching for the nearest weapon. Dean jumped up as well, holding his pistol all ready to shoot something. However, I stopped. "Dean," I started.

He looked at me and I was even more taken aback. "What?" he demanded, still in freak out mode.

Other than the fact that he was clearly woken up, he looked…younger. His hair was slightly longer, like he wore it for awhile. It flopped over his forehead. He had a few pimples, things that hadn't bothered him since he was in his lower twenties. His muscles were less defined, his shoulders less broad.

Sam ran out of the bathroom. "Dean, something's wrong," he said. His voice was higher pitched. He also had shorter hair. He looked like the day that he had left for Stanford.

"What the hell?" Dean asked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Dean," I said. "Go look at yourself." As he got up, a sick feeling entered my stomach. I looked up at Sam. "Am I-"

"No," he said, shaking his head vigorously.

Dean came out of the bathroom looking white as a ghost. "C'mon, really?" he demanded. "What the hell?" He collapsed onto the bed. "Why? Witches? A curse? Please don't be more witches."

"There haven't been any weird deaths," Sam said. "Just disappearances."

"How would they know we're here?" I asked. "All we did was talk to the museum guy and…" I paused. "The shoes."

"The shoes are cursed," Sam said, meeting my thoughts.

"Son of a bitch," Dean said, "What the hell do we do?"

"We have to figure out how to get rid of them," Sam said, picking them up. "The website said first we would have to melt the bronze off, which requires high temperatures."

"What does that mean?" I asked. "We need a fireplace?"

Sam nodded. "Or something."

"Awesome," Dean stated.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNSPSNS PNSPNSPSNPSNSPNSPN

"Do you really think this is going to work?" I asked. I handed Sam another log. The sun was setting.

"I hope so," he stated. "Because my voice is starting to crack and this isn't funny."

"It's a little funny," I smirked. Sam glared at me. "You two are the idiots who touched the shoes."

"Just get me more fuel," Sam stated, shooing me away. I rolled my eyes and grabbed some more small twigs.

I went back and they had thrown the shoes in. Sam added the kindling that I gathered. "Now what?" Dean asked.

"Now we wait til they're gone," Sam replied.

"Awesome," I stated.

Seven hours later, the fire had died into nothing more than embers that smoldered into ashes. "Well," I said. "That was a failure." I pointed to the shoes which didn't even look damaged.

"Maybe it wasn't hot enough," Sam said.

"They're cursed," Dean said. He threw his hands up. "They're probably protected."

"Well now what?" I said, frustrated.

"Research," Sam stated. "Maybe we should call Bobby."

"Bobby's been on a case in Michigan," I said. "He won't be able to help." I leaned against the impala. "We're on our own."

We ran back to the motel room. Sam already was not fitting into his clothes at all. He looked only sixteen at this point. This curse worked fast. Dean was looking like he was only twenty. I felt misplaced in all this. This was just so wrong.

"Ok," Sam said, pacing. He looked a little nuts walking around in a teenagers body. "We need to find out who these shoes belonged too. Maybe they'll be able to give us answers."

"Mary Mitchell," I read. "She was the donor."

"We have to get there," he said. "Now."

"She lives halfway across town," Dean groaned. He sighed. "C'mon, I'm gonna need gas."

By the time we got there, Sam was panicking. We went to the door. Dean knocked. "I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but we heard that you recently made a donation to the museum across town?"

"What about it?" she demanded. She hadn't undone the lock on the door.

"These it?" Sam asked, holding them up.

She glared. "Get those off my property. Go away!" She slammed the door in our faces.

"Do you know what these do?" Dean called. "How do we stop it!?"

"There is no way to stop it!" She yelled back. "You just disappear!" She slammed something around. "Get those things out of here!" We still didn't move. "I'll call the police!"

"C'mon," Sam said, pulling Dean away from the door.

"We need help," I said, dialing Bobby.

"I thought you said he was in Michigan?" Dean asked.

I looked at him. "I'm sorry, did you have a better idea?" I asked. He said nothing. "Hey Bobby," I said. "We're in a bit of a predicament."

"Well it better be good, I'm busy ya idgit," he replied.

"It is," I stated. "Sam and Dean are kinda…um, cursed."

"What?" he demanded.

Sam took the phone from me. "Bobby, do you know anything about cursed baby shoes? Those bronzed ones?"

"Not a damn thing," he stated. "But if I had to go out on a limb here, I would try to find out whose shoes they are. Maybe return them to the owner?"

"Thanks Bobby," Sam said, and hung up.

"Please tell me we don't have to go talk to that lady again," I stated. No one said anything. "Damn it."

We went back up to the door and knocked again. She wouldn't open the door. "I thought I told you I would call the police," she called.

"Yeah well," Dean said. "I'm feeling reckless."

"Can you tell us whose shoes these are?" Sam asked. "We'll leave you alone then, I promise."

"My grandmother," she said. "A baby, I don't know. His name was Ryan."

"Where is he now?"

"I called the police they're on their way!" she yelled.

"Guys," I said, hearing sirens already.

We disappeared fast. "That was pointless," Dean stated, frustrated. "Now what do we do."

"Well," Sam said. "We got a name at least."

"Yeah, Ryan," I scoffed. "So much help there."

"Let's just get to the room and start digging," Sam stated. "It's all we got."

That was all we did all night. Sam was scouring the internet for the woman's records. Anything that could get us back far enough to find out who Ryan was. However, there was close to nothing. It was almost as if he had never existed. I fell asleep on them as the sun was coming up.

I was nudged. "What?" I asked. A twelve year old Sam was staring at me. I involuntarily jumped. I sat up. "Shit, sorry. Did you find anything?"

"No," He said. "And I'm hungry."

I stared at him for a moment, wondering what the hell he was telling me for when I realized that he was twelve. And I was seventeen. I was older than him and he couldn't drive. "Where's Dean?" I asked.

Dean cam barreling in the door not a day over sixteen. "God, I love that car."

"Dean," I complained. "You can't just leave looking like that!"

"Looking like what?" he asked, grabbing a beer. "Like awesome?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Like a kid." I took the beer out of his hands. "How in the world would you explain to the cops why you're license picture looks about ten years older than you?"

"Who cares?" Dean said rolling his eyes. "It's not like they would ever pull me over. I'm an excellent driver."

"That's not the point," I argued. He sat down on the bed next to Sam and smacked him upside the head.

"Ow," Sam complained, smacking him back.

"Oh my god…" I said, watching them. "You're actually acting your age."

"What?" Dean asked with a scoff. "I feel the same as I did yesterday."

"You're de-aging mentally too," I said, shaking my head. "We need to keep searching. C'mon." Neither of them moved. "Ok, I'll do it myself then." I turned the computer on.

"Dean!" I screeched. "What the hell?"

"Sorry!" he called from the bathroom.

There was porn covering the screen. I clicked off of it and went back to searching the internet for the Ryan person's name. "Lex," Sam said. "I'm still hungry."

"Oh, right," I said, "Order a pizza or something. Here." I handed him my phone. I went right back to researching. After a few hours, Dean was tormenting Sam again. "Dean," I said, "Seriously, stop."

"Look," he said. "Why don't you let me help you?" I handed over the computer. He took it and researched for a little while. He ended up playing a game and I took it back.

"Hey!" I said, slapping Dean away.

"What?" he asked.

"I found him," I said, pointing. "He was a stillborn, that's why we couldn't find him anywhere. He was born prematurely and didn't make it."

"Awesome," he stated. "Where's he buried so we can torch the sucker?"

My smile fell. "I don't know."

"Great," Sam said, "Can we go get food?"

I stared at him. "You just ate an entire pizza." He only stared back like I was crazy. "Ok," I sighed. "Diner?"

"Yes," Dean and Sam said together.

We left the room and piled into the impala. Dean got into the driver's seat. "Dean," I said. "Seriously? You look about fourteen right now."

He sighed and scooted over, handing me the keys. I drove us down the block. We went to the diner and sat in a booth. This felt wrong. I was the youngest, not the oldest. And Sam and Dean's clothes barely fit. We looked like a gang of abused and forgotten children.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

After Sam and Dean had annihilated all the food on the table, including most of mine, we left. People had been staring at us like we were crazy. The truth was we probably did look a little nuts. When we got back to the motel, I made Sam go to bed. He hadn't slept in two days. Dean was already watching tv. I sighed and went back to trying to find out where this stupid Ryan was buried.

"Hey," Dean said, looking at me like I was a lost puppy. "Are you ok?"

I looked over at him. "Yeah," I said. "Just worried."

"Don't be," he said. "We'll figure it out." I looked at him and couldn't help but bust out laughing. "What?" he asked.

"I'm taking advice from my older brother who looks like he's way younger than me," I laughed. "And I can't figure this out. And I might lose you forever."

"That's not funny," he stated, cracking a smile.

"I know," I said, calming down. "I'm just tired."

There was a knock on the door. I looked at Dean confused. He only shrugged. "Yeah?" I said, peeping through the hole. It was the police. I motioned to Dean to take Sam into the bathroom.

Sam groggily looked at him. "Wha?"

I opened the door. "Yeah, can I help you?" I asked.

The officer narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you here alone?" he asked.

"Uh, no," I said, figuring it was best not to completely lie. "I'm here with my boyfriend." That was stupid, why did I say that?

"And where is he?" he asked.

"He went out to grab dinner," I said. "I'm sorry is there a reason I'm being questioned? I payed the room for the night…"

"We're looking for two men, probably mid twenties who broke into a museum a few days ago," he said. He showed me a picture of Sam and Dean. "If you see them, or know anything, you give me a call." He handed me his card.

"Sure, sure," I said. "I hope you catch them." I closed the door and sighed in relief. We had to move now. It would have to wait until tomorrow.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNPSN SPNSPNSPN

I had fallen asleep at the computer screen. "Huh?" I said, when Sam woke me up again. "What time is it?"

"One," Sam said. "And Dean's bein mean."

I looked up to see a four year old in front of me. This just couldn't get any worse. There was a knock on the door. Ok, maybe it could. Dean, who looked probably ten, opened the door before I could get there. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, is your guardian here?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, pushing Dean out of the way. "Yeah, I'm here. What's the problem?"

"You're rent is due," he said. "Another night of pay or you have to leave."

"Ok," I said, looking around the trashed room. Sometime in between me sleeping and whenever the boys woke up they trashed the room. "Dean, do you know where I put the cards?"

"Isn't that your job?" Dean asked, going back to the tv.

I sighed. "Look," I said to the manager. "I can get you the cash but you've got to give me an hour."

"You have one hour or I'm renting out this room," he stated.

I nodded and closed the door. I pulled out my emergency cash fund and knew I'd have to get to the bank. "OK," I said. "Dean, please watch Sam until I get back."

"OK," he said.

I ran out of the room and drove to the nearest bank. I was going to need at least a couple hundred to tide us over a few days. I took out the cash and raced back. I opened the door to Dean and Sam jumping on the bed. The sheets were on the floor. The TV was on the floor. Everything was thrown around. "Seriously?" I cried. "I left for like five minutes!"

"Sorry," Sam said, laughing.

I paid the rent and then came back to the room. Bobby called. "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Sorry," Bobby scoffed. "Next time I won't help you idgits."

"Bobby," I sighed. "I'm sorry. What's up?"

"I found out exactly how to get rid of the shoes," he said. "You have to burn the body and shoes together."

"Oh good," I said. "Too bad I don't know where he's buried. I already checked all the local graveyards and everywhere else I could think of."

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"Sam and Dean are kind of, um, kids."

"Kids?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Kids. I got this though."

"Sure," he said. "I can meet up with you, ya know."

"Ok," I said. I gave him the name of the motel. "And Bobby?" I said, looking over at Sam. He was growing younger by the second now. "Hurry."

I picked Sam up. He was getting younger a lot fast than he had before. I was starting to panic. This was not good. I was running out of time. That was when I thought of something. What happened when they hit babies?

I packed up and got into the car. I went up to Mary's house, holding Dean's hand in one hand and holding Sam on my hip. He was nearing the age where he couldn't walk. "Open the door!" I screamed. "Please for the love of god help me!"

She opened the door and abruptly tried to close it again when she saw me. "No!" I yelled. "I swear to god if you don't help me I will kill you with my bare hands."

Her eyes widened. She opened the door. "I don't know what you want me to do," she said.

"Where was Ryan buried?" I asked. "Where!"

"Wyoming, a church in Wyoming where my mother grew up!" she replied. "But you can't get there with them you won't have enough time."

"What's going to happen?" I asked, fearing the worst.

"They'll disappear!" She said, shaking her head sadly. "They'll be gone forever."

Seconds later we were in the car. I had a four year old and a screaming baby in the front seat with me. I was driving as fast as I could without killing us. Sam continued crying until all the sudden it stopped. "What happened?" I asked, looking to Dean.

Dean shrugged. "He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" I asked, feeling tears brimming in my eyes. Dean didn't say anything. I drove as fast as the impala would let me go.

I screeched to a stop in front of a cemetery. It had taken seven hours of nonstop driving but I had made it. I picked up a baby Dean and found the right grave. It was a small one, only a few lines of graves. I put Dean on the grass, and dug while he cried. "Shh," I said, "Please, Dean, you're going to get us in trouble. Shh…"

He finally stopped. I peeked my head out. He hadn't stopped crying, he was gone. I started sobbing. "Dean, no…" I went back to digging, clumsily now since I couldn't see through my tears. "Please," I pleaded. "Please still work."

I finally busted into the tiny coffin. It creeped me out a little, but I was too upset to care. I picked up the baby shoes with the shovel and threw them in. I tossed fluid and then a match, sending up a silent prayer. "C'mon," I begged.

Nothing happened.

I sat down in the grass and put my head in my hands. "Why?" I asked. I was alone. I was all alone. I'd never get the chance to save Dean let alone ever see him again. I should've gone back to Mary's house first. I shouldn't have tried to do it on my own. I should've asked for help sooner. Why did I have to be so stupid?

Now I was so screwed. I didn't even know where to go.

"What happened?" Dean asked, coming up from behind me. "And where are we?"

I gasped and jumped nearly a mile in the air. "Dean!" I yelled. I hugged him tighter than I had since I was probably about six.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, drowsily.

"Sam!" I screamed. I hugged him too. "Thank god."

"Seriously," Dean said, deadpan. "Are we done with the reunion? Can you tell me what happened?"

"You disappeared," I said. "I thought you were dead."

"You mean because of the shoes?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," I said. "How much do you remember?"

Dean and Sam exchanged a look. "Not much," Sam said. "It kind of feels like a dream."

"A messed up dream," Dean agreed with a scoff. We all peered into the hole. "Let's get out of here," he said.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSN PSNPSNS

I lay on the bed, while Dean watched tv and Sam slept. "Dean?" I asked.

"Hmm?" He took another sip of his beer.

"Is that what it was like for you?" I asked. "And dad?"

"What what was like?" he asked.

"Trying to take care of us," I replied. "The fighting and constant nagging. The stress. The feeling that no matter what you did it was impossible?"

He smirked. "Pretty much."

I was silent for a moment. "I don't know how you did that," I stated.

He chuckled. " I didn't exactly have a choice," he stated. "Kind of just happened that way."

I thought about that for a moment. "I don't know what I'm going to do when you're gone."

Dean was silent for a moment. "You'll have Sam."

"I know," I said. "I know."

"Do you-?"

"Just shut up, Dean," I said, and went to sleep.

Sometimes I just knew when I couldn't handle anymore. This was one of those times. I closed my eyes, and pretended I was in a world where there was nothing to be scared of when the truth was, I was scared of everything.


	67. Season 3, Chapter Thirteen

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Disclaimer: I own Alexis that is all.

Chapter Sixty Seven

I was waiting outside. Dean had disappeared inside the bar, looking for Sam. This was the last place that I thought we'd find him. However, Dean was on his last nerve. When he hadn't come out I went in after him.

"What's the big deal?" Sam asked Dean as I approached. "You get sloppy in bars; you hit on chicks all the time. Why can't I?"

I looked around the sleaze dive this bar was. It was pretty empty as it was, and the women in here weren't exactly grade A material. "It does have slim pickings around here," Dean murmured.

"What's going on with you?" I asked, sitting at the bar next to him.

"Yeah, what are you doing?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head, looking like all hope had gone out of his world. "I tried, Dean."

"To do what?" Dean asked, confused.

"To save you," Sam remarked.

Dean sighed and sat down next to him. "Could I get a whiskey, double, neat," he said to the bar tender.

"I'm serious, Dean," Sam pleaded. He looked down at his glass.

"No, you're drunk," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"I mean, where you're going... what you're gonna become," Sam said. He looked close to tears.

"Oh geez," I said, looking away.

Sam ignored me and scoffed. "I can't stop it. I'm starting to think maybe even Ruby can't stop it. But really, the thing is no one can save you."

"What I've been telling you," Dean stated.

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, no one can save you because you don't wanna be saved. I mean, how can you care so little about yourself?" Sam asked.

Dean was silent for a minute and smirked to himself. Before he could say anything, his phone rang. "Hello?" he asked. "Yes, this is Mr. Sniderson. What?" I looked back at him. This didn't sound like a good what. "Where?" he asked.

Dean immediately grabbed Sam. "We gotta go," he said.

"Dean, what's going on?" I asked.

"Bobby's in trouble," Dean stated. "He's in the hospital."

I followed him to the car. "What do you mean he's in the hospital?" I demanded. My heart was already pounding.

"They can't wake him up," Dean said. "They didn't tell me much."

"Ok," I said, getting into the front seat. Sam lay down in the back seat. "Then drive." He nodded and took off.

Sam had been going a little crazy lately. I think it was the stress of trying to get Dean to be in on saving himself. That was all Sam really wanted anyway. He wanted Dean to care because at least then there was a point to this whole mess.

I felt my heart pang in my chest when we got to the hospital around dinner time. I was scared to see what Bobby looked like, lying there. We made it to his room and I only stared before I walked over and grabbed his hand. "Oh Bobby…" I sighed.

I had just talked to him when Sam and Dean got cursed. He was so willing to help me. He was always there for me. This couldn't be it for him.

"So, what's the diagnosis?" Sam asked the doctor.

"We've tested everything we can think to test," the doctor said, at a loss. "He seems perfectly healthy."

"Except that he's comatose," I remarked. Sam squeezed my shoulder.

"Mr. Sniderson, you're his emergency contact," the doctor stated. "Anything we should know? Any illnesses?"

"No, he-he never gets sick," Dean said, shaking his head. "I mean, he doesn't even catch cold."

"Doctor, is there anything you can do?" Sam asked desperately.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we don't know what's causing it... so we don't know how to treat it. He just... went to sleep, and didn't wake up," the doctor explained.

I looked to Dean, telling him with my eyes that he needed to do something. Anything. We couldn't just leave Bobby to die here. "Ok," Dean said once the doctor walked out. "I say we go see what Bobby's been up to. Where did they say they found him?"

"Motel," Sam reminded him. "A few blocks away."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSN PSNSPNSPNSPN

"So, what was Bobby doing in Pittsburgh?" Sam asked.

"Unless he's taking an extremely lame vacation..." I sighed. "He was on a job, right?" There didn't seem to be anything in the room. It looked spotless.

"Well, you think there'd be some sort of sign of something, you know?" Dean asked, opening drawers. "Research, news clippings..."

I opened the closet. He had clothes in here. "How 'bout this?" I asked, moving the clothes out of the way. There was a whole wall filled with maps and pictures.

Dean chuckled. "Good old Bobby, always covering up his tracks."

"You make heads or tails of any of this?" Sam asked us.

Dean picked up one of the post it notes that was covering a picture of a plant. ""Silene capensis"," he read. "Which of course means absolutely nothing to me."

"Here, obit," Sam said, reaching. "Dr. Walter Gregg, 64, university neurologist."

"How'd he die?" I asked.

"Um... actually, they don't know," Sam said. "They say he just went to sleep and didn't wake up."

"That sound familiar to you?" Dean asked, taking the clip from Sam.

"We're not letting that happen to Bobby," I stated.

"Alright, um... So let's say Bobby was looking into the doc's death," Sam said. "You know, hunting after something-"

Dean perked up. "That started hunting him." He sighed. "Alright, Sam, stay here. See if you can make heads or tails of this."

"What are you two gonna do?" Sam asked.

"Look into the good doctor myself," Dean smirked, and motioned for me to follow him out.

"Dean," I said, following him. Why did he have to be so much taller than me that every step he took I had to take two? "Dean, do you really think that's it? What if Bobby's just sick?"

"Only one way to find out," he said, opening the car door for me.

We made it to the doctor's office, but it didn't seem to be much of an office anymore. All that was left was boxes of stuff. "What's going on?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," a woman said, walking in. "Can I help you?"

"What happened to the Doctor?" Dean asked.

"Oh," she said. "He passed away."

"So you're Dr. Gregg's lab assistant?" I asked, just guessing.

"That's right," she nodded.

"Well, his death must have come as a shock to you," Dean said, looking around at the boxes. There were piles upon piles of them. I wondered if there was anything interesting in them.

"Yeah, it did," the assistant nodded. "But, still, go in your sleep, peaceful... That's what you wish for, right?"

"Yeah. Right," I nodded. At least it was better than how I was more than likely to go.

Dean picked up a book. "Dr. Gregg uh…studied sleeping disorders?" he asked. "Dreams?"

"I don't understand," the lab assistant stated. "I went over all of this with the other detective."

"You already spoke to another detective?" I asked.

"Yes. A very nice older man with a beard," she replied, nodding.

Bobby.

"Well, I'd love to hear it again if you don't mind," Dean said, jumping in.

She sighed. "Thing is, I'm sort of busy. Maybe we could do this later?"

"Sure. Yeah," Dean said. "Just bring you down to the station later this afternoon." I noticed her fidget. "Get your statement on tape, do it all official-like."

"Look, okay, I didn't know about Dr. Gregg's experiments," she said desperately. "Not until I was cleaning out his files."

I looked to Dean confused. "His experiments, uh...? The ones he was conducting on sleeping?"

"No one knew, okay? Not the university, not anybody," she said. "I already spoke with a lawyer and he told me I can't be held liable for anything."

"Maybe you couldn't, but that was before the new evidence came to light," Dean said. I shot him a look.

"New evidence?" she asked, scared. "What new evidence?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Dean stated.

"Look, I'm just a grad student, this was a gig to cover tuition," she said.

"Maybe so," Dean went on. "But, uh, still this-this..."

"This could go on your permanent record," I said, helping him out. They still had that right? "Unless you hand over the doctor's research to us," I added, "All of it."

"Ok," she said, She opened up a box. "This is all the patient files."

"Ok," I said, taking them. "Are any of them still active patients?"

"Yeah," she said. "This one. Jeremy Frost."

"Thanks," I said, taking the file. "We'll get back to you." I nodded to Dean and we left. "Here," I said, showing him the address.

"Nice," he said, with a smirk.

"Thank you," I smirked back. We went to the guy's house right away.

"Detective," Dean said, holding his badge up. "Can we talk?"

Jeremy let us in. "Look, I don't know what the RA said, but, ah, I was growing ferns," he remarked.

Dean scoffed. "Take it easy, Phish, that's not why I'm here."

Jeremy stopped. "Really?"

Dean showed him the file from the Doctors. "I wanna talk to you about Dr. Gregg's sleep study," Dean said.

"Yeah. Dr. Gregg just died, right?" Jeremy asked.

"You were one of his test subjects, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied. He opened his fridge and took out two beers. He held one out to both me and Dean. I shook my head, but Dean took it. I glared at him. They both took a swig and Dean smiled at me stupidly.

"Now, Dr. Gregg was testing treatments for a, uh, "Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome"? Which means...?" I asked.

"Um... I, uh... I can't dream," Jeremy stated. I raised my eyes. "I had this bike accident when I was a kid and banged my head pretty good and I haven't had a dream since," he explained. "Till the study. You know. Sort of."

"What'd the doc give you?" Dean asked.

"It's this yellow tea. It... it smelled awful, tasted worse," he replied.

"What did it do?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Just passed right out. And uh, I had the most vivid, super-intense dream. Like a bad acid trip, you know?"

"Totally," Dean smirked. I smacked him on the arm. "I mean, no," he added.

"That was it. I dropped out of the stuff right after that," Jeremy went on. "I didn't... like it. To tell you the truth... it kind of scared me."

"Thanks," I said, pulling Dean towards the door with me. "We got what we need."

Dean sighed, closing the door behind him. "Now what?" he asked.

"Hospital," I said. "If you don't mind."

He gave me a small smile. "Ok," he agreed.

Once we finally made it back to Bobby, I sat down next to him. I held his hand and sighed. "He's going to be ok," I stated.

"Yeah," Dean said. "Of course."

"How is he?" Sam asked.

"No change," Dean sighed. "What you got?"

I got up and went over to the papers that Sam had. "Well, considering what you told me about the doc's experiments," Sam sighed. "Bobby's wall is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense."

"How so?" Dean asked.

Sam held up a picture of a plant. "Is that supposed to mean something?" I asked, when he didn't say anything.

"This plant, Silene capensis, is also known as African Dream Root," Sam explained. "It's been used by shaman and medicine men for centuries."

"Let me guess. They dose up, bust out didjeridus, start kicking around the hacky," Dean said.

I looked up at him. "What?"

They ignored me. "Not quite. If you believe the legends, it's used for dream walking," Sam said, pulling out an article. "I mean, entering another person's dreams, poking around in their heads."

"I take it we believe the legends," I said.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "When don't we?" Sam asked. He shook his head. "But dream walking is just the tip of the iceberg."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, this Dream Root is some serious mojo," Sam said. "You take enough of it, with practice; you can become a regular Freddy Krueger."

I looked at Bobby. What was going on in his head right now?

"You can control anything. You could turn bad dreams good, you could turn good dreams bad," Sam went on.

"And killing people in their sleep?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "For example."

I sighed. "Awesome."

"So let's say uh, let's say this doc was testing this stuff on his patients, Tim Leary-style," Sam added.

"Somebody gets pissed at him, decides to give him a little dream visit, he goes nighty-night," Dean stated.

"What about Bobby?" I asked. "I mean, if the killer came after him, how come he's still alive?"

"I don't know," Dean said. WE went to leave the room. "So how do we find our homicidal sandman?"

"Could be anyone," Sam said.

"Anyone who knew the doctor and had access to his dream shrooms," I said.

"Maybe one of his test subjects or something?" Sam asked.

"Possible. But his research was pretty sketchy," Dean said. "I mean... I don't know how many subjects he had or who all of them were." Sam scoffed. "What?" Dean asked.

"Any other case, we'd be calling Bobby and asking him for help right now," Sam stated.

"You know what? You're right," Dean said, a little too excitedly.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Let's go talk to him," Dean repeated.

"Were you not in the same hospital room I was?" I asked. "Conversation might be a little one sided."

"Not if we're tripping on some Dream Root," Dean said.

"What?" Sam asked, incredulously.

"You heard me," Dean said.

"You wanna go dream walking inside Bobby's head?" I asked

"Yeah. Why not?" Dean shrugged. "Maybe we could help."

"We have no idea what's crawling around in there," I said.

"How bad could it be?" Dean asked.

Sam stared. "Bad."

Dean scoffed. "Dude, its Bobby."

"Yeah, you're right," Sam said. "One problem though. We're fresh out of African Dream Root, so unless you know someone who can score some it..."

Dean frowned. "Crap. "

"What?" Sam asked.

"Bela."

"Bela?" Sam asked, confused at first. "Crap. You're actually suggesting we ask her a favor?"

"I'm feeling dirty just thinking about it, but yeah," Dean said, and walked off before he could think about it anymore.

"I don't like it," I stated.

"No one does," Sam said. "C'mon."

SPNSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSP NPSNSPSNPSNPSNPSNS

I winced as I heard another one of Sam's whimpers. "Dean?" I said, looking over to where Sam was asleep on the desk. "Shut him up."

Dean looked up and smirked. "He's happy ankle biter, leave him alone."

Sam moaned again, louder this time. I gave Dean a look. He sighed and threw a piece of paper at his head. Sam snorted and looked up.

"Dude, you were out," Dean said. "Making some serious happy noises." Sam looked uncomfortable, and wouldn't look at us.

I snorted. So who were you dreaming about?"

"What?" he demanded, eyes shifting. "No one. Nothing."

"Come on, you can tell me. Angelina Jolie?" Dean asked.

"No."

"Brad Pitt?"

Sam looked at him like he was nuts. "No. No. Dude, it doesn't matter."

Dean frowned. "Whatever."

"I called Bela," Dean stated.

"Bela? Yeah? She-What'd she... you know, say? She... gonna... help us?" Sam asked, stuttering through his words.

"Shockingly, no, which puts us back to square one," Dean went on, ignoring Sam. "I've been trying to decipher the doctor's notes. Unfortunately, he has worse handwriting than you do."

"You gonna come help me with this stuff?" Dean asked. "Either of you?"

I sighed and got up to help him, but there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it to see. "Bela. As I live and breathe," Dean stated.

"You called me. Remember?" She asked.

"I remember you turning me down," Dean replied.

Bela smirked. "Well, I'm just full of surprises."

Sam fidgeted. "Hey, Bela. What's going on?"

I stifled a laugh. "You ok Sam?"

"Uh huh," he said, looking away again.

"I brought you your African Dream Root," she said, handing Dean a jar of it. "Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" I asked.

"What?" Bela asked, offended. "I can't do you a little favor every now and again?"

"No, you can't," I stated. "What's the catch?"

She shot me a look. "Well, I'm doing it for him. Not you," Bela answered.

"Bobby?" Dean asked. "Why?"

"He saved my life once," she replied. "In Flagstaff." Dean and I exchanged a look. "I screwed up and he saved me, okay?" She asked, frustrated. "You satisfied?"

"Maybe," I stated. "Did he at least make you suffer first?"

"Ha ha," she said. "So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere. I don't trust you enough to let you in my car, much less Bobby's head," She said. "No offense."

Dean put the dream root in the safe inside the closet. "None taken," Bela replied. "But it's 2 am. Where am I supposed to go?"

"Get a room. Ah, they got the Magic Fingers, a little Casa Erotica on pay-per-view," Dean said with a smirk. "You'll love it."

"You..." she huffed and disappeared.

Dean looked to me and Sam. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, sitting on the bed.

Dean looked at me. "You're not going in either."

I scoffed. "Why you don't trust me in Bobby's head either?" I asked. "C'mon Dean, I'm not four."

"I know that," he stated, taking out the dream root. "I need you to be awake to watch us. Just to be sure nothing happens."

"That's dumb," I complained, annoyed.

He took out the Dream root and looked at it. "How are we supposed to use this?" Dean asked. "Eat it?"

"Make it into tea," Sam stated.

Both Sam and Dean looked like they were at a loss. "Gimme," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'll make it."

"You're the best," Dean remarked, smirking.

"Uh huh," I said, taking the jar from him. I went to our little kitchenette thing and started boiling water. It smelled disgusting, but there was nothing I could add to make it taste better. "Almost done," I said, pouring it into cups. "Here."

I handed Dean two mugs of the disgusting smelling concoction. He brought it over to Sam and both sat on the beds. "Uh, should we dim the lights and synch up Wizard of Oz to Dark Side of the Moon?" Dean asked.

Sam looked at him like he was nuts. "Why?"

Dean was disappointed. "What did you do during college?"

"Wait, wait, wait," I said, handing the envelope to Sam. "Can't forget this."

Sam took it and opened the envelope up. "What the hell is that?" Dean asked as Sam tried to put some into Dean's drink.

"Bobby's hair."

Dean grimaced. "We have to drink Bobby's hair?"

"That's how you control whose dream you're entering," Sam said. "You gotta drink some of their uh... Some of their body."

"Well, guess the hair of the dog is better than other parts of the body," Dean sighed. "Lex, make if anyone gets in and you can't handle it you run, hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah," I said, rolling my eyes.

Sam lifted his cup to Dean and toasted him. They both took a long gulp and immediately passed out. There was no waiting period. The mugs crashed to the ground, extra tea going everywhere. I sighed and cleaned it up, Dean already snoring away. "Nice," I remarked.

I sat down with the computer and began doing random things. This was incredibly boring. There was absolutely nothing to do. I contemplated calling Dylan, just for someone to complain to, but I didn't want to bother him. Not now.

Sam flinched in his sleep. "That didn't look good," I said to myself and walked over. "Sam?" I said, trying to wake him up. He didn't flinch again at me shaking him. They were in there for good I guess.

Nearly thirty seconds later, both woke up with a start. I jumped. "Good morning sunshines," I said, handing Dean a beer. "What happened?"

"We were in Bobby's head," Sam said.

"How was it?" I asked.

Dean shook his head, weirded out. "Worse than I thought."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. Dean just shook his head again. "But is he ok now?"

My phone rang. "Hello?"

"Are you three idgits going to get down here or what?" Bobby stated.

I smiled. "We're coming, hold your pants on."

"Hang on," Sam said as we walked out the door. "Lemme grab the stuff Bobby collected."

Dean and I headed out to the car. "Hey Lex," Dean said. "Do you know how Bobby became a hunter?"

I looked at him like he was crazy. His face told me though that something was wrong. "Yeah," I replied. "His wife. She was possessed. He, uh, he had to kill her."

Dean nodded. "How do you know?"

"I asked," I replied. "A long time ago." I paused for a moment, getting into the backseat. "Why?"

"His dream was about it," Dean answered. I flinched. "Don't say anything to Sam, ok?"

Sam got into the car. "Ready," he said. "Dean, that kid that you went to check out with Lex. What did he look like?"

"Uh, scruffy, small," Dean rattled off. "Why?"

"Shit," Sam said. "It's him. It's got to be him." He sighed. "I'll go check him out and you guys stay with Bobby?"

"Ok," Dean replied. We got out of the car and headed up to Bobby with the pile of papers that Bobby had collected earlier.

Dean walked into the room and smiled. "Good morning old man," he smirked. "Lex? Coffee?"

"Yeah ok," I said patting bobby's hand and then walking back out.

The line in the cafeteria was long. By the time that I was heading back up to Bobby's room, I ran into Sam in the hallway. "Hey," I said. By the look on his face I knew he didn't run into Jeremy. "Nothing?" I asked.

"Nothing," Sam said. "He's disappeared." We got back to Bobby and Sam sighed. "So, uh, stoner boy wasn't in his dorm. My guess is he's long gone by now."

"He ain't much of a stoner," Bobby corrected. He picked up a picture of Jeremy off the pile of papers. "His name's Jeremy Frost. Full-on genius. Hundred-and-sixty IQ. Which is sayin' some, considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head." I grimaced. Bobby handed Sam a piece of paper. "Here's Father of the Year. He died before Jeremy was 10."

"Looks like a real sweetheart," I stated. The look in the man's eyes was haunting.

"Injury gave him Charcot-Wilbrand, he hasn't dreamt since," Bobby added.

"Till he started dosing the dream drug," Dean stated. Bobby nodded. "How'd he know how to dig up your worst nightmare and throw it at you?"

"He was rooting around in my skull. God knows what he saw in there," Bobby scoffed.

"How'd he get in there in the first place? Isn't he supposed to have some of your hair, your DNA or something?" I asked.

"Yeah," Bobby said, looking embarrassed. "Before I knew it was him, he offered me a beer. I drank it. Dumbest frigging thing."

Dean's eyes widened. "Oh, I don't know. It wasn't that dumb," he chuckled.

"Dean, you didn't," Sam said, shaking his head.

"Oh, he did," I stated, noting the look on Dean's face.

"I was thirsty," Dean suggested.

"That's great, now he can come after either one of you," Sam said.

"Well, now we just have to find him first," Dean stated.

"We better work fast and coffee up," Bobby said, looking at all of us. "Because the one thing we cannot do is fall asleep."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPSNPSNPSNSPNS PNSPNSPSNPSNS

These had been the longest two days of my life. Dean had taken it upon himself to make sure that if he couldn't sleep then either could we. He was more than a little pissy and I was more than a little tired of it. "I mean, this Jeremy guy's not a frigging ghost. Where the hell could he be?" Dean asked, for again.

"Dean, you sure you don't want me to drive? You seem a little..." Sam went off.

"Caffeinated?" I suggested.

"Thanks for the news flash, Edison," Dean remarked at me. His cell rang and he tried to get it out of his pocket. When he finally did, he picked it up angrily. "Tell me you got something," he pleaded.

"Strip club was a bust, huh?" Bobby asked through the speaker.

"Yeah," Dean replied.

"That was our last lead."

Dean exploded. "What the hell, Bobby!"

"Don't yell at me, boy," Bobby stated. "I'm working my ass off here."

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm-I'm-I'm tired," Dean complained.

"Well, who ain't?" Bobby stated.

"What's Bela got?" I called.

There was a pause. "She's got nothing."

"Great! Well, I'm just gonna go blow my brains out now!" Dean stated. He threw his phone and hit the steering wheel in anger.

"C'mon Dean," I stated. "Calm down."

Dean pulled over and I almost thought he was stopping just to ream me out. "Alright, that's it. I'm done," Dean stated.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

Dean grunted, shifting down in his seat. "Taking myself a long-overdue nap."

"What? Dean, Jeremy can come after you," I said.

"That's the idea."

"Excuse me?" Sam asked.

"Come on man, we can't find him, so let him come to me," Dean said.

"On his own turf? Where he's basically a god?" Sam asked

Dean scoffed. "I can handle it."

"Not alone, you can't," Sam said, grabbing a few hairs off of Dean's head.

"Ow!" Dean yelped. "What are you doing?"

"Coming in with you," Sam replied.

"No, you're not."

Sam looked at him. "Why not? At least then it'll be two against one."

"Make that three," I stated, pulling out a few hairs of my own.

"OW!" Dean yelled again. "Stop. You're not coming in."

"Why?" I demanded.

Dean looked at a loss. "'Cause I don't want you digging around in my head."

Sam scoffed. "Too bad." Sam pulled out the dream root and squeezed some into the water we had. "It'll have to do," he stated.

Sam and I gave each other a look and gulped it down.

A second later I was waking up to Sam tapping me on the head. "What?" I asked, jumping awake. "What's going on?"

Dean was snoring away, his head on the side of the car. "Dean," Sam said, hitting him

Dean snorted and woke up. "Jeez. For the love of God. What are we still doing here?"

"I have no idea," Sam stated. There were crunching sounds outside of the car. "There's someone out there," he added.

We got of the car cautiously. I scanned around, hearing music. "Hey. You gonna sit down?" A voice said.

I jumped and turned around. Lisa, that girl from Indiana was sitting on a picnic blanket. Dean was staring. She smiled at him. "Come on. We only have an hour before we have to pick Ben up from baseball."

I looked at Sam. "Awkward."

"I've never had this dream before," Dean stated.

Sam stared at him. "Stop looking at me like that," Dean insisted.

Sam put his hands up. "Sorry."

"Dean," Lisa said. "I love you."

"Super awkward," I remarked. Sam punched me in the arm.

Lisa disappeared. "Where'd she go?" Dean asked, turning around.

"Dean," Sam said, pointing to movement in the woods behind us. He took off and I followed. I dodged trees and bushes that whipped me in the face.

Sam suddenly stopped. "Dean?! Where'd he go?"

I looked behind me. "He was right there," I said. When I turned back around, Sam was gone. "Sam?!" I turned around again. "Anybody?!"

I turned myself in so many circles I didn't know where I was. I stopped and just started walking. I felt like I was intruding in my brother's head. I hoped I wouldn't find anything, but then again, I did. I walked until all the sudden; I wasn't in the woods anymore. I was in a motel hallway. The door at the end of the hall was open and in it stood two Dean's. "Dean?!" I yelled.

The door slammed shut. I ran at it. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever before I ran into the door. I pounded on it three times before I backed up and sighed. I ran up to it, kicking it down like Dean had taught me years ago.

The door fell open.

"I mean, after all, you've got nothing outside of Sam, and her," Dean stated, pulling me into the room. "You are nothing. You're as mindless and obedient as an attack dog."

"Dean, that's not true," I stated, wondering what in the hell was going on.

"No? What are the things that you want? What are the things that you dream? I mean your car? That's Dad's. Your favorite leather jacket? Dads. Your music? Dads. Do you even have an original thought?" one Dean asked another.

The other Dean eyed me wearily.

"No. No, all there is is, "Watch out for Sammy. Look out for your little sister, boy!" You can still hear your Dad's voice in your head, can't you?" the one Dean asked.

Other Dean smiled. "Just shut up."

"Dean, wake up," I said, shaking my head. "Don't listen to this."

"I mean, think about it..." Dream dean added. "All he ever did is train you, boss you around." He took a step towards my brother. "But Sam... Sam he doted on. Sam, he loved. Lexie was his little girl."

"Stop!" I yelled, running at him.

Dream dean pushed me to the other side of the room with inhuman strength. I landed across the table and groaned.

"I mean it. I'm getting angry," Dean stated when I nodded to him that I was ok.

"Dad knew who you really were," Dream dean went on. "A good soldier and nothing else. Daddy's blunt little instrument. Your own father didn't care whether you lived or died. Why should you?"

Dean lunged at him. "Son of a bitch!" He threw Dream dean into the desk. "My father was an obsessed bastard!" He grabbed a shotgun out of dream Dean's hands. "All that crap he dumped on me, about protecting Sam. That was his crap. He's the one who couldn't protect his family. He- He's the one who let Mom die." He pinned dream Dean down. "Who wasn't there for Sam or Lexie. I always was! He wasn't fair! I didn't deserve what he put on me."

He backed away from dream Dean, aiming the rifle right at his chest. "And I don't deserve to go to hell!"

He shot himself in the chest. Or well, his other self. I got up and walked over to Dean. "You ok?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Just fine."

"This is the second time you've killed yourself," I stated. "Think it's a sign?" I smirked.

Dean put his arm around me. "God, I hope not."

The dream Dean moved slightly. Dean took a step towards him. Dream Dean's eyes flickered open and then he jumped awake. His eyes were completely black, like a demon's. He grabbed me and held a knife to my neck. "You can't escape me, Dean," he yelled. "You're gonna die. And this, this is what you're gonna become."

He pressed the knife harder. "Dean!" I yelled. "Wake up! Wake up!"

I gasped awake in the backseat of the impala. We all sat there for a moment, collecting our thoughts. What had I just been a part of? What just happened?

"I got him," Sam said, looking at us. "Jeremy's he's gone."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNSPN SP.

Bobby, Sam and I were walking down the hallway back to our motel room. We had already filled Bobby in on the dream thing. "So you did a little dream-weaving of your own in here, huh?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. I just sort of concentrated and it happened, you know?" Sam said, shrugging.

Bobby looked at him. "Didn't have anything to do with... you know, your psychic stuff?"

I looked down at the pink stripe on my forearm where I had miraculously healed myself a few months ago. It still made my heart beat faster.

Sam stopped and looked back at him. No. I mean, I don't think so," Sam stated.

Bobby nodded. "Good. Good." Bobby looked to me. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

Sam shot him a look, but I simply nodded. "What was that?" he asked.

I looked confused. "What was what?" I asked.

He frowned. "You know what I'm talking about. That look." I played the innocent card, but Bobby only grumbled. "C'mon darling, let me know."

"Something happened," I stated. "Awhile ago."

"Well what?" Bobby asked.

"This," I said, showing him my arm. He looked at me like I was nuts. "One minute it was bleeding and the next it was a scar."

He touched it and then looked at me. "Are you telling me that you healed yourself?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what I'm telling you. Just forget it." I went to walk away.

"Hey," he said, stopping me. "If anything else weird happens, you let us know."

I nodded and went into the room. Dean was just getting off the phone. "Hey, you guys seen Bela? She's not in her room. She's not answering her phone," he said.

"She must've taken off or something," Sam stated.

"Just like that?" Dean asked. "It's a little weird."

Bobby scoffed. "Yeah well, if you ask me what's weird is why she helped us in the first place."

Dean frowned. "I thought you saved her life."

Bobby looked lost. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The thing in Flagstaff?" I questioned.

"That thing in Flagstaff was an amulet," Bobby said. "I gave her a good deal, that's all."

Sam looked at Dean. "Well, the why did y-?"

"You boys better check your pockets," Bobby said. They both reached into their pockets. Bobby scoffed. "Not literally."

"No, no, no, no," Bobby said going over to the safe. He opened it. The Colt was gone.

"The Colt," Sam stated. "Bela stole the Colt."

"Damn it, boys!" Bobby scolded.

"Pack your crap," Dean said, grabbing his bag.

"Why? Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're gonna go hunt the bitch down." Dean walked out of the room and we headed to the car. "Hey, Sam. I was wondering. When you were in my head, what did you see?" Dean asked.

"Uh, just Jeremy. He kept me separated from you. Easier to beat my brains out that way, I guess," he said. "What about you two? You never said."

Dean looked at a loss. "I found him and we were looking for you the whole time," I said, patting Dean on the back.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. He gave me a thankful smile. We sat down in the car. "Sam. Lexie." He said.

"I've been doing some thinking. And... Well, the thing is... I don't wanna die." He looked sad. "I don't wanna go to hell."

Sam nodded. "Alright. Yeah. We'll find a way to save you."

"Okay, good," Dean nodded, with a pathetic grin.

I was happy that he had finally come around. My somewhere, deep inside, I knew it was too late.

**Thanks for reading!**

**My question is about Mystery Spot! **

**Two options: 1) Alexis is in on the problem with Sam. or 2) Sam's POV and Alexis is only a side character. Thoughts? Please review!**


	68. Season 3, Chapter Fourteen

**Hey guys! This chapter is written in Sam's POV as your choice based on reviews! Thank you for all your input! I recently put a POLL on my page. Check that out too if you have a minute! Enjoy and don't forget to review! **

**Disclaimer: I own Alexis. Nothing else.**

Chapter Sixty Eight

**Sam's POV**

Sam woke up to Asia's Heat of the Moment blaring in his ear. He sat up and looked over to Dean who was lacing up his boots. "Rise and shine, Sammy!" he smiled.

Sam looked at him like Dean was nuts. "Dude," he stated. "Asia?"

"Come on, you love this song and you know it," Dean remarked.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I'm gonna kill myself."

Lex was in the bed behind Dean. She put a pillow over her head. "Would you turn that crap off?"

Dean smirked and turned up the volume. "What? Sorry, couldn't hear you."

Sam shook his head with a smile as Dean started bopping his head along to the music. Dean got up and brushed his teeth, and gargled loudly for nearly a minute. Sam tried to ignore him. He only grinned at Sam like this was some sort of accomplishment. Lex came over and glared at them. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Dean spit. "Being awesome."

By the time that Dean was ready to go, Sam was impatiently waiting by the door. "Whenever you're ready, Dean," he remarked, waiting at the door. Dean was so frustrating.

He held up a black bra. "This yours?" he asked Sam. Sam just glared at him as Dean laughed.

Lex took it from him. "Stop touching my stuff."

"What?" Dean asked, "Ew." He reached into his bag. "Bingo," he said, holding up his gun. "Now who's ready for some breakfast?"

Sam was so fed up with both of them he left for the car with a huff. As they entered the first diner that they came across, an older man crossed their path. "Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett!" the cashier called.

Mr. Picket grumbled. "Yeah, yeah."

They found a seat by the window. Lexie and Dean sat on the same side, Lex staring away from them. Sam knew she had been caught up in a lot lately. Something was very wrong, not that he could blame her for acting funny. This had been the worst few months of all their lives.

"Can't stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules," a waitress said.

Cal passed her some change across the table. "Some coffee."

Sam sighed unhappily. "Hey," Dean said, pointing to the sign on the wall. "Tuesday. Pig in a poke."

"You even know what that is?" Sam asked with a small smirk.

"Does it matter?" Lex snorted. "He eats anything." Sam smiled.

"You guys ready?" the waitress asked. She was slightly older, exactly the diner waitress kind.

"Yes," Dean said, with a nod. "I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee."

"Make it two coffees and a short stack," Sam added.

"Make it three coffees and some toast," Lex went on.

"You got it," The waitress, Doris, remarked, walking off.

"I'm telling you, Sam, this job's small fry," Dean announced. "We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

Sam stared at him, annoyed. "Okay, sure, let's get right on that—where is she again?"

"Shut up," Dean retorted.

"Look, believe me; I want to find her as bad as you do. In the meantime, we have this," Sam said, pulling out some papers.

"All right, so this professor," Dean said, pointing to the headline.

"Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished," Lex said, sounding bored. She took the paper from Sam. "Last known location?"

"His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot," Sam answered.

Dean held up a flyer. "Where the laws of physics have no meaning," Dean stated. He looked at Sam like he was considering sticking him in a nut house.

Doris came back, putting three coffees on the table. Three coffees, black, and some hot sauce for the—"The hot sauce fell on the floor, smashing into a million pieces. "Whoops. Crap!" Doris mumbled. "Sorry. Cleanup!"

After Dean had sufficiently stuffed his face for the day, they headed back to the car down a few streets over. Dean took the flyer from Sam's hands again. "Sam, joints like this are only tourist traps, right? I mean, you know, balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling, they're only dangerous to your wallet."

Sam put his hands up. "Okay, look, I'm just saying, there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people. The Bermuda Triangle, uh, the Oregon Vortex—"

"Broward County Mystery Spot?" Lex asked.

"Well sometimes these places are legit," Sam defended.

"All right, so if it is legit, and that's a big-ass if, what's the lore?" Dean asked, skeptically. He collided with a young blonde, and apologized.

"The lore's pretty frigging nuts, actually," Sam went on. "They say these places the magnetic fields are so strong that they can bend space-time, sending victims no one knows where."

"Sounds a little _X-File_ to me," Dean went on.

Sam moved to the left as two movers tried to get a giant desk in the door. "Told you it wouldn't fit," the one complained.

The other mover stared at him. "What do you want, a Pulitzer?"

Sam cleared his throat. "All right, look, I'm not saying this is really happening, but if it is, we gotta check it out, see if we can do something."

"All right, all right, we'll go tonight, after they close, get ourselves a nice long look," Dean sighed.

By the time the Mystery Spot was going to close, Dean and Lexie were both over it. Sam tried to get them back on the case, but it wasn't easy to get these two back on track. Especially not by himself. Not only that, but Lexie had been quiet all day. Sam wasn't sure if she was brooding, or just tired. He was never sure when it came to girls.

The Mystery Spot wasn't that well locked up. It only took a minute to break in through the front door. The hall was neon green, a black spiral painted down it to make it look longer. The room at the end had furniture on the ceiling. Sam swept the EMF along the walls.

Dean looked up at the table on the ceiling. "Wow," he remarked. "Uncanny."

"Hey," Lex smirked. "Don't doubt. Maybe those nails aren't real."

"Uh huh," Dean replied. "Sam, find anything?"

Sam held up his unresponsive EMF. "No."

"You have any idea what you're looking for?" Lex asked him, sitting in a chair that was floating.

"Uh, yeah," Sam said, looking around. Lex just stared at him. "No," Sam admitted.

"What the hell are you doing here?" a voice said.

Sam jumped. Dean swung around and pointed his flashlight at the voice. He was holding a gun, and it was aimed at Dean. Dean immediately put his hands up. "Whoa," he said. "Whoa, we can explain."

"You robbing me?" the guy asked.

"Look, nobody's robbing you, calm down," Sam said calmly, trying to pacify the situation.

"Don't move!" the man screamed.

"Just putting the gun down," Dean said, lowering to the floor.

The owner fired. Alexis screamed. Dean fell to the floor.

"Dean!" Sam said, rushing over. Dean choked on his own breath. "Hey!" Sam yelled to the owner. "Call 911."

"I—I didn't mean to—"

"Now!" Sam screamed. "Lex!"

"Sam…" She cried. "Dean, c'mon, Dean…"

"Hey, hey, oh, no, no, no, not like this..." Sam cried, holding Dean in his arms. Dean went still, his eyes slowly closing.

_It was the Heat of the Moment…_

Sam opened his eyes. Asia's Heat of the Moment blaring in his ear, the same way it had that morning. He sat up and looked over to Dean who was lacing up his boots. "Rise and shine, Sammy!" he smiled.

Sam just stared at him. Wasn't he just dying? "Dude," Dean went on with a smile. "Asia."

Sam still looked lost. "Dean."

"Would you turn that crap off?" Lex demanded from the other side of the bed, throwing the pillow over her head.

"Oh, come on, you love this song and you know it," Dean stated, turning the volume up louder. He bopped around to the music, just like he had the first time Sam had seen this scene. He looked to Lexie, who seemed oblivious to the whole thing, just like Dean.

Sam got out of bed anyways, thinking this was going to be some messed up dream. He followed Dean to the bathroom where he gargled for another minute. "What are you doing?" Lex demanded, again.

Dean spit. "Being awesome."

Sam just stared, at a loss for words. "What?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam stated.

"You all right?" Lex asked, instantly worried, like she always was.

"I think I—"Sam started. Did he really want to explain what was happening? Lex waited expectantly for his response. "Man, I had a weird dream."

"Yeah?" Dean asked with a grin. "Clowns or midgets?"

Sam didn't answer. They made it back to the diner again, the same people inside. The cashier handed an old man his change. "Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett," he said cheerily.

"Yeah, yeah," the man grumbled, walking out of the diner.

They sat down in the same spot as the day before, Lex and Dean on the other side of the table. Sam nearly flinched when he heard the waitress at the counter again. "Can't stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules," she sighed.

Cal shoved his money forward. "Coffee," he stated.

Sam was busy staring until Dean said "Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke."

Sam looked up and then back at Dean. "It's Tuesday?"

"Yeah," Lex stated. "Comes after Monday." She frowned when Sam didn't even act like he heard her.

"Are you boys ready?" The waitress asked.

"Yes, I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee," Dean stated.

Sam looked around bewildered. "Uh, nothing for me, thanks."

"Make that two coffees and some toast," Lex said, still staring at Sam like he was going to explode.

"Let me know if you change your mind," the waitress said to Sam and walked off.

"I'm telling you, Sam, this job's small fry. We should be spending our time hunting down Bela," Dean remarked.

Sam wasn't paying attention however, he was staring at Doris, the waitress, who was walking back over to the kitchen.

"Hey," Lex said, snapping her fingers in front of Sam. "You with us?"

"What?" Sam asked, looking uneasy.

"You sure you feeling okay?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. This was going to be hard to explain. "You don't—you don't remember? Any of this?"

"Remember what?" Dean asked.

"This. Today. Like it's—like it's happened before?" Sam asked, feeling more stupid by the second.

"You mean like déjà vu?" Lex asked.

"No, I mean like, like it's really happened before," Sam stated, grasping at anything to make Dean or Lexie understand what was going on with him.

"Yeah," Dean stated. "Like déjà vu."

"No, forget about déjà vu," Sam said, annoyed. "I'm asking you if it feels like, like we're living yesterday all over again."

Lex frowned. "Okay, how is that not dé—"

"Don't, don't say it! Just don't even..." Sam mumbled irritated. Apparently they had no idea what he was talking about. Doris came back and arrived with the tray, just like the day before. Sam looked up and saw the hot sauce tipping off.

"Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the—oops!"

Sam reached up and grabbed it as it fell. "Thanks," Doris said as he handed it back to her.

"Nice reflexes," Lex stated.

Sam said nothing, just hoping he would wake up soon.

They left the diner, and Sam couldn't help but feel uneasy. The same dog barked at them. Sam looked back at it. "Sam, I'm sorry, but I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Dean stated.

"Okay, look, yesterday was Tuesday, right?" Sam asked, exasperated. "But today is Tuesday too."

"Yeah," Dean said, staring at him. "No. Good. You're totally balanced."

"So you don't believe me?" Sam asked, desperately.

Lex and Dean exchanged a look and Dean laughed. A blonde ran into Dean again. "Look, I'm just saying that it's crazy, you know, I mean, even for us crazy." Dean explained. "Dingo ate my baby crazy. Hey, maybe it was another of your psychic premonitions."

"No, no way, way too vivid," Sam said. "Okay, look, we were at the Mystery Spot, and then—"Sam stopped. He really didn't want to think about what he had seen again.

"And then what?" Lexis asked.

Sam shook his head. "Then I woke up."

They kept walking until they passed the movers trying to push the same desk into the building. "Told you it wouldn't fit."

"What do you want, a Pulitzer?"

"Wait a minute!" Sam said, suddenly coming up with an idea. "The Mystery Spot. You think maybe it—"He got caught up in his thoughts.

"Maybe what?" Lex asked.

Sam nodded. "We gotta check that place out, man. Look, just, go with me on this, okay?"

"All right, all right, we'll go tonight, after it closes, get ourselves a nice long look," Dean said, walking on ahead.

Sam nodded and then stopped. "Wait, what? No."

"Why not?" Dean asked, confused.

"Uh. Let's just go now. Right now. Business hours, nice and crowded," Sam said quickly.

"My God, you're a freak."

Sam sighed. "Dean."

"Okay. Whatever. We'll go now," he said. He walked into the street. A car careened into Dean, sending him flying into the air. He landed in the middle of the street. Lex started screaming. "HELP!" She screamed. "Someone help! Sam!"

"Dean!" Sam yelled. "Dean, no, no, no." Dean wasn't moving at all. He barely even breathed. "Hey. Dean." There was no response.

_It was the Heat of the Moment…_

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean smiled, tying his boots…again.

Sam stared at him. "What?"

He watched Dean repeat the same routine, gargling at the sink, holding up the bra, getting to the diner. Sam thought his head was going to explode. He had tried to explain to Dean and Lexie what was going on but they didn't seem to get what he was trying to say.

"Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke," Dean pointed.

"Would you listen to me, Dean?" Sam insisted. "Because I am flipping out."

"Are you boys ready?" Doris asked.

Sam sighed. "He'll take the special, side of bacon, coffee, black, and she wants coffee and toast, nothing for me, thanks."

Doris looked surprised. "You got it."

Dean smirked. "Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that."

"Quit screwing around, Dean," Sam complained.

"Okay, okay, I'm listening," Dean said. "So, so you think that you're in some kind of a what again?"

"Time loop," Sam stated.

"Like _Groundhog Day_," Lex stated.

"Yes, exactly, like _Groundhog Day_," Sam said, excitedly.

"Uh huh," Dean stated.

"So you don't believe me," Sam said, defeated.

Dean looked at Lexie. "It's just a little crazy, I mean even for us crazy, you know, like, uh—"

"Dingo ate my baby crazy?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes.

"How'd you know I was going to say that?" Dean asked.

"Because you said it before, Dean, that's my whole point," Sam stressed.

"Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the—whoops!" Doris said as the hot sauce fell again. Sam caught it and handed it back to Doris without even looking at her. "Thanks." She said, and walked off.

"Nice reflexes," Lex remarked.

"No. I knew it was going to happen," Sam stated, frustrated with this whole situation.

"Okay, look, I'm sure there's some sort of an explanation—"

"You're just going to have to go with me on this, Dean, you just have to, you owe me that much," Sam pleaded.

"Calm down," Lex said.

"Don't tell me to calm down. I can't calm down. I can't. Because—"Sam stopped again.

"Because what?" Dean asked.

"Because you die today, Dean."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not gonna die. Not today."

"Twice now I've watched you die, and I can't. I won't do it again, okay? You're just going to have to believe me," Sam said. He looked to Lex and then back to Dean. "Please."

"All right," Dean said. "I still think you're nuts, but okay, whatever this is, we'll figure it out."

As they left the diner, Sam cursed the stupid barking dog. Dean ran into the Blonde again.

"Told you it wouldn't fit."

"What do you want, a Pulitzer?"

Sam sighed. "So, what?" Dean asked. "You think this cheesy-ass tourist trap has something to do with it?"

"Maybe it's the real deal, you know?" Sam asked. "The, the magnetic fields bending space time or whatever."

"Well I still think you're nuts," Lex stated.

"Yeah," Dean said. "I don't know, it all seems a little too _X-Files_ for me."

"Well I don't know how else to explain it, Dean!" Sam exclaimed.

"All right, all right, we'll go tonight after they close, get ourselves a nice long look," Dean said.

"No no no no no, we can't," Sam said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Lex asked.

"Because he—"

"I what?" Dean asked. Sam was at a loss for words. "I die there?"

"Blown away, actually," Sam explained.

"Huh. Okay, we go now," Dean said, walking forward. Sam rushed after him and grabbed him before he could get into the street. The car zoomed past right in front of Dean.

Dean stared after the car. "Wait, did he?"

"Yesterday, yeah," Sam said.

"And?"

"And what?" Sam asked.

Dean smirked. "Did it look cool, like in the movies?"

"You peed yourself, Dean," Sam stated.

Dean looked away. "Of course I peed myself. Man gets hit by a car, you think he has full control over his bladder? Come on!" He looked both ways before crossing the street.

When they got to the mystery spot, Sam was ready to find out what was going on. "Boys, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this," the owner said. "We could use all the good ink we can get."

"How long have you owned the place, Mr. Kopiak?" Sam asked.

"My family's been guarding the secrets here since you don't want to know when," he said.

"So you'd know if anything strange happened?" Sam went on.

"Strange? Strange happens here all the time. It's a Mystery Spot," he smiled.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Well, uh, it's where the laws of physics have no meaning," he went on with a grin.

Sam was growing angry. "Okay, like how?"

The owner chuckled. "Take the tour."

"The guy who went missing, Dexter Hasselback, did he takes the tour?" Lexis asked.

"Uh, uh, hold on a minute, what kind of article is this?" the owner said, his smile falling.

"Just answer the question," Sam said.

"The police scoured every inch of this place," the owner said. "They couldn't find that man. I never seen him before. We're a family establishment—"

"Listen to me," Sam said, getting into the man's face. "There is something weird going on here. Now do you know anything about it or not?"

"Okay. Look," the man said. "Guys. Um. Give me a break. I bought the joint at a foreclosure auction last March, all right? Hell, I used to sell bail bonds."

Sam started at him. Lex sighed. "Okay, Sam, let's get some air." She led Sam outside.

"I hate to say it, but that place is exactly what I thought. Full of crap," Dean said.

"Then what is it, Dean, what the hell is happening to us?" Sam demanded.

"I don't know. All right, lemme just, so, every day I die," he stated.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"And that's when you wake up again, right?" Lexis asked.

"Yeah," Sam said again.

"So let's just make sure I don't die," Dean said. "If I make it to tomorrow, then maybe the loop stops and we can figure all this out."

"You think?" Sam asked.

"Worth a shot," Dean shrugged. "I say we grab some takeout and head back to the motel, lay low until midnight." Sam just nodded, feeling a little better. "All right, good. Who wants Chinese?"

He started walked again but only made it a few steps. A desk, the same desk from earlier, fell from the sky onto Dean. He was flattened like a pancake. Sam just stared.

_It was the Heat of the Moment….Telling you what your heart is…_

Sam opened his eyes and looked at Dean again. "Rise and shine, Sammy!"

He lay back down.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNPSN SPNPSNSPNPSPN

"I still think you're nuts, but whatever this is, we'll figure it out," Dean said.

Sam wasn't too enthused at this point. "Thanks," he said, sadly.

"So. Uh. You're stuck in _Groundhog Day_. Why? What's behind it?" Lex asked.

"Well, first I thought it was the Mystery Spot. Now I'm not so sure," Sam said.

"What do we do?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "Try to keep you breathing, try to make it to tomorrow. That's the only thing I can think of."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Dean said.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, right, Dean, I've watched you die a few times now and I can't ever seem to stop it."

"Well, nothing's set in stone. You said I order the same thing every day, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Pig in a poke, side of bacon," Sam stated, barely needing to think.

"'Scuse me, sweetheart," Dean called. "Can I get sausage instead of bacon?" The waitress nodded. Dean smiled. "See? Different day already. See, if you and I decide I'm not gonna die, I'm not gonna die."

The waitress brought over Dean's breakfast and Sam already felt better. Dean bit into the sausage. Sam grinned and looked at Lex who just rolled her eyes. Dean coughed. Sam's eyes narrowed. "Dean?" he questioned. Dean was choking. "Dean."

_Heat of the moment…_

Sam wouldn't let them go to breakfast. Not today. They weren't going to leave the motel room today. Dean had decided to take a shower. "You mean we can't even go out for breakfast?" Dean asked, calling from the bathroom.

"You'll thank me when it's Wednesday!" Sam called back, peering out the window.

"Whatever that means," he remarked.

Dean yelped, and then there was a loud thud.

_Heat of the moment…_

"These tacos taste funny to you?" Dean asked.

_Heat of the moment…_

Dean plugged in his razor and was electrocuted.

_Heat of the moment…_

Sam was fed up. There was no way to stop this. He had to figure this out. He swung the axe into the wall again. "Sam?" Lex asked.

"Just shut up!" Sam yelled at her.

"Everybody's fine, nobody's gonna get hurt, okay?" Dean said to the owner, who was tied up in a chair. "Sammy?" Dean said. "Maybe you should drop the axe and let this guy go, what do you say?"

"Something's gotta be going on here. I intend to find out what," Sam said decidedly, going back to tearing down the walls.

"Place is tore up pretty good, dude. Time to give it a rest," Dean said.

"NO! I'm gonna take it down to studs," Sam yelled.

"Sammy, that's enough, give me the axe," Dean stated.

"Leave it, Dean," Sam stated, not letting go.

"Give it," Dean said, grabbing for it.

"No, you give it," Sam complained.

"Let it go," Dean insisted.

Sam fought back. "No. Dean, leave it, please—"

Blood on Sam's hand. The owner and Lex screamed. "Dean?"

_Heat of the moment…_

Sam had given up. As they entered the diner again it was like a constant buzz in Sam's brain of everything that was happening. Mr. Pickett leaving, Sam took his keys. Cal payed for coffee. Dean looking up at the special's sign. "Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke," Dean smiled.

Sam threw the keys onto the table. "What are those?" Lex asked.

"The old man's. Trust me, you don't want him behind the wheel," Sam said.

"You boys ready?" Doris asked.

"Uh, yes, we are. I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee," Dean said.

"Make that two and some toast," Lexie said.

"Hey, Doris? What I'd like is for you to log in some more hours at the archery range. You're a terrible shot," Sam said.

"How'd you know that?" She asked.

"Lucky guess," Sam shrugged.

"Okay, so you think you're caught in some kind of what, again?" Dean asked.

"Time loop," Sam said, bored.

"Like _Groundhog Day_," Lexis suggested.

"Doesn't matter. There's no way to stop it," Sam said, with a nonchalant shrug.

"Jeez, aren't you grumpy," Dean remarked.

"Yeah, I am. You wanna know why?" Sam demanded. "Because this is the hundredth Tuesday in a row I've been through, and it never stops. Ever. So yeah, I'm a little grumpy." He looked beside him. "Hot sauce."

"What?" Lex asked, confused.

"Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the—whoops!" Sam caught the hot sauce and put it on the table. "Thanks," she said, and walked off.

"Nice reflexes," Lex remarked.

"I knew it was going to happen, Lex. I know everything that's gonna happen."

Dean scoffed. "You don't know everything."

"Yeah, I do," Sam said.

Dean opened his mouth and Sam already knew what he was going to say. "Yeah, right. Nice guess."

"It wasn't a guess," Sam stated.

"Right, you're a mind reader. Cut it out, Sam. Sam." Sam leaned towards Dean. "You think you're being funny but you're being really really childish!"

"Sam Winchester wears makeup. Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by the bed and every morning when he wakes up he— Okay, enough!"

"Whoa," Lex said, staring.

"That's not all," Sam said, going on. "Randy the cashier? He's skimming from the register. Judge Myers? At night he puts on a furry bunny outfit."

The judge knocked over his glass.

"Over there, that's Cal. He's gonna rob Tony the mechanic on the way home," Sam said.

"What's your point?" Lexie asked.

"My point is I've lived through every possible Tuesday. I've watched you die every possible way. I have ripped apart the Mystery Spot, burnt it down, tried everything I know to save your life and I can't. No matter what I do, you die. And then I wake up. And then it's Tuesday again."

"Dog," Sam stated as they walked passed.

"There's gotta be some way out of this," Lex said.

"Where's my dang keys?" Sam went on as Mr. Pickett passed and said the same thing.

"Excuse me," Sam said.

Dean collided with the blonde girl again. "Excuse me," she said.

"She's kinda cute," Dean remarked. Dean stopped. "Hey. All the times we've walked down this street, I ever do this?"

"'Scuse me, miss!" Dean called.

Sam was surprised. "No."

Dean came back and held up a paper. "Hundred Tuesdays and you never bothered to check what she was holding in her hands?" Sam shrugged. He didn't see why it mattered. "It's the guy who went missing."

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

"That's his daughter back there," Dean stated.

Sam grabbed the flyer and went after her. This could be his only chance.

_Heat of the Moment…_

Sam had been liberated. After realizing that the girl was the daughter, he had a whole new outlook. Maybe the man was the key. "So the police report says Dexter Hasselback is a professor, but that's not all he is," Sam said, reading off the laptop.

"What is he?" Lex asked.

"I talked to his daughter. Guy's quite the journalist. Columns in magazines, a blog," Sam said. "He writes about tourist attractions. Mystery spots, UFO crash sites—he gets his kicks debunking them. I mean, he's already put four of these places out of business. Here."

He showed the laptop to Dean. There was a cover of a blog called The Hasselback Report. "Dexter Hasselback, truth warrior?" Dean asked, filling his mouth with more bacon. "More like a pompous schmuck, you ask me."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I mean, I've read everything the guy's ever written, and he must have weighed a ton, he was so full of himself," Sam smirked.

"When'd you have time to do all this research?" Lexis asked, suspiciously.

Sam didn't answer. "Come on."

Dean laughed. "What?" Lex asked.

"I just, it's just funny, you know, I mean, this guy spends his whole life crapping on Mystery Spots and then he vanishes into one," Dean said. "It's kinda poetic, you know, just desserts."

"You're right, that is just desserts," Sam said. He stopped. There was strawberry syrup.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"Guy has maple syrup for the last hundred Tuesdays; all of a sudden he's having strawberry?" Sam asked.

"It's a free country," Dean said. "Man can't choose his own syrup, huh? What have we become?"

"Not in this diner. Not today," Sam said, confused. "Nothing in this place ever changes. Ever. Except me."

_Heat of the Moment…_

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean said, happily.

This time, Sam was ready. He got out of bed. He grabbed the car keys. He went to the car, and he took out a stake. He was ready. "What are you doing?" Lex asked, when Sam came back inside to the room.

"Nothing," he said. He put it into his bag. "Breakfast?"

Once they got to the diner, Sam didn't take his eyes off of the man. "So you think you're caught in some kind of what, again?" Dean asked.

"Eat your breakfast," Sam stated, ignoring him.

The man got up to leave and Sam followed. Dean looked to Lex who only shrugged. "What's in the bag?" she called, following Sam out.

Sam wasn't listening. He knew what he had to do. He caught up to the man and grabbed him by the collar. He slammed him into the fence, the wooden stake pointed at his throat. "Hey!" the man said, terrified.

"I know who you are," Sam said. "Or should I say what."

"Oh my god, please don't kill me," the man said, looking away from Sam.

"Uh, Sam?" Dean asked.

Sam was in no mood to joke around. "It took me a hell of a long time but I got it."

"What?" the man demanded.

"It's your MO that gave you away," Sam went on. "Going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts—your kind loves that, don't they?"

"Yeah, sure, okay," the man said, just agreeing with Sam to get him to go away. Sam was having none of that. The man kept glancing nervously at the stake. "Just put the stake down!"

Lexie was uneasy. "Sam, are you insane?!"

"No! There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing," Sam stated. "Making reality out of nothing, sticking people in time loops—in fact you'd pretty much have to be a god. You'd have to be a Trickster."

"Mister, my name is Ed Coleman, my wife's name is Amelia, I got two kids, for crying out loud I sell ad space—"

"Don't lie to me! I know what you are!" Sam yelled, annoyed. "We've killed one of your kind before!"

The man's face morphed into the same trickster that Sam had been talking about. He smirked. "Actually, bucko, you didn't."

Sam shook his head. He was shocked but honestly didn't even care. "Why are you doing this?" he asked desperately.

"You're joking, right?" the trickster asked. "You chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this?"

"And Hasselback, what about him?" Dean asked.

"That putz?" the trickster laughed. "He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one. Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."

"So this is fun for you? Killing Dean over and over again?" Sam demanded, tightening his grip on the stake in his hands.

"One, yes. It is fun. And two? This is so not about killing Dean," the trickster explained. "This joke is on you, Sam. Watching your brother die, every day? Forever?"

Sam growled. "You son of a bitch."

"How long will it take you to realize?" he said, seriously. "You can't save your brother. No matter what."

"Oh yeah? I kill you, this all ends now," Sam said.

"Oh-oh, hey, whoa!" he said, stopping Sam's hand for the moment. "Okay. Look. I was just playing around. You can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be Wednesday. I swear."

Sam glared. "You're lying."

"If I am, you know where to find me," he smirked. "Having pancakes at the diner."

Sam was at a loss. He looked to Dean and Lexie, who only looked confused. "No," Sam said, looking back to the trickster. "Easier to just kill you."

The trickster smiled. "Sorry, kiddo. Can't have that." He snapped his fingers.

_Promise me I'll be back in time…_

"What, you gonna sleep all day?" Dean asked as Sam sat up. Sam, however, was too busy staring at the radio.

"No Asia," he breathed. Had the trickster actually been telling the truth?

"Yeah, I know," Dean remarked. "This station sucks."

Sam looked at the radio still. The dial said Wednesday. Sam gasped. "It's Wednesday!"

"Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday," Lex said, brushing her teeth. "Turn that thing off, will you?"

Sam grinned, more excited than Christmas morning. "What, are you kidding me? This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?"

Dean shook his head. "No. How many Tuesdays did you have?"

Sam threw on a shirt. "I don't know. I lost count," he said, still giddy. He stopped. "Hey, wait. What do you remember?"

"I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday and then I remember running into the Trickster," Dean said. "But no, that's about it."

Sam nodded. "All right. Pack your stuff; let's get the hell out of town."

"No breakfast?" Dean asked.

"No breakfast."

"I for one agree with Sam," Lex said. "This town is dumb. Let's go to the beach or something."

"Yeah, you wish," Dean chuckled.

Lex sighed dramatically, packing her bag. "I swear we are the only unemployed people I know who can't manage to enjoy it somehow."

Dean grabbed the bags off the bed. "I'll be back," he said, rolling his eyes at Alexis. She stuck her tongue out at him. Sam was so excited he didn't even care how stupid they were.

"Sam?" Alexis said, looking at him. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah," he said, with a sigh. "Are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, getting up.

There was the sound of a gunshot. Sam's head whipped around. No…no it couldn't be. "Dean!"

Sam ran out the door, Alexis close behind. Dean was lying on the asphalt, blood pooling around him. Sam's heart nearly stopped. No, this was supposed to be over. "No, no, no no no, hey, hey, come on, not today, not today, this isn't supposed to happen today, come on—"Sam cried.

Alexis was on the phone with 911.

"I'm supposed to wake up," Sam said, rocking Dean back and forth. "I'm supposed to wake up." This was his mantra as he closed his eyes.

"Sam," Lex said, coming down to their level. "C'mon. We have to get help. C'mon."

"No!" he yelled, "I'm supposed to wake up."

He closed his eyes, but nothing happened. It was too late. Dean was gone. Dean was gone for real this time.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSN PSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSN

Bobby had called Sam again. He was driving and didn't answer it. Who was he kidding? He never answered the phone anymore. It had been six months since he left. Alexis refused to go with him and instead of agreeing to stay with her he left.

"Sam? It's Bobby. Heard about that demon thing you took care of in Death Valley. Nice job. Been about three months we talked, though. Be nice to hear your voice. Give a call. I'm here," he said in the message,

Alexis called him again as well. "Sam? C'mon answer. I need to know you're okay. You just ditched me here Sam. You could at least answer me. Whatever. Call me."

Sam had been shot that night. He didn't bother telling anybody. It didn't matter. He could take care of it himself. He took a long swig of whiskey and then poured it onto the wound. He groaned as he pulled the bullet out. Blood poured down his abdomen. He stitched it up with a hook needle and dental floss.

"Sam? Bobby again. Look, I'm worried about you," Bobby's voice said over the phone. "Just tell me you're not sitting alone somewhere obsessing over this damn Trickster. Call me, Sam. We can find it together. No one man should take something like this on alone. You hear me? By the way, those vampires nest in Austin, hell of a job."

"Sam?" Alexis said. "Please just call me and tell me you're okay. You promised. Sam?"

"Sam? It's Bobby. I found him."

Sam wasn't shocked when he was told to go back to the Mystery Spot. There was something about the irony of it all that felt right to him. Yet, something about all this felt so incredibly wrong. When he walked in, Bobby and Lexis were already painting diagrams on the floor. "Sam!" she said, running up and hugging him. He barely hugged her back. She frowned but just walked away.

"What are we doing here, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"Well, it's the last place we're sure the Trickster worked his magic," Bobby explained.

"So?" Sam asked, not impressed so far.

"So you want this thing? I found a summoning ritual to bring the Trickster here," he said.

"What do we need?" Sam asked.

Bobby looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Blood."

"How much blood?"

Lex sighed. "Ritual says near a gallon. And it's gotta be fresh, too."

"Meaning we have to bleed a person dry," Sam stated, understanding why he wouldn't tell him over the phone.

"And it's gotta be tonight. Or not for another fifty years," Bobby added.

"Then let's go get some," Sam said, reading to get this over with. Neither of them moved with Sam. He stopped and turned back around.

"You break my heart, kid," Bobby said, shaking his head.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I'm not gonna let you murder an innocent man," Bobby scoffed.

Sam felt defeated. "Then why'd you bring me here?"

"Why? Because it was the only way you'd see us!" Lex exclaimed, tears in her eyes. Sam instantly felt guilty. "Because I'm trying to knock some sense into you! Because I thought you'd back down from killing a man!"

Sam huffed. "Well, you thought wrong. Leave the stuff, I'll do it myself."

"I told you, I'm not gonna let you kill a man," Bobby stated.

Sam was exasperated. "It's none of your damn business what I do!"

"You want your brother back so bad?" Bobby said, pulling out a knife. "Fine."

He held the knife out to Sam. Sam eyed it wearily. "What are you talking about?"

"Better me than a civilian."

Sam wouldn't take the knife. "You're crazy, Bobby. I'm not killing you."

"Oh, now I'm the crazy one," Bobby stated. "Look, Sam, I'm old, I'm coming near the end of my trail. But you can keep fighting. Saving folk. But you need your brother. Let me get him back to you."

"Bobby—"Lex started, looking at him like he was nuts.

"You and Dean, you boys and Lex over there are the closest thing I have to family. I wanna do this." Bobby handed Sam the knife.

"Okay," Sam said.

"Good," Bobby said. Bobby got on his knees and closed his eyes. "Just make it quick."

"Bobby stop!" Lex yelled. "Sam are you crazy?" She tried to take the knife from him but Sam evaded her.

"Do it, son," Bobby said.

"Yeah, okay, Bobby," Sam said, pulling a stake out. Lex stopped and stared at him confused. "But you wanna know why?" Before Lexie could react, Sam was stabbing Bobby through the back with the stake, blood covering his shirt. "Because you're not Bobby."

Bobby fell forward and went still. "Bobby!" Lex cried, sobbing. She knelt over his body. "What did you do Sam?" she demanded. "What did you do?"

Sam was confused. "I—"

Suddenly, both Bobby and Lex disappeared. The stake shot behind Sam into none other than the trickster's hand. "You're right. I was just screwing with you," he chuckled. "Pretty good, though, Sam. Smart." He waved the stake. "Let me tell you, whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one has never seen you with a sharp object in your hands. Holy Full Metal Jacket."

"Bring him back," Sam stated angrily.

The trickster frowned. "Who, Dean? Didn't my girl send you flowers? Dean's dead. He ain't coming back. His soul's downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak."

"Just take us back to that Tuesday—er, Wednesday—when it all started," Sam said. "Please. We won't come after you, I swear."

The trickster narrowed his eyes. "You swear."

Sam was desperate. "Yes."

"I don't know," he sing songed. "Even if I could—"

Sam nodded. "You can."

"True. But that don't mean I should," the trickster stated. "Sam, there's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into that freakish Cro-Magnon skull of yours."

"A lesson? What lesson?"

"This obsession to save Dean? The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain," the trickster explained. "Dean's your weakness. And the bad guys know it, too. It's gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes you just gotta let people go."

Sam was at a loss for words. "He's my brother."

"Yup. And like it or not, this is what life's gonna be like without him," the trickster said.

Sam fought the urge to cry. "Please. Just—please."

The trickster rolled his eyes. "I swear, it's like talking to a brick wall. Okay, look. This all stopped being fun months ago. You're Travis Bickle in a skirt, pal. I'm over it."

Sam shook his head. "Meaning what?"

The trickster smirked. "Meaning that's for me to know and you to find out." He snapped his fingers.

_Promise me I'll be back in time…_

"What, you gonna sleep all day?" Dean asked, as Sam got up. Dean was brushing his teeth again. Sam stared at the radio. Dean nodded. "I know, no Asia. This station sucks."

Sam smiled to himself. "It's Wednesday."

"Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday," Lex stated. "Turn that thing off."

Sam got up and hugged Dean harder than he had in his entire life. "Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. "Enough." He let go of Dean. "What, uh, what do you remember?"

"I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday," Dean listed. "I remember getting up with the Trickster. That's about it."

Sam nodded. "Let's go."

"No breakfast?"

"No breakfast," Sam stated.

Dean shrugged. "All right, I'll pack the car."

"Wait, you're not going anywhere alone," Sam said, getting up quickly.

"It's the parking lot, Sam," Dean said, confused.

"Just—just trust me," Sam said.

"Wow you really are crazy," Lex said, walking out the door.

Sam closed his bag. Dean waited. "Hey, you don't look so good. Something else happen?"

"I just had a really weird dream," Sam stated.

Dean nodded like he understood. "Clowns or midgets?" he asked. He grinned and walked out the door.

Sam looked back at the unmade bed and sighed. Dean would be gone one day. He hoped it would turn out better than this nightmare. He turned off the lights. Sam had hope, but he knew that deep down, that when Dean died it was going to be a lot worse.

**Thank for reading! Review and don't forget the POLL!**


	69. Season 3, Chapter Fifteen

**Hey guys! Thank you for all your reviews! **

**Jade: I couldn't PM you so I'll answer you on here. Thanks for all your input! It always means a lot when people take time to give me constructive criticism. I took note of your point about lying in this chapter. It all comes out in the end. It always does ;) Also more powers everyone! Yay! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Alexis and Dylan**

Chapter Sixty Nine

"ALEXIS MARIE WINCHESTER!" Dean shouted angrily from across the room. I was still half asleep. We had been in the car for a day and a half and when we finally stopped for the night I was out like a light until almost noon.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, turning the laptop around. There was an email on the screen. I stared at it for near half a second before I realized what it was.

My heart sunk into my stomach. I should've known this was coming. "Um, I don't know." Maybe if I played dumb he would leave me alone. I flipped over so that I wasn't facing him.

"You don't know," he stated, getting up. "Seriously?!"

I flinched as he grabbed my arm and yanked me forward. "I'm sorry?"

"You're failing everything, Alexis," he pointed back to the screen. It was a note to my 'guardian' that I hadn't logged on in weeks and was going to be dropped from the program. Also, it was about two weeks old. "Why?"

"I've been busy?" I suggested, quietly.

The vein in Dean's forehead was popping out. Sam opened the door. "I brought bagels," he stated. He saw Dean's face and blinked. "What?"

"Alexis decided she no longer needs school apparently," Dean stated. He waved his hand towards the computer. Sam took a look at the note while Dean sat on the bed and put his head in his hands and shook his head.

"Oh," Sam said when he was done skimming. He backed away. "Yeah man, I'm gonna let you handle this one." He opened the door and shot me a look. I had a feeling it was a goodbye look. As he closed the door, I felt my last hope for mercy leave with it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Dean asked, standing back up. "You're on your last year, Lex. This was it, and now I don't even know if they're going to let you finish!"

"What's the point, Dean?" I asked. "I've had to change the address on the stupid thing like eight times, my name is on the police database because I'm related to you, and I can never get a job with my real name anyways." I paused. "A high school diploma in my name is nothing."

Dean sighed. "That's not the point."

"Why?" I demanded, now annoyed. "You dropped out."

"I got my GED," he said.

"So?" I asked. "Let me get my GED."

Dean only shook his head. "No."

I stared at him like he was telling me to go shove my head in the oven. "Why, Dean?" I insisted. "You did!"

"You're smarter than me," Dean said. "I know you can get your diploma. You always got good grades. Getting a GED would be stupid."

"No it wouldn't," I complained, moving so that my feet were on the floor. "It would make perfect sense. I wouldn't have to worry about school anymore."

"Just get your damn grades back to normal," Dean stated, glaring at me. "Or I swear to god I'll make you sit out until you do."

"You wouldn't."

He smirked. "I would." He stood up. "I'm emailing them back and telling them you had surgery or something. But you better get your ass to work." I didn't move. "Now."

I groaned when he handed me the laptop. "Really? Now?" I asked. "Can't I like take a shower first?" He only looked at me. "Fine."

I logged in to about thirty messages and a million missed assignments I now had to make up. This was going to take forever. I mumbled to myself. My phone rang and I instantly grabbed for it, happy to have anything else to do. Dean tried to snatch it out of my hand but I evaded him. "It's Dylan," I said, reading the caller ID. "What if it's important?"

"You have three minutes," he stated.

I picked it up. "Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said quickly. "I have something for you guys."

"What?" I asked, confused. He wasn't usually the one to call us to take on a case.

"Bela."

Dean was staring at me, waiting for me to hang up. "Hang on I'm handing you to Dean." Dean shot me a confused look, but took the phone.

"Yeah?" he said. His expression changed to one of happiness. "We'll be there by tonight." He pocketed my phone.

"Hey," I remarked.

"Get your stuff we got to go," he said. "And bring that with you. You're working on it in the car."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSN PSNPSNPSNPSNPSNSPNSPNSPN

After nearly four hours my brain was on fire. Every time I put the laptop down however, Dean shot me a nasty look. "Dean, I need a break," I stated, putting the computer on the seat.

"No, you don't," he said, not taking his eyes off the road. "You had about a three month break."

"Dean," Sam said, "We need to hurry. Bela could move on and we could be lost again."

"I'm going as fast as I can," Dean said, speeding up. "We'll be there in a few hours."

When we finally got to Dylan, I was well on my way to thinking that I might throw the laptop out the window of the Impala. That way at least I wouldn't have to do this stupid work anymore. I mean, I didn't see how knowing how to compute the arc of a circle would ever help me. I got out of the car and handed Dean the computer. "Here," I said, "I caught up on math. Can I be done for awhile now, oh wise one?"

"Only because we need your help with Bela," he stated with a smirk. "Just be glad dad isn't here. He would've made it so you couldn't sit and then made you do your homework."

"I'm almost an adult, Dean," I remarked. "Don't you think I can be treated like one?"

Dean pretended like he was thinking. "Not while you're with me." He patted my shoulder apologetically and walked ahead of me.

"She's in a motel on the other side of the highway," Dylan said, as we walked into his motel room. "She hasn't left as of an hour ago," he went on. "And she doesn't know I'm here."

"Why are you here?" Sam asked.

Dylan shrugged. "Heard a deal was going down. Wanted to know what it was."

"So when?" I asked. "Tonight?"

"No," Dean said, putting his white handled pistol into his pants. "Now. I wanna take this bitch down."

We rushed off to the motel; all four of us ready to take Bela down. I was a little worried about Dean actually. If he actually killed Bela he might regret it later. Bela was a bitch though so I didn't really care.

I picked the lock on her door. Sam rushed in, Dean and Dylan close behind. I came in last and closed the door quietly behind us. Dean was already pulling things out of the drawers. The safe was empty. "Any sign of it?" Dean asked.

"Nothing," Sam stated.

"Nope," I replied, looking under the bed. "Are you sure this is Bela's room?" I looked to Dylan.

Dean held up two wigs. "I'd say so."

"What are you three looking for again?" Dylan asked.

Suddenly, the phone started to ring. Dean looked at us and Sam shook his head. Dean ignored us and picked it up cautiously. "Dean? Sweetie, are you there?" a voice asked, happily.

"Where are you?" Dean demanded.

"Two states away by now," she replied simply.

Dean growled. "Where?"

"Where's our usual quippy banter?" she asked, "I miss it."

"I want it back, Bela… now," Dean said, angrily.

I could feel Bela's toothy smile even from this far away. "Your little pistol, you mean?" she asked. "Sorry, I can't at the moment."

"You understand how many people are gonna die if you do this?" Dean asked.

Bela scoffed. "What exactly is it that you think I plan to do with it?"

"Take the only weapon we have against an army of demons and sell it to the highest bidder."

Bela paused for a moment. "You know nothing about me."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "I know I'm gonna stop you."

Bela chuckled. "Tough words for a guy who can't even find me."

"Oh, I'll find you, sweetheart," Dean remarked. "You know why? Because I have absolutely nothing better to do than to track you down."

" That's where you're wrong. You're about to be quite occupied," she said. I looked to Sam confused. "Did you really think I wouldn't take precautions?" she asked, laughing slightly.

The door burst open, almost knocking Dylan off his feet. Police swarmed into the room, guns pointed at all of us. "Hands in the air!" they demanded. I threw my hands up.

"Down on your knees," the other commanded. I got down, looking at Dean and Sam for some sign of what they wanted me to do. We had no plan for this.

"That bitch!" Dean exclaimed angrily.

"Turn around! Now!" they yelled, forcing me to the floor while they handcuffed me. I had no idea what to think.

"You have the right to remain silent," they said, reading our rights. I wasn't sure, but from this angle I didn't think I had any rights. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you at government expense."

"Hi guys…" a voice said from above me. I looked up to see Henrickson's smiling face. I groaned. "It's been a while."

I laid my head on the floor in defeat.

"Well if it isn't baby Winchester," he said, looking down at me. "You aren't usually around with these guys."

"Well if it isn't our big bad cop friend…" I said, rolling my eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

They grabbed me by my handcuffed hands and forced me into a standing position. Dean was still swearing under his breath. Sam was just stoic and I knew he was thinking. Dylan looked angry like Dean, but was composed. I however, was shaking and irritated.

The officer lead us into an armored van, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. What did they think that we had an arsenal hidden in our pockets? They then chained us together. Like literally, our feet and hands were all connected by chains. I only watched in confusion.

"None of you are getting out of this," Henrickson stated, closing the door of the van on us.

Dylan looked at his chains. "What did you people do?" he asked.

"They think we're serial killers," Sam explained, shifting to get comfortable.

"Well we're not," Dean barked, "We're innocent, and not only that but we saved your asses."

"I don't think they can hear you," I stated, unhelpfully. "What are we going to do?" No one answered me.

Sam sighed. "They'll let you out," he said, nodding at Dylan. "And Lex they'll take away because she's still underage. I don't know what they'll do with us," he looked to Dean, who was still staring angrily at the ground.

"We have to break out," he said finally. "We need a plan."

The van stopped. I wondered where they were taking us. The doors opened. "Get out," the officer said. We had to maneuver with the chains on our legs and arms. Somehow it worked so that Sam and Dean were in front side by side with Dylan and me the same in the back.

They patted Dean down first, making him swear at them some more. Sam went next and he only looked extremely uncomfortable. They came to me and I glared as they patted my torso. "Pat anywhere else and you won't get that hand back," I growled.

"Reidy?" A voice said over the walkie talkie.

Riedy picked it up. "Yeah, Vic?"

"Bring them in," Henrickson's voice said.

We shuffled along into the police station. It seemed they were keeping us in this town for awhile. I wasn't sure if that was good or not. Everyone was staring at us like we were going to go all Hannibal Lector on them or something. Then I remembered that they all thought we were serial killers who would chop them all to pieces or something.

"Why all the sourpusses?" Dean asked, sarcastically.

Riedy forced us forward. "I'll show you to the cells."

He grabbed Dean's arm roughly. "Hey! Hey! Watch the merchandise!" he complained. Nancy, the secretary looked terrified. Dean smirked at her. "We're not the ones you should be scared of, Nancy." She grabbed her rosary.

They put all four of us in the same cell. Not that they had a choice with us still all shackled together. Dean headed towards the door and Sam to the bed. I was trapped in the middle and almost fell to the ground.

"Dean, come on!" I said, rubbing my ankles where the chain pulled.

"All right, all right. Sit?" he asked. We all awkwardly maneuvered until Sam and Dean were sitting on the bed and Dylan and I were on the floor of the cell.

"How we gonna Houdini out of this one?" Dean asked.

"Good question," Sam replied.

Dylan scoffed. "I can't believe you got me mixed up in this mess."

"Got you mixed up?" I asked. "You're the one who called us to come get Bela."

"I was helping," he stated, through gritted teeth.

"Thanks for the help," I replied, shaking the chains. An officer peeked in. "You really expect me to pee with a bunch of men in here?" I called after him. He said nothing and locked the door behind him.

The door opened again nearly twenty minutes later. It was Henrickson. None of us looked at him. "You know what I'm trying to decide?" he asked.

"I don't know. What?" Dean asked, buying into his stupid game. "Whether Cialis will help you with your little condition?"

"What to have for dinner tonight," he replied. I looked up at him. "Steak or lobster, what the hell, surf and turf." He paused, grinning. "I got a lot to celebrate. I mean, after all, seeing you two in chains…"

"You kinky son of a bitch. We don't swing that way," Dean remarked.

Henrickson chuckled. "Now, that's funny."

"You know, I wouldn't bust out the melted butter just yet," Dean remarked. "Couldn't catch us at the bank, couldn't keep us in that jail."

Henrickson sighed. "You're right. Screwed up. I underestimated you. I didn't count on you being that smart but now I'm ready."

"Yeah, ready to lose us again?" Sam asked.

"Ready like a court order to keep you in a Supermaximum prison in Nevada till trial," he retorted. "Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell, so that between you and me… probably unconstitutional."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "Ready like a juvie facility all ready to take in Lexie," he went on. "And ready to take care of this young man you've got with you. "How's that for ready?"

"Take a good look at Sam and your sister," Henrickson said. "You three will never see each other again."

No one said anything. "Where's that smug smile, Dean? I want to see it," he remarked.

Dean shook his head. "You got the wrong guys."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. You fight monsters," Henrickson laughed. "Sorry, Dean. Truth is, your daddy brainwashed you with all that devil talk and no doubt touched you in a bad place. That's all, that's reality."

Dean was biting his tongue. "Why don't you shut your mouth?"

"Well, guess what. Life sucks. Get a helmet. 'Cause everybody's got a sob story. But not everybody becomes a killer," he went on, ignoring Dean. "And now I have two less to worry about." He looked at his watch and laughed. "It's surf and turf time."

He turned and left.

I shifted uncomfortably on the ground. "Dean," I said.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "I know. We need to get out of here. Now."

"They have a helicopter, Dean," Sam stated, looking up at our small barred window.

"I know," Dean scoffed.

The door opened. "You," the officer said, pointing at Dylan. "You're free to go. Feds don't need you."

"What?" Dylan asked.

"They're processing you separately or something," the officer said unlocking the door. "Everyone else stay put." He unchained him.

He shot me a look and winked. "See you later, Winchester."

"Move," the man said, leading him out the door.

As he waltzed out the door a free man, another came inside. He was in a suit and I instantly knew something was up. He was walking funny. I tried to tap into the part of my brain that was sensing it.

"Sam, Alexis and Dean Winchester," he said. "I'm Deputy Director Steven Groves. This is a pleasure."

"Sam…" I said, looking up at him. This man was possessed I was sure of it. Sam looked at me confused until he saw me pointing at my wrist.

"Well, glad one of us feels that way," Dean stated.

"I've been waiting a long time for you two to come out of the woodwork," he said. He pulled a gun out and shot Dean in the shoulder before any of us could react.

Dean grunted and fell backwards, gripping his arm in pain. "Dean!" I exclaimed, moving out of the way of his gun.

Sam lunged for the gun, grabbing it out of the man's hand. He started trying to exorcise him, and the man was starting to shake. "Sorry. Got to cut this short," he grinned. "It's gonna be a long night, fellas."

The demon came out in a cloud of black smoke, disappearing into thin air. Dean was moaning and clutching his shoulder. "You ok?" I asked.

All the officers and Henrickson entered the cell room at the sound of Groves screams. They pointed their guns at Sam who was still holding the gun that had shot Dean. "Put the gun down!" they screamed.

"Wait. Okay. Wait," Sam said desperately, lowering to the floor.

"He shot him!" accused the one officer.

"I didn't shoot him," Sam insisted. "I didn't shoot anyone."

"He shot me!" Dean piped up.

Henrickson sneered. "Get on your knees."

"Okay, okay, okay," Sam said, scared. "Don't shoot. Please. Look. Here. Here."He passed the gun through the bars of our cell. "We didn't shoot him. Check the body. There's no blood. We did not kill him. Go ahead, check him."

Riedy checked the body. He looked up surprised. "Vic, there's no bullet wound."

Dean rolled his eyes. "He's probably been dead for months."

Henrickson angrily stared at us. "What did you do to him?"

"We didn't do anything," Dean persisted.

He raised his gun. "Talk or I shoot."

Dean scoffed. "You won't believe us."

I stood up, "He was possessed."

"Possessed?" Henrickson stated, smirking at me. "Right. Fire up the chopper! We're taking them out of here now."

"Yeah! Do that!" Dean said, frustrated.

Riedy took out his walkie. "Bill? Bill, are you there?" There was no answer. I looked at Sam. That didn't seem good. The two of them left, going to see what was going on. I had this foreboding feeling that they weren't coming back.

There was a loud scream. For the first time, Henrickson looked worried. "What the hell was that?" he asked. "Reidy? Reidy?!"

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, looking at Dean.

"No talking," Henrickson growled at me.

"She's a teenage girl, she never stops talking," Dean remarked.

"Shut up," Henrickson and I said together.

He ran out of the cell area, the other officer, I think his name was Melvin, followed. They were all freaking out on the other side of the wall. I could hear the secretary, Nancy, saying that the phone lines were down. Then, as if it couldn't get any worse, the power went out. We sat in darkness. "That can't be good," Dean remarked.

"Here," I said, patting his wound with the tissues that we had. It wasn't doing much to stop the bleeding. They were too thin. Dean grunted at me. "All right, don't be such a wuss," I said.

Henrickson came back into the cells. "What's the plan?" he asked. "Kill everyone in the station, bust you two out?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"I'm talking about your psycho friend. The one we let out," he said. "I'm talking about the blood bath."

"Okay, I promise you whoever's out there is not here to help us," Dean stated.

"Look, you got to believe us. Everyone here is in terrible danger," Sam pleaded.

Henrickson scoffed. "You think?"

Dean glared at him. "Why don't you let us out of here so we can save your asses?"

"From what? You gonna say "demons"?" he asked. He raised his gun at the ceiling. "Don't you dare say "demons." Let me tell you something. You should be a lot more scared of me."

"Trust me," I said, looking up at him, worriedly. "I wish I was."

"How's the shoulder?" Sam asked.

Dean pulled the pad of toilet paper he had covering it. There was blood all over it. "It's awesome," he stated. He threw it across the room. "I'll live. You know, if we get out of here alive. So you got a plan?" Sam shook his head.

I looked up to see Nancy staring from the corner of the room. "Hey," I said, pointing her out to Sam.

"Hey…" Sam said. She backed away slightly. "Uh, please, please. We need your help. It's… it's Nancy. Nancy, right?" he asked. She said nothing. "Nancy, my… my brother's been shot. He's… He's bleeding really bad. You think maybe you could get us a towel? Please? Just one clean towel?"

She looked away from us as though looking at us would corrupt her. "Look, look at us. We're not the bad guys. I swear."

Nancy turned and left. I sighed. "Nice try," I said.

"Hey," Sam said, smiling. I looked around. There was Nancy with a clean towel. "Thank you."

"It's okay," Sam said as she inched towards us. She hesitantly put her hand through the bar to give Sam the towel. Sam suddenly grabbed her arm.

She screamed bloody murder. I just stood there in shock. What was he doing. Phil, the other officer, came running in.

"Let her go! Let her go!" he screamed, about to shoot Sam. Nancy ran off, looking like she was about to cry. "You're okay, Nance?" Phil asked. She nodded, shaking. He looked at Sam. "Try something again, get shot. And not in the arm."

They left.

I smacked Sam on the arm. "What the hell was that?" He held up Nancy's rosary. "You had to scare the shit out of her for that?" I asked.

"We can make holy water now," Dean said, in realization.

"With what?" I asked. Dean looked at the toilet. "Oh ok. Holy toilet water. That's…gross."

Sam went over and started blessing it. I pressed the towel to Dean's wound. "We're like sitting ducks in here," I sighed, again.

"Yeah, I know," Dean agreed. "Would it kill these cops to bring us a snack?!"

Sam looked up. "How many you figure are out there?"

"I don't know," I said.

"However many they are, they could be possessing anyone," Sam said. "Anyone could just walk right in."

"It's kind of wild, right?" Dean asked, smiling. "I mean it's like they're coming for us. They've never done that before." He gave us a toothy smile. "It's like we got a contract on us. Think it's because we're so awesome? I think it's 'cause we're so awesome."

Neither Sam nor I smiled. "Way to look on the bright side, Dean," I said. I thought for a second. "There's a demon inside here," I said aloud. I had been grappling with the feeling for awhile now.

"What?" Dean asked.

Melvin came in and unlocked our cell. "Well, howdy, there, sheriff," Dean said.

He opened the door. "Uh, sheriff?" Sam asked.

"It's time to go, guys," he stated.

Instead of following him, we all stepped back. I had the same feeling as before. He was possessed. "Uh… you know what?" Dean asked. "We're just comfy right here. But thank you."

Henrickson walked in. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Melvin stood his ground. "We're not just gonna sit around here and wait to die. We're gonna make a run for it."

Henrickson shook his head. "It's safer here."

"There's a SWAT facility in boulder," Melvin said.

"We're not going anywhere."

Melvin scoffed. "The hell we're not."

Henrickson shot him in the head. Sam and Dean grabbed him and pushed his head into our Holy toilet. I started the exorcism, trying my best to keep going despite the screams coming from him. Phil ran into the room.

"Stay back!" Dean said, as he came at us.

I kept going, panicking slightly when Sam lost his grip on him. "Hurry up!" Dean yelled at me.

I spoke as fast as I could without slurring my words together. Henrickson lifted his head and looked at me. "It's too late. I already called them. They're already coming."

"Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire te rogamus, audi nos," I finished.

Henrickson shot upwards and smoke poured out of his moth and out of a vent in the ceiling. His body fell to the floor, still. We were all silent for a moment.

"Is he… is he dead?" Nancy asked.

I kicked him. A moment later, Henrickson was coughing and sputtering. "Nope," I stated.

"Henrickson! Hey. Is that you in there?" Sam asked.

He got up and sat on the bed. "I… I shot the sheriff," he said.

Dean smirked to himself. "But you didn't shoot the deputy…" I stared at him for a moment and shook my head.

Henrickson was still in shock. "Five minutes ago, I was fine, and then…"

"Let me guess," Dean said. "Some nasty black smoke jammed itself down your throat?"

"You were possessed," I nodded.

Henrickson was at a loss for words. "Possessed like… possessed."

"That's what it feels like," Sam said. "Now you know."

"I owe the biggest "I told you so" ever," Dean said, handing Henrickson back his gun.

"Officer," he said, standing up. "Keys..." Phil handed him the keys. He took all the chains off us, letting them drop to the floor. "All right," he said, with a sigh. "So how do we survive?"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS PNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS

It had become night. Sam was going around to all the entrances and making devil's traps. I peeked out the window. There didn't seem to be anyone around. Nancy was taking care of Dean's wound. The officer that was left, Phil, and Henrickson were loading guns. I sighed. "Well, that's nice. It's not gonna do much good," I stated.

Phil looked at me like I was nuts. "We got an arsenal here."

"You don't poke a bear with BB gun," Dean said. "That's just gonna make them mad."

Henrickson nodded. "What do you need?"

"Salt. Lots and lots of salt," I said.

Phil frowned. "Salt?"

I rolled my eyes. "What, is there an echo in here?"

"There's a road salt in the storeroom," Nancy said quietly.

Dean smiled at her. "Perfect. Perfect. We need salt at every window and every door."

I looked out the window again. There was someone walking towards the door. "Hey," I said, looking at Dean. "Someone's coming."

Dean immediately got up and came over by me. "Isn't that your little boyfriend?" he asked me.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said, watching Dylan walk up to the door.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Anyone home?"

I went to open the door but Dean stopped me. "He could be possessed." He went to the door and opened it. Before Dylan could do anything, Dean splashed him in the face with holy water.

"Thanks for that," he stated. "Can I come in now?"

Dean nodded and let him in. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came back because of all the crazy shit going on here," he said. "I think somethings about to go down." He pointed behind him. "There's a helicopter on fire outside."

"We know," Henrickson said, walking back in the room.

"They're coming for us," I said, looking up at him. "You shouldn't have come back."

"Well too late now," he remarked. "So what's your plan? Because I say you have an hour max before they're knocking down the doors."

"Working on that," Dean said, with a sigh. "Hey, where's my car?"

Phil pointed out the door. "Impound lot out back."

"Okay," Dean said, getting up.

Phil raised his eyes. "Wait, you're not going out there?"

"Yeah, I got to get something out of my trunk," Dean replied.

"I'm coming with you," I said. "You aren't going alone." He looked like he was going to protest. However, he nodded and we went outside.

The night was silent, the air still. It was ominous because I knew what was coming. Dean opened the gate to the impound lot and let me in first. We ran to the impala and he opened the trunk. "Hurry," I insisted as the wind started to blow.

The lights started to flicker. "Dean…" I said, looking around wildly.

"Yeah, I see," he said. "I'm going as fast as I can."

The lights flickered more and crackled in the night. "Oh god," I said, turning around. There were black clouds coming towards us. "Dean we need to go."

He looked and slammed the trunk shut. "C'mon," he said, pulling me with him back to the door.

We got back inside in the nick of time. "They're here," I said, salting the door behind us.

Dean ran in to help the others. Black smoke struck at the windows, blocking out all the light. It felt like the building was on fire on the outside the smoke was so thick. Nancy screamed. The lights flickered and dimmed until it was hard to see each other. I felt Dylan's hand on my shoulder. The building shook violently for a few seconds, and then it was quiet.

"Everybody okay?" Sam asked.

Henrickson sighed. "Define "okay"."

"All right, everybody needs to put these on," Dean said, handing them our protection necklaces. "They'll keep you from being possessed. There you go."

"What about you guys?" Nancy asked.

Dean, Sam and I showed our matching tattoos. Dean and Sam's were on their chests over they're hearts.

"Where's yours?" Dylan asked.

"Hidden," I smirked. He looked shocked. I showed him my wrist. "On my wrist you pervert." He smiled.

"Smart," Henrickson remarked. "How long you had those?"

Sam and I exchanged a look. "Not long enough."

We waited around for something to happen. "Hey, that's Jenna Rubner," Nancy said, looking out the window.

The woman's eyes were black. "That's not Jenna anymore," Sam stated.

Nancy gulped. "That's where all that black demon smoke went?"

There were probably thirty to forty people all surrounding the building. "Looks like," Sam stated.

Dean put me to work helping him make shotgun shells. "Shotgun shells full of salt," Henrickson stated.

Dean shrugged. "Whatever works."

Henrickson was staring at the Sherriff's name plate that was on the desk. "You've never killed a person like that have you?" I asked.

Henrickson stared at me for a moment. "Have you?" I said nothing to that loaded question. Henrickson chuckled. "And I thought you were the cute innocent one."

"I never said I wasn't cute," I said, smirking.

I got up to go check on Sam. He had been staring out the window at the people who were surrounding us. "They aren't doing anything," he stated. "Just…watching."

There was a loud crash from somewhere in the back. I got up instantly. All of us where heading to see what had happened.

"How do we kill her?" Henrickson asked, pointing his rifle at the person who crashed through the window.

"We don't," Sam said.

Henrickson looked shocked. "She's a demon."

"She's here to help us," Sam replied.

"Oh great," I said, noting who it was. "Ruby's here."

"Shut it you little bitch," she sneered at me. Huh, she was testy today. "Are you gonna let me out?" she asked, looking down at the devil's trap.

Sam scratched the side away. "And they say chivalry's dead," she sighed. "Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here." She walked past all of us.

"Who is she?" Dylan asked me.

"Sam's demon friend," I replied. He gave me a lost look. "Long story, just go with it."

"How do we know we can trust her?" he asked.

I sighed. "We can't."

"How many are out there?" Dean asked her.

Ruby shrugged. "30 at least. That's so far."

"Oh, good. 30," Dean stated. "30 hit men all gunning for us. Who sent them?"

Ruby looked to Sam and I knew something was up. "You didn't tell Dean?" she said. "Ooh, I'm surprised."

"Tell me what?" Dean asked.

"There's a big new up and corner. Real pied piper," Ruby remarked, leaning on a desk.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Not he. Her," Ruby said. "Her name is Lilith."

"Lilith?" I asked.

"And she really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick," Ruby smirked. "'Cause she sees him as a competition."

Dean looked at Sam. "You knew about this?" Sam said nothing and looked away. "Well, gee, Sam. Is there anything else I should know?!"

Ruby scoffed. "How about the two of you talk about this later? We'll need the Colt." We all looked away from her when she said that. "Where's the Colt?" she demanded.

Sam looked guilty. "It got stolen."

Ruby looked pissed. "I'm sorry. I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say that you were stupid enough to let the Colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands." No one said anything. "Fantastic. This is just peachy…"

"Ruby…" Sam sighed.

"Shut up," she said, putting her hand up. "Fine. Since I don't see that there's no other any option. There's one other way I know how to get you out of here alive."

"What's that?" I asked.

"I know a spell. It'll vaporize every demon in a one-mile radius. Myself included," she said. "So, you let the Colt out of your sight and now I have to die. So next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?"

"Okay, what do we need to do?" Dean asked.

" Aww… you can't do anything. This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue," Ruby said.

"I got virtue," Dean said.

"Nice try. You're not a virgin," Ruby said, crossing her arms. "Neither is Lex, too bad I'd like to get rid of her. So it has to be someone else."

"Nobody's a virgin," Dean laughed. Ruby was looking at Nancy. Dean looked at her too. "No. No way. You're kidding me, r–. You're…"

"What?" she said, looking away from him. "It's a choice, okay?"

"So, y-you've never… Not even once?" he asked. "I mean not even – Wow."

"Ignore him," I said to her.

She nodded. "So, this spell. What can I do?"

Ruby smiled. "You can hold still while I cut your heart out of your chest."

Nancy frowned. "What?"

"What? Are you crazy?" Dean demanded.

"I'm offering a solution," Ruby replied.

"You're offering to kill somebody," I said.

"And what do you think's gonna happen to this girl when the demons get in?" she asked.

Henrickson took a step forwards. "We're gonna protect her. That's what."

Nancy mumbled. "Excuse me."

"Very noble," Ruby said. "You're all gonna die. Look. This is the only way."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. There's no way that you're gonna—"

"Would everybody please shut up?!" Nancy yelled. Everybody stopped. "All the people out there… will it save them?" she asked.

"It'll blow the demons out of their bodies," Ruby said. "So if their bodies are okay… yeah."

Nancy thought for a moment. "I'll do it."

"No, no." Dean said, shaking his head. "You don't need to do this."

Nancy looked near tears. "All my friends are out there."

"We do not sacrifice people. We do that, we're no better than them," Henrickson stated.

Ruby was frustrated. "We don't have a choice."

" Yeah, well, your choice is not a choice," Dean argued.

"Sam, you know I'm right," Dean said, since Sam was being so quiet in the corner. Sam said nothing and looked away. "Sam?" Dean tried again. Sam's eyes were on the ground. "What the hell is going on? Sam, tell her."

"It's my decision," Nancy said, piping up again.

Ruby smirked. "Damn straight, cherry pie."

"Sam, you can't be serious," I stated, staring.

"Stop! Stop! Nobody kill any virgins," Dean exclaimed. "Sam, I need to talk to you." I tried to follow, but Dean pushed me away. "Stay here."

I looked at Dylan. "We are so screwed."

He nodded. "Tell me about it."

Dean came back with Sam only moments later. "OK," he said. "We have a plan." He looked at Ruby. "A plan that doesn't include killing anyone."

Ruby only huffed. "Ok what?" I asked.

"We fight," Dean stated. "We're going to get them all in here. Lock them in. Exorcise them."

"How?" Dylan asked.

"The PA system," Sam said. "We'll play it over that."

"Huh," Hendrickson said. "Think it will work?"

I sighed. "I don't."

We all started to get ready. Sam recorded his voice so that all we would have to do would be to hit play on the tape. "Get the equipment to work?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "This is insane."

Ruby scoffed. "You win "understatement of the year.""

Dean was annoyed. "Look, I get it, you think—"

"I don't think… I know," She said. "It's not gonna work." She stood up and went towards the door. "So long, Winchesters."

"So, you're just gonna leave?" Sam asked.

"Hey. I was gonna kill myself to help you win. I'm not gonna stand here and watch you lose," she said. She walked up to Sam. "And I'm disappointed because I tried. I really did, but clearly I bet on the wrong horse." She turned her back to him. "Do you mind letting me out?"

Sam went to go let Ruby out and Dean and I waited. "You all know where you're supposed to be?" he asked. "Hendrickson and I will be on the far ends of the halls by the doors. Dylan and Sam will be in the main office."

"Hey," I said. "What about me?"

"You'll be in here," Dean said. "Waiting for the cue for the tape."

"That's it?" I asked.

Dean said nothing and walked out. I went to follow him, but he slammed the door in my face." "Hey!" I yelled.

"You're all we got," he said from the other side of the glass.

"So you're locking me in here!" I called after him. "Bastard," I mumbled.

Everyone got into their ready positions. "All set?" Dean yelled.

"Ready!" Everyone called back.

"Let's do this," Dean said, from the far back.

At first, nothing happened. Then, bodies started flooding in. Person after person came into the police station, intent on killing us all. I was hiding under the desk so that they wouldn't come in here. I had to press the tape. I heard gunshot after gunshot, but Dean still didn't say the cue.

I decided to get up and look out. Dylan was being choked by a demon. He was grappling at the wall, at anything. "Hey!" I screamed. Sam and Dean were both busy. I groaned and lifted the desk chair, throwing it at the door to get the window to smash. I reached over the glass and opened the door.

Running to him, I pulled the demon off of him. It screamed at my touch. I was shocked for a moment, but she grabbed my arm, throwing me to the ground. I pulled her off and she screamed again. She was thrown across the room, away from me.

"How did you do that?" Dylan asked.

"Lex now!" Dean yelled.

I ran back to the room and hit the play button. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii..." Sam's voice stated over the system. "Omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te, cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis, humiliare sub potenti manu dei..."

The demons started running for the exits, but they were locked in. Nancy and Phil had been outside redoing the salt lines so that they were trapped. "Contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomini quem inferi tremunt ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, domine. exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!"

There was an explosion of light and then all the people who had been possessed were on the ground, knocked out. "You ok?" I asked Dylan. He nodded.

After all the people who had been possessed left, Henrickson sighed. "I better call in. Hell of a story I won't be telling," he said.

"So what are you gonna tell them?" I asked.

"The least ridiculous lie I can come up with in the next five minutes," he said, looking at the phone with a lost look.

"Good luck with that," Dean said. "Not to pressure you or anything, but what are you planning to do about us?"

"I'm gonna kill you," he said. For a second I thought he meant literally. "Sam, Dean, and Alexis Winchester were in the chopper when it caught on fire. Nothing left. Can't even identify them with dental records."

"Good thing we don't have dental records anyways," I smiled.

"Yeah," Henrickson smiled. "Rest in peace guys." He shook Dean's hand. "Now get out of here."

We headed back to the motel, cleaning up and not talking. Dylan had followed us. He was lying on the bed next to me with his eyes closed. There was a knock on the door. Dean answered it and Ruby barged her way in. "Turn on the news," she demanded.

Sam turned it on. The reporter on the tv was standing in front of the police station that we had just been in. "The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago. Authorities believe a gas main ruptured...causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside. Among the deceased, at least six police officers and staff, including sheriff Melvin Dodd, deputy Phil Amici, and secretary Nancy Fitzgerald as well as three FBI agents, identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy, and Victor Henriksen." Their pictures flashed across the screen. "Three fugitives in custody were also killed. We'll continue to follow the story here at the scene, but for now, back to you, Jim."

Ruby turned it off and stared at us. "Must have happened right after we left," Sam stated in disbelief.

"Considering the size of the blast," Ruby said, tossing each of us a hex bag. "Smart money's on Lilith."

"What's in these?" Dean asked.

"Something that'll protect you," Ruby said, like he was an idiot. "Throw Lilith off your trail… for the time being, at least."

"Thanks," I said, staring at it.

"Don't thank me. Lilith killed everyone," Ruby said. "She slaughtered your precious little virgin, plus a half a dozen other people. So after your big speech about humanity and war, turns out your plan was the one with the body count. Do you know how to run a battle? You strike fast and you don't leave any survivors. So no one can go running to tell the boss. So next time… we go with my plan." She turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her.

We all sat in silence. Dylan cleared her throat. "So uh," he said, standing up. "I think you three need to talk. And I need to get to work. So…"

"I'll walk you to your bike," I said.

He nodded and we went out. "Look," he said. "I don't know what happened out there, but what you did wasn't normal."

"I know," I said, remembering how I threw that woman across the room without touching her.

"You should tell Dean," he said. "Keeping secrets…its not good. You told me about how you healed your arm awhile back."

"I know," I sighed. "I told Bobby about it."

"Yeah," he said. "Now tell them. They need to know."

"OK," I said. "See you, Dylan."

He smirked. "Catch you later, Winchester."

I went back inside and sighed. "What?" Dean asked, noting my sour expression. "Fighting with your boyfriend?"

"Not my boyfriend," I mumbled, sitting on the bed. "I need to tell you guys something."

Sam frowned. "What?"

"I think…" I started. "I think my powers are stronger."

"Stronger?" Dean asked. "I thought you guys weren't getting any freaky nonsense."

"I'm not," Sam said, hands in the air.

"So then what's up with you?" Dean asked.

"I…I healed my arm," I said. "And I threw a demon across the room today. Like without touching her. And I'm scared. Like really scared. I'm not even trying and it happens. I don't mean to I just…"

"Whoa," Dean said. "Slow down, you did what?"

"I healed my arm," I said, showing him the scar. "Almost instantly. And I threw a demon across the room today."

Dean and Sam simply stared at me. "I'm not kidding," I insisted, feeling tears in my eyes. "I some sort of freak and I don't…I don't…" I choked on my tears. "What do I do?"

"You had all this happen and you didn't say anything?" Dean demanded, irritated. "What the hell?"

"I didn't want to scare you," I said, looking away. "And with everything else that was going on…"

"You didn't think that this was important?" Dean yelled. "C'mon ankle biter you should know that this is big."

I started to cry harder. I hadn't cried like this in long time. Dean's expression softened. I was terrified and he knew it. Sam put his arm around me. "Shh…c'mon Lexie…you're fine. You're going to be fine…" Dean said, looking lost.

"Fine?" I demanded. "Dean, Sam has demon blood in him and I'm some sort of monster who can throw things with my mind! I'm not fine."

"Just relax," Sam said. "Don't jump to conclusions."

"Yeah," Dean said. "Look, as long as we're here. Nothing's going to happen."

"But you won't be here," I said, moving away from him. "You're going to die and I'm going to be all alone." Dean had nothing to say to that. "I just want to go to bed." I got up and went into the bathroom.

I looked at my tear stained face in the mirror and sighed. I guess anything could happen now. We were in a war. A war with ourselves, with saving Dean, with Lillith. And all was fair in love and war.

**Thanks for reading! Please, please review! And don't forget about the POLL! I fixed it so you can see it now! Next chapter should be an original and then i'm straight shooting it to the end of the third season :)**


	70. Season 3, Chapter Sixteen

**So this is it. This will be the last original chapter in season 3! Thanks for all your guys input in the poll! I worked really hard on this so I hope you all like it! **

**The idea for this Hunger Games based chapter was from a fan. Thank you so much chelsealovesya1995! All your ideas made this chapter what it is! **

**Please review**

**Disclaimer: I own Alexis and Dylan. Sadly everything else is not mine.**

Chapter Seventy

This was never going to end. It was torture. I couldn't even make my mind work anymore. I pressed submit. "Dean," I said, "I finished."

"Ok," he said, from across the room. He looked up at me. "Let me see your report thing."

I rolled my eyes but went to the page where you could see my progress. Over the last week, Dean had made me work on it relentlessly. We hadn't worked at all, so there were no distractions. I was so sick of working on this stupid crap I would never use. The bar was back to passing now, but barely.

"Dean this is dumb," I said, watching him go to the fridge to get himself a beer.

"No its not," he replied, twisting the cap off his beer and taking a long swig. "It's important."

"Why?" I demanded for the millionth time. "I'm not going to college; I'm never going to have a real job, so I don't need a high school diploma."

"You're in your last year, Lex," Sam said, "Don't you think you might as well finish?"

"What for?" I asked. "I can drop out and not have to do this for another four months."

"Just finish up for the day," Dean said, "I want to get a move on with this case."

"What case?" I asked, confused. I hadn't known we came here for a case.

"The one Sam found at breakfast," Dean said. "Oh right, you were here working." He smirked at me. I threw the pillow behind me at him.

"Shut up," I said, rolling my eyes. "What's going on?"

"This," Sam said, turning his computer around. There was a picture of a scorch mark made up of three triangles on some sidewalk. "Its appeared in three places and right after someone disappears."

"Disappears?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Like as in without a trace. Just poof."

"So what's the mark mean?" Dean asked.

"Don't know," Sam said. "That's why I think we should go canvas the families, see if they had any enemies. Maybe something will come up."

"Ok," Dean nodded, standing up. "Let's go."

I closed the second laptop to go with them and Dean shot me a look. "Dean, seriously?" I asked. "I can help."

"We don't need your help," he stated, shaking his head. "I need you to get back to work."

I got up anyways. "I'll be back," I said, walking to the door. "I need air."

"Where are you going?" Dean asked. "I just said to stay here."

"Store," I said, trying to get past him.

"For what?" he questioned. He put his arm in my way so I couldn't open the door.

I was so frustrated I said the first thing that popped into my head. "Tampons, ok?" I said. Dean's arm fell. "Thank you."

"What was that?" Dylan asked, as I shoved past him. I ignored him and walked to the little convenience store at the end of the block. I felt like Dean would follow me or something.

I grabbed a coke and started the walk back. Something didn't feel right. I looked around and saw a shadow behind me. I was pretty sure I was being followed. I walked slower, to see if they would pass me. When they didn't, I grabbed my knife out of my jacket pocket. I started walking faster, the blood pounding in my ears. I turned abruptly into the alley.

I whipped around, dagger ready. There was no one there. I waited for a moment and then relaxed. Maybe I was just being paranoid.

Suddenly, I felt a cold feeling behind me. I turned around, and felt a hand on over my mouth. A man, maybe in his upper fifties, winked at me. All went dark.

DEAN'S POV

It was growing dark outside and Lexie still hadn't reappeared. Dean didn't think that she would actually disappear for the entire day. "She's in so much trouble when she gets back," her growled at Sam, pacing around. Her not here was making him nervous.

"She's just avoiding school," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "I don't know what you're so worried about."

"I'm not worried," Dean scoffed, sitting down. He looked to the door again, waiting for her to reappear. When it didn't open, He got back up again and went to the bathroom. He was mad, but also had an overwhelming sense of guilt.

In all honesty, he knew earlier that she had been right about the whole school thing. He and Sam had both graduated, but they hadn't used their diplomas once, and probably never would. However, with the thought of leaving her here to fend for herself, he had to have some assurance that she had a chance. Not only that, but it was taking her mind off her whole powers thing. He didn't know how to deal with that, and dealing with making her do homework was a lot easier.

"Dude," Dylan said, shaking his head. "Why don't we just go find her?"

Dean got up. "Alright," he said, with an annoyed sigh. "If it'll make you feel better." Sam rolled his eyes at them. Dean smirked and grabbed his jacket on the way out.

They walked out of the motel room and picked the direction that she had been heading earlier. Lexie usually didn't pull this kind of crap though. That was what made Dean worried. "What's that?" Dylan said, suddenly. He was pointing into the alley between two buildings. Dean walked up to the shining metal, wishing her was going to be wrong about what it was.

"It's Lex's," he said, looking at the knife. She wouldn't leave this here. Not unless….he looked down. Three triangles were scorched into the pavement. "Shit."

Dean ran back to the room. "Sam," he said, busting the door open. "Lex is gone. She…the triangles…shit!"

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"We found this," Dylan said clarifying. He held up Lexis's knife. "And next to it were the scorch marks."

Sam stood up immediately. "That's really not good."

"Ya think, Sammy?" Dean demanded, throwing his hands in the air. "What are we going to do?"

"Well," Sam said, running his fingers through his hair. "We need to figure out who the symbol belongs to I guess."

"Ok…" Dean said, calming down. "Ok, yeah, let's do that."

"Ok," Sam said, sitting back down.

"I'm going to look around where we saw the mark," Dylan said, standing up. "Maybe we missed something."

Dean was too freaked out to do much of anything. In reality, he just wanted to punch something. Nothing stole his baby sister and got away with it. He wouldn't let her just be gone. There had to be a way to get her back.

LEXIE'S POV

My eyes opened to darkness. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I tried to feel my way around. I was sitting on dirt. Where was I? I groped around on all fours, carefully searching for a wall. I hit metal bars. I used them to stand up. Was I in a cage?

"Hello?" I called out, first in a whisper. "Anyone there?" I got no answer. "Hello?" I called a little louder. I heard a scuffle. "Who's out there?" I demanded.

"Be quiet," a voice insisted. It sounded close. "Stop moving."

I stopped. "What's going on?"

"I said be quiet," he said. "He'll hear you."

"Who?" I asked again.

The door opened and I could see. A man, the same man I saw before I blacked out, walked into the room. He had a person in tow. The kid was walking, but didn't look quite awake. His eyes were bugged out, and his mouth was hanging open slightly. He opened the door to a cage much like mine and the kid walked in willingly.

I looked around me. There were six? No seven cages surrounding me. I was in the second last one on the right side of the wall. There was someone in each one. What were we doing here? What was happening? I could barely make out faces. There were three girls, including me, and four boys. They all looked terrified.

"Hey!" I shouted as the bearded man walked out. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Shut up," he said, and I was slammed into the back of the cage. The bars hit my back at an odd angle and I groaned. This was going to end very badly. He shut the door behind him, cloaking us in darkness once again.

"I told you to keep your mouth shut," the kid said again.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"James," he replied. I could hear him rattling around in his cage.

"I'm Alexis," I responded. "How long have you been here?"

He was silent for a moment. "I can't remember."

I got up and felt around in the dark. I was going to find a way out. "What are you doing?" a girl asked. She was in the cage next to me. "Don't you think we've tried that?" She sounded like she was about to cry.

"Sorry," I said, sitting back down in defeat. We were all silent for a long time after that. I wasn't sure if it was day or night anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something, anything, to get help.

The door opened and light filled the room burning my eyes. The doors to the cage opened slowly, like one of those handicap doors. I got up off the ground and walked towards the opening. I looked around and noticed the others backing away instead. I stopped in my place.

"All of you," he said. "Put your hands on your head."

I looked around again. One girl, a blonde younger cheerleader type, slowly put her hands up to her head. She looked like she was struggling not to cry. I put my hands on my head, clasping them behind my head. She looked at me. I gave her a small smile. She did not return it.

We were led out of the room all together. I was second last, James behind me. The bearded man walked behind us, watching us file out. I looked around as we walked. We were clearly in a cellar of some sorts. The walls were whitewashed cinderblock. The florescent lights made the room eerier than it really was. I tread carefully, paying attention to see if there was any way to get out.

"Hey," James said, whispering in my ear. "I'll get us out, don't worry."

I tensed. "What are you going to do?" He didn't answer me. "Don't do anything ok?"

"Watch," he said, stopping. "I can save us."

"Move," the bearded man insisted. James refused to move. "Move!" he yelled again. James stood his ground. We all stopped and looked behind us.

James simple smirked at me. "No," he said clearly. He turned around and went to punch the white bearded man in the face.

I could see the knife before James did. The white bearded man grabbed his arm, turned him around, and held the knife to the soft flesh of James' neck. "Do that again," he said, "And I won't hesitate."

James looked a little shocked. The man looked old, not strong and agile like he had just shown. The man cut him a little to make him relax. James actually whimpered. My hero…

The white bearded man let him go. "Move!" he yelled pushing James into me. We all started moving again. He led us up a flight of stairs with two rooms. "Boys in there, girls in there," he motioned. We all filed in, scared out of her minds. The blonde girl from before was visibly crying now.

He came in with us and pointed to the bed. "There are clothes on there for each of you. Put them on. Now." He left, slamming the door behind him.

The moment he shut the door, I ran to the window. "What are you doing?" the other girl asked. She had long brown hair and was wearing a long dress.

"Looking for a way out," I stated, throwing open the blinds. The window was bricked shut.

"Didn't you see what just happened to that kid?" the crying blonde asked. "He almost killed him!"

"What do you thinks' going to happen if we stay here?" I demanded, frustrated.

The smaller blonde girl just started to cry harder. I winced and sat down on the bed. "Look, we'll get out ok?" She didn't say anything. "My name's Lexie," I added. "What's yours?"

"Carissa," the girl in the long skirt answered.

"Sarah," the blonde replied. "How will we get out?"

"I don't know yet, ok? I said looking at the clothing on the bed. "For now it's probably best to just do what he says." I picked up a skanky dress. It was my size. "I think this one is mine," I said.

"This is my size," Sarah said, picking up a similar dress that was red. "Why does he want us to put this on?"

"I don't know," I replied. "C'mon, I'll zip you up."

I pulled off my jeans and t shirt and slipped the dress over myself. It was tight and hugged my body close. I felt exposed. I grabbed the heels on the floor and shoved my feet into them.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Carissa sighed, looking at her blue dress in the mirror. Her dress was the least tight fitting. It wished we could trade, but she was a lot taller than me.

"Just be ready," I said, waiting for the door to open again.

DEAN'S POV

They headed to the convenience store that the alley where they had found Lexie's knife was closest to. Dean was anxious to look at the security tapes. The kid behind the desk was reluctant but with the right kind of prodding, (Dean's gun pointed at his face), the kid let him behind.

"Was that necessary?" Dylan asked, annoyed.

"Yes," Dean said, reviewing the tapes. He stopped when Lexie walked in the door. "There," he said, pointing. "There she is."

They watched her go around the corner into the alley. A car drove away almost immediately afterwards, and Dean wrote down the license plate. "Got it," he said, walking out.

"You really think this will help?" Dylan asked, looking at the number.

Dean sighed. "It's all we have right now." He grabbed his phone and called Sam. "I got a number for you."

"Great," Sam said. "Because I tracked the triangles down. Dean if I'm right, we're screwed."

"Why?" Dean questioned. "What's going on?" He was dreading the answer. Lexie was one of two people he was in charge of, and he was doing a shittier job than usual.

"It's Odin," Sam replied. "The Norse god."

Dean was silent for a moment. "She was taken by a god?" he asked. "Seriously, can't we catch a break and it just be just some psycho?"

"That's not all," Sam went on. "It's three days until the festival of the gods. Odin accepts sacrifices during this time."

"I'm almost back," Dean said. "We need to figure out where she's at. Fast."

He was panicking now. He hadn't accepted how bad this was going to be. Dean had hoped that this was just going to be some low profile psycho who wanted chicks for some other reason. Now, however, they were up against a god with a vendetta. Great.

He really regretted pissing her off now. She had been right. School wasn't the real issue with why he was keeping her close. He was scared. There, he admitted it. Dean was scared of Lexie. She had all these indefinable powers and he wasn't going to be here to help her deal with them. So he told her to focus on school, which he knew didn't matter. She had been right earlier. There was no use in it, not anymore with them being dead.

It was just the idea of it that he liked. She was on lockdown, working on something useful, and where he could see her. Lexis had known. She always knew everything. He had to get her back.

As soon as he walked back into the room, Sam was walking out. "I know where he is," Sam said, running out.

"Dylan, stay here and wait for the call," Dean said. "In case something bad happens."

They headed into the impala and drove quickly. Sam led them to the rich side of town, with mansions all over the place. These houses were bigger than anything that they had ever been in. Well legally anyways. They ran up to the door but before they could bust in the door, it opened.

A white bearded man opened the door. He smiled. "Oh good," he said. "Just in time for dinner!"

Sam and Dean were completely caught off guard. They raised their guns. "Where's Alexis?" Dean demanded, not in the mood to screw around.

The man laughed, just walking away. "At the table waiting, of course."

They followed him, shooting glances at each other. Dean was confused. Should he shoot? He wasn't sure if it would even do any damage. He decided to see Alexis before he took drastic action. They walked into a formal dining room. Dean felt cold and looked down. His clothes had changed. He was wearing a three piece suit. Sam was too. What the hell was going on?

"Welcome to dinner!" the man exclaimed, motioning towards two seats on the right side of the table. In between them was Alexis, looking tired and worried. "Dinner with be followed by the show," the man went on.

Dean and Sam simply stood there. "Well, sit," the bearded man said. Dean and Sam were forced into the seats next to Alexis.

There were many other seats at the table, filled with kids looking like they were in the same predicament as Alexis was. They had been taken as well. Dean looked to Alexis. "What's going on?" he asked her.

She showed him the chains on her legs. "Oh, you know. Trying something new," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Not the time," Sam said, looking around the table.

There were sixteen chairs around the table, all with someone sitting at it. There seemed to be a pattern. A chair with an older person sitting in it, who looked happy; then, next to them was a kid, not much older or younger than Lex, who was scared beyond belief.

"What's his end game?" Dean asked, getting annoyed.

"I don't think you want to know," Alexis stated, looking down.

"Damn it, Lex, what is it?" Dean demanded, grabbing her shoulder.

"It's a fight," Lex stated. "To the death."

Dean stared at her. "That's not a funny joke."

"It's not a joke," she said, looking up at him. "I'm his person," she said, nodding at the white bearded man. He seems to be the leader." She looked across the table. "That's Sarah, and Carissa. And James."

"Well," the white bearded man smiled, sitting at the head of the table. "Let's have some introductions, shall we?"

He waved his hands and Lex stood up. She seemed uncomfortable. The chains were pulling on her ankles. "I, Odin, have chosen Alexis," he introduced. "She's a strong contender this year. She's a hunter." He smirked, a glint in his eyes. "Next?"

"I, Forseti, god of Justice, have chosen this child, Justin," he stated, pointing to the kid next to him. "He's got a fair shot, I believe."

"I, Hel, goddess of Death, have chosen Cameron," she said, proudly. "He's quiet, but has it in him to be a great winner."

"I, Idunn, goddess of Youth, have chosen Sarah," Idunn said. "She's young, and beautiful."

"I, Freyja, god of magic and desire, have chosen this young man, Brett," he stated, almost bored. "He's the epitome of his kind, I assure you."

"I, Nerthus, earth mother, have chosen Carissa," she said, hand on Carissa's head. Carissa grimaced. "She's in tune with the nature of her being. A dangerous feat."

"I, Tyr, god of battle, chose James," he said, motioning at James. James was trying to look touch and strong. As though acting was going to help him through this. "James may just best your child there, Odin. Watch out."

"Well," Odin said, putting his hand on Lexie's head. "We'll have to see about that one." He looked around the room and grinned. "Alright," he said. "Dinner!"

People paraded in food items from chicken to some odd things. Dean wasn't sure what they were. This was also one of the few times that he really didn't feel like eating. "What are you going to do?" Lex asked him, worriedly.

"I don't know," Dean replied. "Maybe we should just attack?"

Sam scoffed. "We're in a room full of gods," he stated. "You really think that's such a good idea to just go for it?"

"You have a better idea?" Dean asked, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, on three," he went on.

"Dean," Lex said, looking down. "You're forgetting I'm chained to a chair. And what about everyone else?"

He huffed and sat back. "Would you rather be forced to play this game?" he asked. "And kill them?"

Lex looked terrified and he regretted his words. "We need a plan."

"Alright," Odin said, standing again once he had finished eating. "Let's begin."

"Begin?" Dean asked.

"The trial of course," Odin snorted. "This is why we don't let humans in on these things. They are so unbearable ignorant."

"Watch who you're calling ignorant, grandpa," Dean remarked. "My sister isn't doing this shit. Let her go."

Odin sighed like he was bored. "You can say goodbye. No real chance you'll see her again anyways."

"Dean," Lex complained. "I'm not going to kill people!"

"Then don't," Dean said. "Let them compete. You stay sidelined. Do what you can to prevent others from hurting each other. We'll end it on our end and you won't have to do anything."

"But—"

"Look, Lex," Sam said, "You have to do what you need to do to stay safe. Help the others. Convince them not to play."

"Ok," she said shakily. "Ok. I'll try."

"Good luck," Dean said. "Use your smarts. You know how to survive. We'll be doing everything we can on our end."

"Time's up," the Odin called. Lexie disappeared.

LEXIE'S POV

I was suddenly in an arena. My heart was beating out of my chest. I couldn't do this. I couldn't sit by while others died for no reason other than entertainment. I had no choice. We were all standing in a field. What was going on? Were we all just supposed to run at each other?

"Attention contestants!" Odin's voice boomed. "In this arena is not only the chance of being killed by your peers but by creatures out of your worst nightmares. Tread carefully, and may the best contestant win!"

All the sudden, everybody moved. That's when I saw it. There were items in the middle of us. They would come in handy, I was sure of it. I looked down and realized I was still in a dress and heels. I kicked my heels off and ran.

James was on the opposite end of me. He ran the same time I did. We nearly collided in the middle. I grabbed the backpack I had my eyes on from the start. He smirked at me and took off. "I'm not going to lose," he said to me.

I ignored him and ran off in the opposite direction. I figured James would be the one to make this difficult. He didn't seem like the type to just give in. I ran until my feet were bleeding and my breaths were staggered. I was in a forest. The trees were thick enough that I couldn't really run anymore anyways. I stopped and leaned against a tree.

The pack had a dagger, a flare gun, and a small blanket. I decided to keep walking forward. I knew I promised Dean that I would keep an eye on the others, but I feared that if I found them I wouldn't like the results.

I heard a scream.

I got up quickly and headed towards it. It was definitely a girl. I ran to a small clearing where I saw Cameron, the quiet one, standing over Carissa. I grabbed a large branch and waited. Carissa saw me. I put a finger to my lips. I inched closer and then burst out of the brush.

I swung the branch, hitting him square on the back of the head. He fell to the ground, knocked out cold. "You ok?" I asked, helping Carissa up.

"No," she said, brushing herself off. "This is crazy."

"I know," I said, looking around. "C'mon, we need cover." I pulled her back into the brush with me. "Have you seen anyone else?"

"No," she said. "Just him. He was going to kill me."

"It's ok. I won't let him," I replied. I had this foreboding feeling that I was lying. How was I supposed to do that? I could barely keep myself alive half the time let alone caring for someone else. I wondered if this was how Dean felt. "C'mon, we need to move," I stated.

"Where are we going to go?" she asked, sniffling.

"Away from here," I said. "Out of the open."

DEAN'S POV

They were led into a basement and Dean was immediately weary. He couldn't see a happy way out of this. Even if they could somehow kill Odin and all the other gods, how in the world would they get Alexis back? They didn't even know where she was right now.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, pointing at the screen. "Our entertainment."

Lexie was on the screen. Dean narrowed his eyes. They were going to watch this happen? He and Sam sat in the back corner. "What the hell is going on?" Dean asked him.

"I think we're watching them compete," Sam replied.

"Really?" Dean asked, sarcastically. "How are we going to get out of this?"

Sam sighed and looked around. "I think she has to win."

They watched Lexie take off towards the middle and grab the backpack. "What's she doing?" Dean asked. She ran off into the forest.

"Odin," Tyr laughed. "I do believe your little champion has just run away."

"Give it time," Odin smirked. "She'll figure out how to play."

They watched the others. All of them seemed at a loss for what to do. All the sudden, the screen showed Lexie again. She was watching Carissa from the bushes. She came out and knocked out Cameron, who was going to kill Carissa. She knocked him out and ran off with Carissa in tow.

"That is against the rules," Hel complained. "She didn't even kill him and she saved another."

"Let it be," Forseti stated. "I'm sure she will get her comeuppance."

"Hey that's my sister you're talking about," Dean said, standing up. Sam pulled him back down.

"Not the time," Sam admonished. He pointed to the screen. Something was happening.

LEXIE'S POV

The sky was growing darker. I could feel the air getting colder as well. "We'll set up camp here," I said, sitting down.

"Should we like, build a fire or something?" Carissa asked.

"No, probably not a good idea," I replied. "It'll give away our position."

She sat down opposite from me. "You don't really think the others will kill each other, do you?" she asked quietly. "I mean, Sarah, or James?"

"I don't know," I said, honestly. "You'd be surprised what people will do to survive." She gave me a defeated look. As the sun went down, it got a lot colder. I gave her my blanket.

Screams.

I jumped up and looked around. What the hell was going on? I got up and looked around. I couldn't see much. It was so dark here. I couldn't even see the moon. I heard another scream. I ran towards it, hoping to stop whatever was happening.

I got all turned around in the dark. "Hello?" I yelled. "What's going on?"

There was a loud growl coming from behind me. I turned around slowly, my heart beating wildly. Oh god….

There was nothing there.

I felt the hit before I really knew what was happening. I was thrown through the air, sailing backwards until I smacked into a tree. The rough bark hit my bare back. I was still in this stupid dress. I missed my boots right about now. "Ow," I complained. I still couldn't see anything.

The air moved in front of me. I think I figured out what was in front of me. Daeva.

I took off at a sprint. Twigs and rocks cut up my feet. I had to get to the flare gun. I had to get back to Carissa and warn her. I tripped and went spiraling down. What was that? I looked back. It was a body. I flipped it over. Cameron.

I took off running again. If he was dead, who else was dead?

I got back to where Carissa was sitting and rummaged through my pack. "Shit, shit, shit…" I said, trying to grab the flare gun.

I finally got my hands on it as I felt claws scraping down my back. It ripped skin, blood oozing out. I flipped over and fired without even aiming. I heard a scramble, and I was alone once again. I fell back and panted. That had been a close one. I guess that was what Odin meant when he said that there were creatures in here.

"Carissa," I said, looking over to her. "Carissa." I got no answer.

Fearing the worst, I walked over and took the blanket off of her. Her eyes were open wide, like she had just been scared out of her mind. Her throat was slit. I grimaced. Cameron must have done this before he was killed.

I walked away. I didn't want to be near here any longer. I walked until I heard a rustling behind me. Sarah came bursting out of the brush. I readied myself for a fight, but she was crying. "James, he killed that other kid…Justin…" she said breathlessly. "He's coming!"

"Ok," I said, "Hide, c'mon." I pulled her into the bushes. James came running out only moments later. He stopped and looked around. In the dark, we were well hidden by the forest. He slowly walked away. I waited another 15 minutes before I let Sarah move.

"Ok," I whispered. "C'mon, we need to move out of here."

"Where are we going to go?" she asked.

"This way," I said, pulling her with me. We eventually stopped as the moon hit its peak in the sky. "Ok," I said, sitting down. "This is ok." She sat down as well.

"Sleep," I said, watching her struggle to keep her eyes open. "I'll keep watch."

"How do I know you're not going to hurt me in my sleep?" she asked.

I thought for a second. "You don't," I shrugged. "You just have to trust me, I guess." She slowly lay down and closed her eyes. I sat there, in the cold, and wished this would all be over.

Two down then…I shivered. There was light peeking out from the other side of the forest. Morning.

DEAN'S POV

As they watched, Dean heard a noise from the other room. Dylan burst into the door. "Dean!" he shouted. "Sam!" He fired into the crowd of gods. They didn't seem phased in the slightest. Odin waved his hand and sent Dylan sprawling on the floor.

"What the hell is going on?" Dylan demanded. "Where's Alexis? What are you doing?"

"Oh shut up already!" Hel said, irritated. He snapped his fingers and Dylan was silent. He could no longer speak. "That's better."

"Hey!" Dean said. "Undo whatever you just did."

"Why should I?" Hel asked, bored. "You pathetic humans are only here to watch your sister die anyways."

"Please," Sam said. "I'll shut him up, I swear."

Hel sighed and snapped his fingers again. Dylan sighed in relief. "OK," he whispered, sitting down with Sam and Dean. "What's going on?"

Sam explained the whole situation. "She's what?" Dylan asked. Dean only pointed to the screen, which was now back on Alexis. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"We don't know," Sam replied.

"OK!" Odin smiled, standing up. "Ready to give gifts?"

"Gifts?" Dean asked.

"Each remaining participant gets a gift," he stated, explaining. "What would you like to send?"

Sam, Dean and Dylan exchanged a look. Dean took out his pearl handled pistol and wrote a quick note on a napkin. "This," he said, handing it over.

Odin read it and smiled. "Interesting."

LEXIE'S POV

As the sun was rising, I heard Odin's voice ring out once again. "Only four contestants left!" he said, giddily. I shook my head at his happiness. "You will all receive aid. Watch the skies!"

I saw a package slowly making its way towards me. I reached for it. I tore it open. It was Dean's pistol. I silently thanked him. There was a note. 'Do it right.' It read. I wasn't sure exactly what that meant.

"What did you get?" Sarah asked, rubbing her eyes.

"A gun," I said, putting it in my pants. "That one's yours I think," I said, pointing. She opened it. It was an apple. "What's that?" I asked.

"No idea," She replied. She carried it anyways.

We walked until we found water. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I drank some. I was starving. I could barely think of anything else. "ALEXIS!" Sarah screamed.

A shape was rising out of the water. I didn't want to move. I couldn't move, even though I knew I had to or I would die. Sarah tried to pull me away, but I was stuck. It slowly made its way towards me. Its skin was eerily blue, and looked like it was falling off because it was so waterlogged.

"Move!" Sarah pleaded. I couldn't move. I wanted to so badly.

I realized the thing was a water wraith. I drank the water. I was under a spell. I urged myself to move, dammit. I couldn't budge. "Knife," I said, as the wraith took me in her arms.

Sara angrily grabbed the dagger I had on the ground and stabbed it three times. It screamed.

I suddenly could move again. "What was that?" she asked, crying once again.

I fell back, my muscles now under my control. "Wraith," I stated, out of breath. "A water wraith. They suck out your life."

"Oh," she said, with a small laugh. "Ok, whatever."

Odin's voice boomed once again. "We are into the final three!" he shrieked happily. "James, Sarah, and Alexis. Good luck!"

I sighed. "Shit."

"What?" she asked.

"He's coming for us," I stated. Her eyes widened. "It's ok," I said with a curt nod. "I finally have a plan. I know what I have to do."

I found a small clearing only a few hundred yards away. This would be just fine. "Ok," I stated. "You're going to hide."

"What?" she asked.

"Hide," I repeated. I showed her the area, farther away from the clearing where he wouldn't even know she was there. "I'll take care of James. Don't worry I'll be fine."

"What are we going to do when you kill him?" She asked. "Then it will be you and me…"

"Don't worry," I said, with a weak smile. "Part of the plan. I won't make it out of here but you…you will." She looked at me worriedly. "Here." I handed her the gun. "You take this. Just in case."

"What are you going to do?" she asked. "I can't kill you. And what are you going to do to James?"

"Try and talk to him," I said. "And if that doesn't work, well…" I stopped. "I hear him. Go." She dashed off into the bushes. I went back to the clearing.

DEAN'S POV

He stood up, angrily. "Stop this!" Dean yelled. "She's going on a suicide mission. STOP THE GAME!"

Odin glared at him. "Stop it. No interfering."

Dean glared at him. "She dies I swear on everything that is holy I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try," Odin smiled. "But for now. Sit."

Dean was forced into the chair and chained down. "Son of a Bitch!"

LEXIE'S POV

I was trying to rationalize in my head killing this kid. He had killed Justin. He had killed an innocent kid. He deserved to die right?

But he was forced into this. We all were. Could we really be held responsible for what we did in here? For what we had to do to survive?

Still, I didn't want to have to hurt him.

He appeared out of the brush. "Hey," I said, staring. "Looks like you were right. You haven't lost yet."

"I usually don't," he replied. "It's only me and you."

My heart dropped out of my chest. "I think you miscounted."

He smirked. "I think you shouldn't have left your friend alone." He held up Dean's pistol. "She doesn't know how to use this thing." He pointed it at me. "But I do."

"You killed her!?" I demanded. "You sick son of a bitch." I ran over to the brush where I knew she was hidden. He followed. I didn't even care if he shot me at this point. "Why?" I demanded, cradling Sarah's dead form. "Why are you doing this? Why are you giving into this sick game?"

"Because I'm not going to die because of this," he said, shaking his head. "I'd rather make it out alive."

"You would rather kill innocent people?" I asked. I stood up. "Then do it. Kill me. Win the game." He only watched me. "I refuse to play."

"What?" he asked. "You're not even going to fight back?"

"Kill me," I said, walking closer to him. He backed away. "Or are you scared?"

"I'm not scared," he said. I could see his arm wavering.

"Then do it!" I yelled. "Shoot me!"

James screamed.

Something pulled him to the ground and dragged him away. I ran after him, grabbing at his arms. "Hold on!" I yelled. I heard dogs growling and barking. Hell hounds?

Blood was pouring from his legs. He was losing his grip. My hands were too sweaty. He was dragged away into the trees until he stopped screaming. I sat there, defeated. I had won?

DEAN'S POV

He smiled when Alexis came into the room. He grabbed her and hugged her, something he usually didn't do. She barely responded.

"Congrats Odin," Forseti stated. "You're child has won."

"Thank you," Odin replied. "Now we can proceed with the ritual."

"Ritual?" Sam asked. "What ritual?"

"Alexis has won the great privilege of being the sacrifice in our ritual for the year," Hel answered. "She should be grateful."

"So her prize for not dying in the arena is to die now?" Dylan asked. "How does that make sense?"

"This is an honor, boy," Nerthus stated. "She should be thankful."

Sam stood up. "Odin cheated," he stated.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Lexie asked.

"That boy died because of a creature Odin put in there," Sam went on. "And it appeared at a very convenient moment, don't you think?"

All the gods spoke up at once. "You're right," Hel started.

"Yeah, that was particularly convenient," Idunn went on.

They all started to argue. "Go," Sam said nodding at the door.

"Guys, guys," Odin said, trying unsuccessfully to ward them off. The gods were closing in on him. Meanwhile, Dean ushered them all out.

They raced into the impala and drove until they were so far away they didn't even know what city they were in any longer. "I'm glad you're ok," Dean stated, patting Alexis on the shoulder. She said nothing, just giving him a weak smile. "You are ok, right?" he asked. She nodded slowly.

This was going to be a long drive.

LEXIE'S POV

I sat there, unmoving. All my muscles ached. I just wanted a hot shower, some sleep, and to get out of this stupid dress. Once Dean finally stopped driving, I went into the bathroom. I peeled the grimy, bloody dress off and tossed it out the window. I never wanted to see it again.

I had seen a lot in my almost eighteen years, but this was heavy. I had watched people my age, people who could have been me, kill each other. They had no reason. They were acting on their own accord. What was the point in working to save these people if they were going to do such horrible things?

I didn't want to think anymore.

I got out of the shower and lay down on the bed. "You want to talk?" Sam asked. I shook my head.

"I just want to sleep," I replied. I curled up and faced the wall.

Sam and Dean eventually went to sleep. I got up in the middle of the night. I walked out the door and went over a few rooms to where I knew Dylan was sleeping. I knocked.

"Winchester?" he questioned drowsily. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," I replied, walking inside. I walked up to him. "I need you to tell me something."

"What?" he asked.

"Why do you keep helping us?" I asked. "Why are you always calling me and helping me and just…"

"Uh…" he said. "Are you alright?"

I stared at him for a moment. "Why?" I asked.

He sighed and came close to me. He leaned in slowly and kissed my lips. He pulled away slightly, as though asking if this was ok. I said nothing. I reached to him and pulled him closer. He put his arms on my waist and held me there, kissing me all the way to the bed.

I fell back on it and yanked him down with me. He ran his hands up my sides. I could feel his calloused hands. He kissed me roughly, biting and nipping at my neck. This was so different than what it had been in the past. This was rough, and needy, and feral.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. He grabbed at me, and I grabbed at him, aching for any sort of contact that we could get. Everywhere he touched I was on fire. Part of me wanted to stop, to go back to my brothers and pretend this never happened. The stronger part of me, however, was enjoying every second.

I let myself by enveloped by the flames.

**Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review!**


	71. Season 3, Chapter Seventeen

**Hello all! I'm already done with the next chapter. I know. It's amazing. Anywho, thank you for all the reviews! I'm really trying to finish season three out fast so keep on the lookout for updates! **

**Disclaimer: I own Alexis and Dylan. **

Chapter Seventy One

I checked my phone. Nothing. I sighed. I had finally got my side to heal after the whole death arena situation, but there were still other things that hadn't gone away yet. I looked down at my phone again.

"What are you waiting for a booty call or something?" Dean snorted.

"Huh?" I asked, looking up at him.

"You've been checking your phone constantly," he stated. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh," I said, putting my phone back into my bag. "Nothing."

That was a blatant lie. Dylan hadn't talked to me since I slept with him. I didn't want to tell Dean about it. I mean, he slept with women all the time, but when you were a girl it was different. I don't know why, it just was. Besides that, the protocol for sex wasn't exactly something I wanted to talk to my older brother about. That would be incredibly awkward.

"So what do you think, Sammy?" Dean asked, handing him a beer. "Morton house. C'mon!"

"I don't know, Dean," Sam stated. "We don't really know anything about it. We don't know what were getting into."

"It's supposed to be the most haunted house around," Dean said. "It's like the grand canyon for hunters."

"Isn't that the house that stuff only happens on leap year?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Dean, no one walks out of the house alive. I don't think it's a good idea."

"C'mon, guys!" He said, excitedly. "It'll be great!"

Sam and I exchanged a look. "I'll do it," I said, getting up. "We have nothing to do, and it only happens once every four years. This is our chance."

Sam sighed, closing his laptop. "Fine," he agreed. "Let's go."

Dean grabbed his jacket happily and went out the door. "I feel like we're going to regret this," I stated, walking out after him.

It was already dark. We were staking out the house before we went inside. I wasn't sure the point, but the cops had been by twice to make sure that no one was going to trespass. Apparently we weren't the only ones who wanted to sneak into the house on leap year. I guess a good legend attracted the teens around here.

I thought I saw something by the side of the road. "Dean," I said, as we sat there. "There's someone heading towards the house."

"Where?" he asked. I pointed. He started the car and drove past. Sam and I held flashlights out, watching for movement.

"Just some stupid kids," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "They'll be out by midnight, I guarantee."

"Yeah," Dean said. "Nothing happens til then anyways. Just leave em be. We can scare them out later if we need to." He leaned back in his seat. "Let me know when it's eleven. I'm taking a nap."

I checked my phone again. It had been a week.

_He lay next to me, smirking to himself. "That was uh…" _

"_Yeah," I replied, lying next to him. He got up. "What?" I asked, as he looked at me. _

"_You probably have to go, right?" he asked. "I'd really prefer not to have you're brothers bash my head in." _

"_Right," I said, getting up. I pulled my shirt back on. He walked me to the door. "Bye, I guess." _

"_See ya, Winchester."_

And nothing. By the time I woke up the next morning, he was already gone. His bike was no longer in the parking lot. He hadn't called, texted or anything. I felt like I had been used. I was a hump and dump to him apparently. There was still part of me though that didn't want to believe it. Maybe he was really busy, or something had happened. Maybe I should call him.

"I didn't see anyone come out," Sam said, staring at the Morton house. "I think we should get them out in plenty time. We don't really know what to expect."

"Yeah, alright," Dean said, waking up. He shook his head and wiped his eyes. "Let's go."

We made our way into the house. The fence had been chained shut, but apparently these guys had cut them with bolt cutters. I shook my head. Obviously they were amateurs. Hunters would have hopped the fence and left no trace that they were here.

They house loomed in front of us. It was big, two stories with a basement, and abandoned. The Morton house hadn't had anyone living in it for almost fifty years. It was dark as well, I couldn't see anything inside. We went in the front door, walking down the long hallway into the heart of the house. I heard movement on the other side of the wall in front of me. I motioned to Sam, who nodded. "Stay behind," he said, walking in front of me.

"Freeze! Police officers! Don't move!" Dean yelled, storming into the room.

There were two people in front of us. The one, a younger man, had his one hand in the air, the other holding a camera. He looked terrified. I looked to the other man, with a head flashlight on. He looked eerily familiar.

"All right. All right. All right. Take it easy, take it easy," Sam said, watching the younger man panic.

"Let's see some identification," Dean went on, holding out his hand.

"Come on. Let's see some I.D." Sam added, when they just stood there.

"What - are we under - under arrest?" the younger one asked, handing over his I.D.

"We are unarmed," the other stated.

"Uh huh," Dean said. "Want to explain that weirdo outfit, Mr., uh, Corbett?"

"I know you," the older man stated. The moment he said that I knew who he was.

I cleared my throat, tapping Sam. "Yeah, sure you do," Dean went on. "Give me some identification."

"Yeah, ho- whoa, hold on a second. I know the both of you guys," Ed said.

I cringed. "Sam…"

"What?" Corbett said, confused.

"What?" Sam asked, looking at me.

"Hell hounds dot com," I whispered.

Sam looked back at Ed, his eyes wide. "Holy shit!"

"What?" Dean asked, clearly still not recognizing him.

"Uh, West Texas... the... the tulpa we had to take out. Those two goofballs that almost got us killed... The hellhounds or something?"

Dean looked to Ed, disgruntled. "Fuck me."

"Yeah, we're not hellhounds anymore, okay?" Ed said. "It didn't test that well."

"Ed, what's going on?" Corbett asked.

Ed smirked. "They're not cops, buddy - no, not at all."

"Ed, Ed, you had a partner, too, didn't you - A different guy?" Dean said.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," Ed replied. "Where's the third one of you guys? That girl?"

"I'm here," I said, forcing my way to the front. "Where's your partner?"

"He's running around, chasing ghosts," Ed stated.

"Okay, well, listen, you and Rambo need to get your girlfriends and get out of here," Dean stated, looking around.

"All right. Listen here, chisel chest, okay?" Ed said, stepping forward and looking up at Dean. "We were here first. We've already set up base camp. We beat you."

Dean smiled and looked to us. "They were here first." He grabbed Ed and slammed him into the wall. "Ed," he said, while Ed whimpered to himself. "...where's your partner?"

"This way," Ed said. Dean put him down.

He led us into what I would call the living room of the house. There were cobwebs galore, no light anywhere, and broken furniture covering the floor. "What are you doing in the Morton House, Ed - on leap year - what are you thinking?" Dean asked.

"We're here to spend the night, okay? It's for our TV show," Ed said, rolling his eyes. As thogh we were causing him the inconvenience here.

"What?" I asked. I looked at the camera Corbett was holding. "We're on tv?"

"Great. Perfect," Sam replied.

"Yeah, nobody's ever spent the night before," Ed went on.

"Uh, actually, yeah, they have," Dean argued, shaking his head.

Ed scoffed. "Uh, we've never heard of them."

"Yeah, you know why?" Dean asked. " 'Cause the ones that have haven't lived to talk about it!"

"Oh, come on, I don't believe you," Ed replied, walking behind a table. It had a bunch of video equipment on it.

Sam pulled out the papers he had collected on it. "Look - missing-persons reports going back almost a half century. John Graham stayed on a dare - gone. Julie Wilkerson - gone. There are tons more." Ed shuffled through the papers. "All of them came to just stay the night through, always on a leap year. The only body they ever found was the last owner, Freeman Daggett."

Ed's eyes widened. "These look legit."

"They are legit," I replied, irritated.

"Look, Ed, we ain't got much time here, buddy. Starting at midnight, your friends are going to die," Sam explained.

Three people came running down the steps excitedly. "Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Guys! Guys! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! We got one! Corbett! Corbett, we saw one! We saw one!" The one said. I instantly recognized him as Harry, Ed's partner.

"Get outta here!" Ed stated, amazed.

"It was a full apparition! It was like a class four. It was a spectral illumination! It..."

They had an Asian girl with them. "It was amazing!"

Harry stopped and looked at us. "Hey, aren't those the assholes from Texas?"

"All right, let's have this reunion across the street, guys," Dean said, trying to get this back on track. We needed them out of here, now.

"Crap. What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Come on, come on. We'll get you ice cream - our treat. What do you say?" Dean asked. "Let's go."

Harry shook his head. "Yeah, I say no."

The Asian girl was busy showing the footage of a ghost that they got. "Look at this. Look, look. Ed, Ed. No. No. Look at this. Okay, honest-to-god proof, all right?" She let it play. I watched. It was only a ghost echo.

"What kind of reading did we get?" the other camera man asked.

"Uh, it was a 10.9," Harry said.

Ed smiled. "10.9?"

"Yeah, it was 10.9. It was almost 11. I came out, and I was like, "what's going on?" And I was like - wait, watch this. Oh! He got blasted. It was crazy."

"You guys are morons," I stated.

Sam tapped me on the shoulder. "Think we were off on this? I mean, that was just a death echo," Sam stated.

"Yeah, but what's it doing here? Did anybody get shot here?" I asked.

"No, not that I could find," Sam shrugged.

"What's a death echo?" called the second camera man.

"Look, we got a problem here. That ghost ain't it," Sam said, frustrated.

"What's a death echo?" he asked again.

I sighed. "Echoes are trapped in a loop, okay? They keep replaying how they died over and over and over again, usually in the place where they were ganked. It's about as dangerous as a scary movie. They can't hurt you."

"Oh," he said. "Well you know, I'm not scared anyways." He smiled at me from behind the camera. I scoffed.

"So maybe the echo's not dangerous, but maybe something else is," Sam stated.

Dean nodded. "You're right. All right, we need to get out of here, guys. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Pack it up."

"Guys, time is running out!" Sam called.

"We're moving!" Dean went on. He was done with fooling around because he started pulling them with him out the door.

"What about all of our equipment? What are we gonna..."

"We got more material. We got all kinds of stuff. We'll make you guys recurring guest stars," Harry pleaded.

"Wait! Wait!" Ed screamed. Dean stopped. "Where's Corbett?"

We heard a scream from upstairs. "That was Corbett," Ed stated.

"That was Corbett! Corbett!" Harry yelled, running towards the stairs.

"Corbett! It's okay!" Maggie, the Asian girl yelled, running after him.

They all headed up the steps, leaving Sam, Dean and I protesting on the stairs. "Guys!" Sam called after them. They were long gone. "Shit!"

I groaned. "I vote we get ourselves out and leave their asses in here to die," I stated.

Dean sighed. "C'mon." I followed him up the stairs. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Come on."

Corbett kept screaming, but they were getting farther and farther away. They faded into nothing. "Corbett's... He's not here," I said, pushing them back. "Let's go. Let's go."

"No. No. No. But that's Corbett. No, that was Corbett. Didn't you hear that?"

"Go, go, go, come on," Dean complained pushing them back towards the steps.

"Guys. Guys. Guys. He's that way." Sam pushed them as well, blocking them from the hallway. "Here we go. Here we go. Keep it moving. Keep it moving."

Dean hit Harry with his flashlight. "Go. Go. Move. Move. Turn it off!"

We made it all the way back into the living room of the house before we lost them again. "Oh, god, what's happened? Oh, god. He's gone. He just disappeared," Ed cried.

"Okay, let's just go through all the angles. Let's go through all the cameras we have," Harry stated.

Sam sighed. "Well, it's 12:04, Dean. You good? You happy?"

Dean growled. "Yeah, I am happy."

"Let's go hunt the Morton house," you said, "it's our Grand Canyon." Sam mocked.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Sam, I don't want to hear this."

"You got two months left, Dean," Sam complained. "Instead, we're gonna die tonight."

I picked up a chair that was sitting there and smashed it into the door. It broke into pieces. "We're so screwed," I said, putting my head in my hands.

"Whoa!" Spruce, the other camera man shouted at me. "What the hell is going on guys?"

"I'll tell you what's going on," Sam said, irritated. "Every door, every window, I'm guessing every exit out of this house - they're all sealed."

Maggie looked frightened. "But w-why are they sealed?"

"It's a supernatural lockdown, okay?" Dean went on. "Whatever took Corbett doesn't want us to leave, and it's no death echo. This is a bad mother, and it wants us scared."

"Or it just wants us," Maggie stated.

The EMF started to make its whirring noise. "Uh, guys, the camera's fritzing again," Spruce said, coming closer to where Sam and I were standing.

"Whoa. Whoa. Guys, the EMF's starting to spike," Spruce stated. "This is a big one!"

"Everybody, stay close. There's something coming," Sam said, as we all gathered together. Another apparition appeared before our eyes. It was standing in the middle of the room.

"Is this the same echo you guys saw earlier?" I asked, watching him.

"No, it's a different guy," Ed replied.

"Multiple echoes?" Dean asked. "What the hell's going on?"

"Beats me," Sam said.

"Okay. All right. All right. All right," Dean chanted. He ran up to the ghost and started yelling at it. "Uh, hey, buddy! Hey. Hey. Wake up. You're dead!"

"What's he doing?" Harry asked.

"It's rare, but sometimes you can shock an echo out of its loop if you can talk to the part of the ghost that's still human, but usually you have to have some kind of connection to the deceased," Sam said.

Dean continued to shout. "Come on! Wake up! Be dead!"

"You guys hear that?" Harry asked.

I listened for a moment. "Is that a train?" I asked.

All the sudden the apparition stopped and stared like a deer in headlights. It was then flung backwards like it was hit by something. "Where the hell did it go?" Harry demanded.

Sam, Dean and I headed to look around. We had to see if we could find something to tell us what was going on in this house. The other four followed us. "Dude, there's no records of any of this here," Dean stated. "No one got shot here. Obviously, no one got run over by a freaking train."

"Stay close," I said to Spruce who was behind me.

"Don't worry," he said, "I will."

"Did the echoes take Corbett?" Maggie asked.

"Yes. No. I don't know," Dean said. "We don't know what's doing what here; that's what we're trying to figure out, okay?"

"All right, stay close," Sam said again. "Okay, look, um, death echoes are ghosts, okay? Now, ghosts - they usually haunt places where they lived or where they died."

"Except these mooks didn't live or die here," Dean added.

Maggie looked confused. "So, what are they doing here?"

"Hey, give the lady a cigar," Dean said, turning to look at her. "All right, seriously, does looking at this nightmare through that camera make you feel better or something? I mean..."

"Um...I, uh... Well, yeah. Uh, yeah. I think so," She said.

We found a room with something more than broke up furniture in it. It had a bunch of stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls and a shit ton of papers.

"Freeman Daggett, house's last owner, officially commended for 20 years of fine service at the Gamble General Hospital," Sam read off a plaque.

"He was a doctor?" Dean asked.

"Janitor," Sam replied.

"I didn't know janitors got awards," I stated.

"This looks like his den," Dean replied. "When'd you say he died - '64?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, heart attack."

"What are these, c-rations?" Maggie asked, pointing to a table of piles of food.

"Yeah, army-issued, three squares - like a lifetime supply," Dean stated.

"God, is that all he ate?" Maggie questioned.

Dean smirked. "One-stop shopping." He looked to a filing cabinet with a lock on it. "Hello, locked."

"Oh, come on, guys. This is ridiculous," Ed complained. "I mean, how the hell is this supposed to find Corbett, huh? We should be digging up the friggin' floorboards right now."

Sam held up a pamphlet. "Huh. "Survival under Atomic Attack." An optimist."

"Crap. Crap. Taxidermy," Dean listed. "Okay. You said Daggett was a hospital janitor?"

"Yeah," I said, shuffling through papers.

"Ewww. Got three toe tags here - one, death by gunshots, train accident, and suicide," Dean stated.

Sam and I exchanged a glance. "Ewwwwww!"

Harry looked confused. "What?"

"Well, that explains why all the death echoes are here," Sam stated. Harry and Ed still looked confused. "They're here because their bodies are here...somewhere in the house?" Sam tried again.

I scoffed. "Daggett brought the remains home from the morgue," I stated.

"To play," Dean added.

"Ewwwww! Ugh!"

"That's nasty, dude," Spruce said.

"Harry. Harry, I got an 8.6 and climbing fast," Ed said suddenly. "Something huge is coming. Look. Something big is coming."

"It's past 11, you guys," Harry added.

"What? Nobody move! Hold on. Hold on. Stay quiet," Dean stated.

I felt a whoosh of cold air next to me and then looked to my right. Sam had been right next to me. His flashlight was on the floor. "Dean!" I yelled grabbing it. "Sam's gone!"

"Sam?" Dean said, immediately looking around.

"Sam!" I yelled.

"Where'd he go?" Spruce asked.

"SAM!" Dean screamed.

Dean and I started running around the house like crazy people. Now this was personal, he had taken Sam. "Sam!" I yelled. "SAM!"

"Sammy!" Dean yelled.

"Corbett! Sam!" Ed screamed.

"Sam!" I yelled again. I was hot on Dean's heels. I didn't want to be left alone in this place. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

I heard the others arguing in the other room. Dean angrily turned around to see what the hell they were doing. ""What the fuck are you doing?!" Dean asked. "Cut it out! We're down by two people. Sam! Sammy!"

"Sam!" I yelled again, following him. He started pawing through the papers again. "Dean, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Okay, so Daggett was a cold war nut, okay?" Dean said aloud. "He was - he was an amateur taxidermist. He liked to slow dance with cadavers, and all he ate were c-rations, so what the hell are we looking for?!"

"Horrible little life…" Maggie replied.

"Yeah, a lonely life...A cold war life. He was scared," Dean said.

"He was scared," I repeated. "Dean! He was scared in the cold war!"

Dean's eyes widened. "Let's go!"

We ran off into the basement. "Scared of what? What? Dean, Lexie, where are you going?" Harry called.

"Guys like Daggett back then, the ones who were really scared of the Russkies - they built bomb shelters. I'm guessing he's got one. I'll bet you it's in the basement," Dean explained. As we hit the basement steps, the door slammed shut. I screamed.

"Um, who closed the door?" Spruce asked. He was stuck on our side with me and Dean.

"It did. It wants to separate us," I said.

Dean went past me back to the door. "Ed! listen to me!"

"What?" Ed's voice called.

"There's some salt in my duffle. Make a circle and get inside," Dean yelled.

There was a moment of silence. "Inside your duffle bag?" Ed asked.

Dean groaned. "In the salt, you idiots!"

"Ok!" Harry yelled back.

Dean and I ran down the steps. "Where is it?" I asked, feeling along the walls for some sort of seam.

"I don't know," Dean replied.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Spruce asked.

" What?" Dean replied.

"Earlier, you and Sam - he said you had two months left?" Spruce asked.

I found a cabinet and thought I heard a noise. I stopped.

"Yeah, it's complicated. A while ago, Sam..." Dean stopped, shaking his head. "No. No. No. I'm not gonna whine about my bitch problems to some bitch reality show. I'm gonna do my fucking job."

Spruce stared. "Is it cancer?"

"Shut up," Dean scoffed.

"Both of you shut up," I replied. "You hear that?" I pointed to behind the cabinet. "Is that music?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's coming from behind this wall," Dean said. "Move." He pushed the cabinet away by himself.

"Wow, you're strong," Spruce stated. Dean flipped him off.

Dean busted into the door and there was Sam, along with who I figured was Daggett. Dean shot him. "Lex, ropes," he ordered.

I ran over to Sam and untied him. "Nice hat," I remarked, looking at the birthday hat on his head.

"Shut up," Sam growled.

"Oh, no, Corbett," Spruce whined. Corbett was at the other end of the table. He was already dead. I winced.

"C'mon," Dean said, pushing me away from him.

"What's this Daggett guy's problem anyway?" Spruce asked.

Sam sighed. "Loneliness."

"What, he's never heard of a Realdoll?" Dean demanded.

"No, no, no, Daggett was the Norman Bates, stuff-your-mother kind of lonely," Sam said. "I mean, that's why he lifted these bodies from the morgue, threw himself a birthday party, except they were the only ones who would come. Anyway, so, at midnight, he sealed them in the bomb shelter and went upstairs and o.d.'d on horse tranqs."

"How do you know this?" I asked confused.

Sam stared at me. "'Cause he told me."

"Oh. Yeah," I said, looking away.

"Okay, so now that he's dead, what?" Dean asked. "Same song, different verse, trying to get people to come to his party?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Stay forever," Sam replied.

Spruce stared at the shotgun in my hands. "Are those real bullets?" he asked.

"It's rock salt," I replied. "Makes the ghosts go away."

"Why?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "They don't like it."

"Why?" he asked again.

I glared at him. "They have high cholesterol. How the hell should I know?"

Dean went up the steps and attempted to break down the door. Spruce watched him through the camera. "Seriously - you're still shooting?" Sam asked.

"It makes him feel better. Don't ask," Dean replied.

"Ah, hell, guys. Get in your ghost-role thing," Spruce said, scared. "Something's coming." All the sudden Spruce was flung to the ground. I shot at Daggett, who was coming up the stairs after me. It made him disappear, but he would be back.

I helped Spruce up. "You all right?" I asked.

"Uh, guys..." Spruce said, pointing.

Daggett appeared behind Dean. It threw him to the ground. I was scrambling for my shotgun, but was also flung through the air. I landed against the wall and groaned.

"Corbett?"

I looked up to see Corbett's ghost looming behind Daggett. He launched himself into the ghost of Daggett. In a flash of light, they were gone. Spruce helped me up off the ground. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "Thanks."

He pointed the camera back at Dean, who only put his hand over it. "C'mon," he said, going up the stairs.

By the time we got up there, the sun was coming up over the sky. "That was exciting," I remarked, going out the door to the basement. Once Daggett had disappeared, the doors opened. We were free.

The others were still in the salt circle. "Is it over?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "Let's get out of here."

We headed outside, beat up and exhausted. "Here," Sam said, handing Ed our phone number. "Just in case."

I really hoped there wouldn't be a just in case.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSN PSNPSNPSNPSNPSNPSNSN

"So, guys, what do you think? Are you alright?" Harry asked, after showing us the tape. The entire footage had been played and we had watched our story go down.

"You know, I kind of think it was half-awesome," Dean remarked.

"Half-awesome? That - that's full-on good, right?" Maggie asked, excitedly.

"Yeah, um, I mean it's bizarre how you all are able to honor Corbett's memory while grossly exploiting the manner of his death. Well done," Sam said.

Dean nodded at me and I turned on the device. "Yeah. It's a real tight rope you guys are walking there," he said.

"Yeah, all right guys," I said, getting up.

"Nah, that's reality, man," Ed said, as though we were dumb. "Yeah, Corbett gave his life searching for the truth, and it's our job over here to share it with the world."

"Right. Well, um, our experience, you know what you get when you show the world the truth?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "A straightjacket. Or a punch in the face. Sometimes both."

"Right," I nodded.

"Oh come on, guys, don't be 'facer haters just because we happen to have gotten the footage of the century," Harry smirked.

"You got us there," Dean replied. I was just speechless.

"Yeah, well we'll see you guys around," I said, leaving. We all went out the door together.

"We clean?" Sam asked as we got to the car.

"No! Are you kidding me?" I heard from inside the garage.

Dean smiled. "Electromagnet wiped out every tape and hard drive that they have."

"The world just isn't ready for the Ghostfacers," Sam stated.

"It's too bad. I kinda liked the show," I replied.

Sam laughed. "It had its moments."

Dean drove off, leaving the Ghostfacers behind. They were still screaming when we left. I felt kind of sorry for them. I mean, it wasn't their fault that the footage they had would send us back into prison.

I checked my phone again. Still nothing. "Hey guys," I said, leaning into the front seat. "Have you heard from Dylan?"

"No," Dean said, shaking his head. "Why?"

"No reason," I said, leaning back. "Just wanted to know."

I was silent again then for a long time. We stopped at a diner and got out to eat. "Hey, can I ask you a question?" I said to Sam.

Sam nodded. "What?"

"So I was uh, watching this dumb soap opera show," I said, thinking on my feet. "And the girl was all mad because she slept with this guy…who she had talked to a lot…but he never called her afterwards. Does that make sense?"

Sam frowned. "What's your question?"

"If you sleep with a guy and he doesn't call you, what does that mean?" I asked. "Does that mean you don't mean anything to him? Or that he's just busy?"

Sam stared at me like I was crazy. "Does it matter?"

"I wanted to know a guy's view on it," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

Sam sighed. "I think that if she slept with the guy and he didn't call her within a few days…He's a douche. And yeah he didn't care about her that much."

"Are you sure it's not just because he's busy?" I asked. "Or maybe he doesn't feel like he has to?"

"No," Sam said, shaking his head. "It's because he doesn't want to."

I nodded. "Oh, ok."

"What show is this?" he asked.

"Uh, I don't know what it was called," I said, with a small smile. "I only watched it once."

"Um, ok," Sam said, going back to what he was doing.

I went back to staring at my plate. Apparently, he didn't give a shit about me. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "I have to go to the bathroom," I said, and got up.

Dean and Sam exchanged a confused look. "What's up with her?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged, taking another huge bite of his cheeseburger. "Maybe it's her time of the month."

I washed my face off in the sink. I really regretted ever trusting Dylan Porter. I sighed. I should have known. Hunters can never be trusted.

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! Please Review!**


	72. Season 3, Chapter Eighteen

**Hey guys! Quick update yay! OK so I added a lot to the end of this chapter. I hope you like it. It sets up a lot for what will happen when Dean is dead. Leave me some reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I own Lexis and Dylan and that is all. **

Chapter Seventy Two

Sam and I walked out of the college library. "That was a waste," I complained.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We still got nothing."

Dean was waiting for us, sitting on a bench across the plaza. "Yep. I got it. Okay, bye," he said into the phone. He threw a can of soda at me. "So?" he asked, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"So, the professor doesn't know crap," Sam stated.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Shocking," He stood up. "Pack your panties, Sammy, we're hitting the road."

"What?" I questioned. "What's up?"

"That was Bobby," Dean replied. "Some banker guy blew his head off in Ohio and he thinks there's a spirit involved."

"So you two were talking a case?" Sam asked.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "No, we were actually talking about our feelings. And then our favorite boy bands." He shook his head. "Yeah, we were talking a case!"

"So a spirit, what?" I asked, trying to get back on track.

"Yeah, the banker was talking about some sort of electrical problems at his pad for like a week," Dean went on. "Phone was going haywire, computer was flipping on and off."

"Huh..." Sam remarked, bored.

"This is not ringing your bell?" Dean asked.

"Well, sure, yeah. But, Dean, we're already on a case," Sam said.

Dean looked lost. "Whose?"

I glared at him. "Yours, stupid."

"Right. Yeah. Well, you coulda fooled me," Dean remarked.

"What the hell else have we been doing lately other than trying to break your deal?" Sam asked.

"Chasing our tails, that's what. Sam, we've talked to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two bit carny act in the lower 48," Dean said. "Nobody knows squat! And we can't find Bela, we can't find the Colt. So until we actually find something, I'd like to do my job."

"Well there's one thing we haven't tried yet..." Sam suggested.

"What?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Hawaii?"

Sam just stared at Dean. Dean shook his head. "Sam, no."

"We should summon Ruby," Sam said.

"I'm not gunna have this fight with you," Dean stated.

"She said she knows how to save you..." I faltered.

"Well, she can't," Dean insisted.

"Oh really, you know that for sure?" Sam asked, annoyed.

Dean nodded. "I do."

"How?"

"Because she told me, okay!" Dean exclaimed.

Sam and I were both silent for a moment. "What?" Sam asked.

"She told me. Flat out. She can't save me, nobody can," Dean said.

"And you just somehow neglected to mention this to us?" I asked, angrily. "That Ruby was lying?"

"Well, I really don't care what that bitch thinks and neither should you, so..."

"So what, now you're keeping secrets from us, Dean?" Sam demanded.

"You really wanna talk about who's keeping secrets from who?" Dean asked, looking at us both. Sam and I exchanged a look. He had a point.

Sam started to walk away. "Now where you going?" Dean called.

Sam threw his hands up in defeat. "Guess I'm going to Ohio."

"Smooth Dean," I complained, rolling my eyes.

"It's not like you care anyways," he grumbled. "You really want to sit there and pretend you don't hate working on this as much as I do?"

"Gee, thanks," I remarked, going after Sam. "Yeah, saving your life, worst thing ever!"

We drove in mostly silence to Ohio. By the time that we had gotten to the house where the guy ganked himself, the body had been taken away to the morgue. We got his wife to talk to us about her husband's death.

"I found him there," she said, pointing to a spot on the carpet that was dark with blood.

"Why don't you tell us everything you saw, Mrs. Waters," Dean stated, holding a pen and a notebook.

She looked upset. "You mean beside my dead husband?"

"Just everything else you saw," Sam said, shaking his head. "Please."

Mrs. Waters sighed. She obviously wasn't very happy to have us here asking her more questions. "Blood. Everywhere. The phone was ripped from the wall, his favorite scotch on the desk, what else could you possibly want to know?"

"Why was the phone ripped from the wall?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"You mind if I take a look?" Sam asked, walking towards the wall.

Mrs. Waters shook her head, but looked displeased. "I already went over this with the other detectives."

"We'll be out of your hair in no time, ma'am," Dean stated.

Sam pressed a few buttons on the phone. "Ma'am, what time did your husband die?"

She sighed again. "Sometime after 11."

Sam looked confused at the phone. I looked up getting his point. "What about strange phone calls? Receive any of those lately, weird interference, static, anything like that?" I asked.

Mrs. Waters grew defensive. "No." Dean stared at her, surprised in her change in tone. "No!"

"Mrs. Waters, withholding information from the police is a capital offence," Dean stated. I shot him a look. "In some parts of the world I'm sure," he added, under his breath."

"A couple of weeks ago, uh...there was this..." she started. Mrs. Waters sighed. "I woke up one morning, I heard Ben in his study. I thought he was talking to a woman."

I narrowed my eyes. "What made you think that?"

"Because he kept calling her Linda," she replied. "The thing is, I picked up the other line and nobody was there, Ben was talking to nobody."

"There was nothing?" Sam asked.

Mrs. Waters shook her head. "Just static."

"Did you ever speak to Ben about this phone call?" I asked.

"No. I should have but...no," Mrs. Waters remarked.

"Did he ever say who Linda was?" Dean asked.

Mrs. Waters threw her hands in the air. "What difference does it make, there was nobody on the other end!" she exclaimed, annoyed.

"Thank you for your time," Sam stated, walking out before we made her even more upset.

"That was awkward," I stated, getting into the impala. "And confusing. How do you have a phone conversation with nobody?"

"Ghost maybe?" Sam asked. "We should look into who Linda was."

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Sounds good."

We headed to a motel and got ourselves a room. I sat on the bed. My phone rang and I jumped half a mile in the air. Since Dylan had decided to ignore me, I had stopped checking my phone. I grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. It was Bobby. I had called him asking about Dylan the other day. I ignored it, letting it go to voice mail. I didn't think I cared anymore.

"Who was it?" Dean asked.

"Uh, don't know," I replied. "Wrong number."

He gave me a confused glance. "Well anyways. Linda's a babe. Or, was."

Sam got up from the table. "Did you find her?"

"Yeah, Linda Bateman," Dean stated. "She and Ben Waters were high school sweethearts."

"So what happened?" I asked. "Did he sleep with her and ditch her?"

"Uh, no," Dean said, staring me like I was crazy. "Drunk driver hit them head on. Ben walked away."

"So, what then?" Sam asked. "Dead flame calls to chat?"

"You would think, but Linda was cremated," Dean replied. "So why's she still floating around?"

"You got me," I said, shaking my head. "Maybe she got bored."

"What about that, uh, caller I.D?" Dean asked Sam.

"Turns out, it's a phone number," Sam replied.

"SHA33?" I asked. "No phone number I've ever seen."

"Yeah, 'cause it's about a century old, back from when phones had cranks," Sam explained.

"So why use that number to reach out and touch someone?" Dean asked. He got up and started to pace around the room.

"Got me there too, but we should put a trace on it," Sam said, nodding.

"Well how the hell are we going to put a trace on something that's over 100 years old?" I asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Phone company," Sam suggested. "We should start there."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNSPNSPN SPNSPSNSPNSPNSPNSPSNS

"We don't get many folks from HQ down here," the man stated, walking us down to the basement.

"Yes well the main office mentioned that there would be a lunch," Dean replied, smirking. I slapped him on the back.

"Well I'm sure we can arrange something," the man replied. "The man you wanna be speaking to is right this..."

I hit a fly away from my face and grimaced. "I know, sorry. We've got something of a hygiene issue down here if you ask me," the man apologized. We finally made it to the office. "Stewie? What did I tell you about keeping this place clean?"

Stewie jumped. His office was covered in junk food and garbage. To make it worse, his screen was covered in porn sites. Obviously, he was doing his job well. "Spam mails...spam mail..." he said, clicking all of the screens away. "I don't know how all this got here..."

"These people are here." The man flicked Stewie on the head. "From headquarters?"

Stewie spun around to face us. "Give these gentlemen whatever they need," the man said.

Stewie nodded. The man turned and left us there. "So...can I help you?"

Dean smirked; checking to make sure the boss was gone. "Is that, ah, ?" he asked.

Stewie shook his head. "No." The screen made moaning noises. Stewie clicked until they stopped. "Maybe."

"A word to the wise?" Dean smiled. "Platinum membership? Worth every penny. Ha?"

"Right, anyway," Sam said, as I stepped on Dean's foot to make him shut up. "We're here to trace a number?" Sam handed him a piece of paper.

Stewie frowned. "Where did you get this?"

"Off caller I.D." I replied.

Stewie laughed. "Oh no, that's impossible."

Dean nodded. "It hasn't been used in a few years, we know."

Stewie stared at him. "A few years? It's prehistoric. Trust me; nobody is using this number anymore." He put the paper back down.

"Sure," I stated. "But, could you run it anyway?"

Stewie sneered. "Sure. Why don't I just rearrange my whole life first?"

I smiled, leaning in closer. "Why don't I just rearrange your face?"

"Whoa, ok," Sam said, pulling me away.

"Listen, uh, Stewie," Dean said. "You got like six kinds of employee code violations down here, not to mention the sickening porn that is clogging up your hard drive. Now when my partner says run the number, I suggest you run the number!"

Stewie sighed in defeat. "Okay, whatever, jeez!" He clicked around for a moment. "Holy crap."

"What?" Sam asked.

"I can't tell you where the number comes from, but I can tell you where it's been going," Stewie said. He printed out a bunch of papers. "Ten different numbers in the past few weeks all got calls from the same number."

He walked back to his desk. "So, are we done here? Cause I was...sort of...busy?"

Dean smirked. "Right."

We got outside and Sam and Dean turned on me. "What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

"What was what?"

"That," Sam said, "In there?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I'm sick of putting up with stupid people. Is that a crime?"

"No," Dean stated. "But rearranging people's face is."

"Yeah, well," I scoffed. "Now what?"

Sam sighed, holding up the papers. "Now we check these out."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPSNPSNPSNPSNP SNPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNPSNPSN

"That was terrible," I stated, walking out the door. "And disgusting. I might not be able to sleep tonight."

"Calm down," Dean stated, rolling his eyes. "It wasn't that bad."

"We just listened to an old woman describe phone sex," I said, glaring at him. "How is that not that bad?"

He pulled out his phone and called Sam to catch up. "Dude, stiffs have been calling people all over town," Dean stated. "I just talked to an 84 year old grandmother who's having phone sex with her husband, who died in Korea!" I heard Sam groan. "It redefined my understanding of the word 'Necrophilia'," Dean added.

"So what the hell's going on here, Dean?" Sam asked on the other end.

"Beats me, but we'd better find out soon," Dean stated. "This place is turning into spook central." He hung up and we got into the Impala. Dean stopped as his phone rang again. "Yeah, what?" He looked at me concerned. "Sam?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What?" I asked.

His eyes widened. "Dad?"

"What?" I demanded. Dean didn't answer me, just looking down at his phone. "What are you talking about?" I asked again.

He put his phone down. "Dad was on the phone."

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"C'mon, we gotta get back to Sam," Dean said, screeching out of the parking lot.

We got back to the motel and told Sam what had happened. "Dad? You really think it was Dad?" Sam asked.

Dean looked worried. "I don't know, maybe."

"Well what did he sound like?" Sam asked.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Like Oprah!" He shook his head. "Like Dad, he sounded like Dad, what do you think?"

I watched Dean pace around the room. "What did he say?" I asked.

"My name."

I frowned. "That's it?"

"Call dropped out," Dean replied, running his fingers through his hair.

"Why would he even call in the first place, Dean?" Sam asked, confused.

"I don't know, man. Why are ghosts calling anybody in this town?" Dean asked. "But I mean, other people are hearing from their loved ones, why can't we? It's at least a possibility, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Sam sighed.

"Okay, so what if...what if it really is Dad? What happens if he calls back?" Dean asked worriedly. "What do I say?"

"Hello?" Sam suggested.

Dean stopped pacing and stared at him. "Hello? That's what you come back with. Hello?" He grabbed his jacket and went for the door. "Hello!" He said, incredulously. He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

"That was stupid, Sam," I stated, shaking my head. Sam only sighed. "You don't think its dad, do you?"

"No," he replied. "I don't."

I lay down on the bed. "I need a nap."

When I opened my eyes again, Dean was back. "After three hours I have found no reason why anything supernatural would be going on here," Sam stated.

"Well, you know, you think a Stanford education and a high school hook up rate of zero point zero would produce better results than that," Dean replied.

I sat up, grumbling. "0.2," I corrected. "Remember that girl he slobbered all over in like the tenth grade?"

Dean laughed. "I'm not sure that counts."

Sam smiled. "You two are hilarious."

"Sammy, you're just looking in the wrong places, pal," Dean suggested.

"And what are the right places, Dean?" Sam asked.

Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out a pamphlet. "Motel pamphlet rack," he stated. "Milan, Ohio. Birthplace of Thomas Edison."

"Yeah, right. So what?" Sam asked, looking up at him.

"Keep reading," Dean instructed.

Sam scoffed and went back to reading. His eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"What?" I asked, taking the pamphlet. I read the statement and looked up. "Nice."

We headed to a museum right away. I wasn't that happy about it, because museums are clearly boring, but I had no choice. I was watching Dean, who kept his phone right on him the entire time. I kind of wished dad had called me. I wanted to hear his voice. But no, he called his little soldier.

I wasn't even paying attention until Sam nudged me. "And, here we have one of the museum's most unique and treasured possessions," the tour guide stated. "Thomas Edison's _spirit phone_. Did you know that Mr. Edison, as well as being one of America's most beloved inventors, was also a devout _occultist_? Ooh!"

Dean looked confused. "What's with the quote-y fingers?"

I shrugged. The guide continues. "He spent years working on this, his final invention, which he was convinced could be used to _communicate_ with the _dead_. Pretty spooky, huh?" She checked her watch and twirled around. "And we're walking. We are walking. We're walking. And we're not touching that. And we're walking…."

We stayed behind. Sam pulled out the EMF and swept it around the device. "Anything?" I asked

Sam sighed, putting it away. "Nothing."

"What do you think?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "Honestly? It kinda looks like an old pile of junk to me."

"Agreed," I sighed, looking at the pile of junk in front of us.

Dean frowned. "It's not even plugged in."

Sam shrugged. "Maybe it didn't work like that," he suggested. He looked around it, searching for anything that would tell us what was going on.

"Okay," Dean nodded. "Maybe it's like a radio tower, broadcasting the dead all over town."

"Could be."

"You know, this caller I.D. is 100 years old, right? Right around the time this thing was built?" I asked. "That's weird."

"Yeah, but why would it all of a sudden start working now?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean remarked. "But as long as the moldy are calling the freshers around here it's the best reason we've got." Sam and I said nothing. "So maybe it really is Dad."

Sam and I exchanged a glance. "Yeah, maybe," Sam stated.

"Well we got nothing, so I vote we go back to the room and relax," I said, looking at them. They just followed me to the car. Usually they didn't agree to my ideas of doing nothing. Although, until we heard of some sort of lead, we had nothing to go on.

I sat by myself at the table while Dean and Sam sat on the beds. I wanted to be alone and isolated. Dean kept glancing at me like I was crazy. I was just sitting there on my school laptop. I wasn't actually doing anything on it. Dean came over and sat down. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Thinking," I replied, immediately getting up.

"About what?" he asked.

"Stuff," I replied. I looked at my phone again. I never called Dylan back. I wondered if I should. Dean kept staring at me. "What?" I demanded.

"You're acting funny," he replied.

"No I'm not," I said. I grabbed my jacket. "I'll grab food," I stated, walking out.

By the time I got back, it was dark. I walked in and tossed a pizza on the table. "Here," I stated. "I got this for you."

"Thanks," Sam said, happily. He dug into the pizza. Dean on the other hand had taken my spot at the table, and was staring at his phone. I think he was waiting for dad to call back.

Soon, Sam had gone to sleep. I lay in the couch, while Dean still sat at t

He same spot at the table. I watched him, not able to sleep anyways. His phone rang, making me jump. He took the phone and ran into the bathroom.

He was whispering, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I sat up on the couch and waited. He eventually came back out. He opened the door and just stood there for a moment. "Was it dad?" I whispered.

He jumped slightly. "I didn't know you were awake," he remarked, sitting next to me.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He said…" Dean trailed off. "The demon who holds my deal. He's here."

"What?" I demanded. "What do you mean?"

"Dad said he's here!" Dean repeated louder. Sam stirred. Dean threw a pillow from the couch at him. "Hey!" he said.

"Wha?" Sam asked, grumbling. He opened his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Dad called again," I replied. "He said the demon that holds Dean's deal is here."

"What? Really?"

Dean was only pacing back and forth. Sam's phone rang. "Hello?" he said, picking it up. I thought for a second it might be dad. "Lanie?" he questioned. "What's wrong?"

He quickly got out of bed. "Yeah, yeah," he said, scrambling. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He put his phone down. "I gotta go, guys, she's really freaked."

"What about dad?" Dean asked, annoyed.

"We'll deal with it when I get back," Sam said, grabbing his jacket.

Dean looked like he was about to stop him, but changed his mind. He sat at the table. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Here," he said, handing me his wallet. "Coffee."

I scoffed but took it and disappeared. When I got back, Dean was on the laptop. I sat down across from him and watched him search for any demonic sign. I thought to myself about how I had Ash doing the same thing for me not that long ago.

My powers were still here as well. What was going on? I sighed to myself. Maybe if I could control them they wouldn't be so scary. I thought about asking Dean, but kept my mouth shut.

Sam eventually came back, looking disheveled.

"What's up?" I asked

"That girl Lanie, her Mom's ghost spooked her out pretty bad last night," Sam stated.

"That sucks," I replied.

Sam just nodded. "Yeah it does." He looked at Dean. "What are you doing?"

"I think Dad's right," he said, turning the laptop around. "I think the demon is here. Check it out." He handed us papers.

"What is this, weather reports?" I asked, taking a look at them.

"Omens," Dean replied, nodding. "Demonic omens. Electrical storms everywhere we've been for the past two weeks."

"Ahh...I don't remember any lightning storms," Sam retorted, looking weary.

"Well, I don't remember you studying meteorology as a kid either," Dean shot back. "But I'm telling you, that bastard's been tailing me...wearing some poor dude's meat."

"Like the demon was following me?"I questioned.

"Yeah," he replied. "I guess I'm big game, you know. My ass is too sweet to let outta sight." He smirked.

"Okay. Sure," Sam nodded.

Dean snatched the papers back from him unhappily. "Don't get too excited, Sammy. Might pull something."

"Dean, look, I wanna believe this man, I really do..." Sam sighed.

"Then believe it! If we get this sucker, it's Miller Time," Dean said happily.

"Yeah, that's another thing," Sam said. "Dad rattles off an exorcism that can kill a demon? I mean not just send it back to hell, but kill it?"

"I've checked it out. This is heavy duty Dark Ages. Fifteenth century."

"Yeah, I've checked on it too Dean," Sam said. "And so did Bobby."

"Okay, and?" Dean asked.

"Look. It definitely is an exorcism, okay, there's just no evidence it can kill a demon," Sam replied.

"No evidence it can't," Dean stated, grumbling. "Hey, as far as I'm aware the only one of us who has actually been to hell is Dad. And maybe he picked up a couple of tricks down there, like which exorcisms work."

I shot him a look. "I was there. Trust me, you don't learn anything."

"Why are we questioning this," Dean said, ignoring me. "Why aren't we sure?"

"Cause I don't know what's going on around here Dean! I mean, some guy blows his brains out, a little girl is scared out of her wits," Sam exclaimed.

"Wow, a couple of civvies are freaked out by some ghosts," Dean said, throwing his hands up in annoyance. "News flash Sam, people are supposed to be freaked out by ghosts!"

Dean and Sam stared at each other for a long time. Sam sighed. "Dad tell you where to find the demon?" Sam asked.

Dean pointed to his phone. "I'm waiting on the call!" he yelled.

Sam sighed, getting up. "I told Lanie I'd stop by."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, good yeah. No you go hang out with jail bait. Just, uh, watch out for Chris Hansen. Meanwhile I'll be here getting ready to, you know, save my life."

"Dean…" I said, shaking my head.

Sam kept walking towards the door. "You're unbelievable, you know that? I mean for months we've been trying to break this demon deal. Now Dad's about to give us the freaking address and you can't accept it? The man is dead and you're still butting heads with the guy!" Dean shouted.

Sam turned. "That is not what this is about!"

"So what is it!?"

Sam glared. "The fact is we've got no hard proof here, Dean. After everything, you're still just going on blind faith!"

"Yeah, well maybe! You know, maybe that's all I got, okay?" Den said.

"Please. Just please don't go anywhere until I get back," Sam said, looking at both of us. I nodded. Dean said nothing. "Okay, Dean? Please." He stared at Dean for a moment and then walked out.

"Dean-"

"What are you going to go off on me now too?" he demanded.

"Shut up," I stated, getting up. "Just shut up."

He sat down at the table, defeated. Dean sat and stared at his phone. Eventually, it rang. "Dad?" Dean asked. "Where's the demon?" He scrambled to write down an address and stood up. "I gotta go.'

"Where are we going?" I asked. "What did he say?"

Dean stopped. "You're not coming," he said, shaking his head. "You're staying away from this one."

"Why?" I demanded.

"Because this could get ugly, that's why."

"So you're going to go in there without back up?" I asked. "Smart."

"Look, just stay here," he said. "Wait for Sam."

"You know what?" I said, sitting on the couch. "Fine. Go. Just don't get yourself killed."

He smirked, walking out. "That's the point."

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling after that. I was defeated and helpless. There was no point in me arguing anymore. I looked at my phone. Still no call. Maybe I should call Bobby back. I dialed. "Hey darlin'" He stated, picking up the phone. "How's the case going?"

"Uh, I don't really know," I replied. "Did you get any info on Dylan?"

"Yeah," he stated. "He's in New York searching out a demon. Why did you want to know?"

"Curious," I replied, trying to sound like I didn't care. "Thanks though."

"Uh huh," Bobby replied. He knew something was up. Thankfully, he didn't push me on it and after a few more minutes of idle talking we hung up.

I sighed and went back to staring. A million thoughts came to mine. I wondered about what was going to happen in the future. Would we make it so that Dean didn't have to go to hell? Was dad really helping us? I had this bad feeling that this wasn't dad.

Sam called me almost a minute later. "Hey," I said. "What's up?"

"Where's Dean?" he asked.

"He went – "

"Never mind," he said, cutting me off. "It's a crocatta," he said, breathlessly.

"A what?"

"It's some kind of scavenger. It mimics loved ones, whispers 'Come to me', then lures you into the dark and swallows your soul," Sam said.

"Pleasant," I replied. "Where is it?"

"I don't – hang on," he said. "Call waiting. It's Dean."

I waited a few seconds. "The phone company!" Sam shouted into my ear. I grimaced.

"I'll meet you there," I said, and hung up.

I finally arrived at the phone company. Sam was nowhere in sight. However, I saw his car that he had been driving a block away. Immediately, I feared the worst. My headache confirmed that something was not right. I went inside, into the basement. I could hear voiced.

"What do you think, Sammy, am I a good man?" a voice asked.

"Just let him go," Sam replied. I got up to the door and saw the man who was Stewie's boss standing over Sam. He was holding a knife.

"I would. I really would," the crocatta stated. "If only I'd had more than a salad for lunch. You see, I'm starving." He plunged the knife into Stewie's chest. I tried not to make a noise. He unhinged his jaw, opening it wider than was normal for a human. He started to pull out Stewie's life force. I stared, eyes wide.

I snuck around to behind a desk. Sam saw me and motioned to behind him. I pulled out my knife and tried to get his hands untied. The crocatta was finished too quickly however. I had to pull away and hide again after only a second.

"My last call with Dean," Sam said, distracting him. "That was you. You led me here." Sam was working his hands apart. He had some wiggle room now that I had weakened the ropes.

"Some calls I make, some calls I take, but you have to admit, I had you fooled for a while," the crocatta smiled. "All that Edison phone crap." He laughed, moving over to the phone. He placed his hands on it and groaned.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm killing your brother," he smiled. "Or maybe I'm killing another guy. We'll just have to see how it goes."

I dashed behind Sam again and slashed through the ropes. The crocatta had his eyes closed. I went back to my spot and waited.

"You know, mimicking Dean's one thing," Sam started again. "But my Dad. That's a hell of a trick."

The crocatta smirked. "Well once I made you two as hunters, it was easy. I found Dean's number, then your number, then your father's numbers. Then emails, voicemails, everything. You see, people think that stuff just gets erased, but it doesn't. You'd be surprised how much of yourself is just floating out there, waiting to be plucked."

"Dean's not going to fall for this," Sam stated, shaking his head. "He's not going to kill that guy."

The crocatta shrugged. "Then the guy kills him," he said, indifferently. He moved back towards Sam. "Technology. Makes life so much easier. Used to be I'd hide in the woods for days, weeks, whispering to people, trying to draw them out into the night. But they had community, they all looked out for each other, I'd be lucky to eat one or two souls a year. Now when I'm hungry, I simply make a phone call." He sneered. "You're all so connected. But you've never been so alone."

He opened his mouth wide again, like before with Stewie. "Now Sam!" I yelled, unable to control myself. Sam darted out of the chair and attacked him. The crocatta lost the knife he had been holding Sam struggled for it. I held my small knife and went to stab him. The crocatta let go of Sam for a moment, right before I stabbed him and smacked me across the chest. I hadn't even realized that I moved across the room until I smacked into the wall.

Sam took the opportunity to hit him. The crocatta lost the knife. I tried to grab it, but it was kicked out of my reach. I felt myself getting dizzy. I could barely move without feeling like I was going to vomit. Sam was struggling. He pushed back on the crocatta, pushing him closer and closer to the wall. I wasn't sure what he was trying to do until I saw the corkboard and the spike. I closed my eyes, but I still heard the noise.

When I opened my eyes again, the crocatta was stuck to the wall, dead. Sam came over and held out a hand. "That was creative," I stated, taking it. I nearly toppled over.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied, leaning on him. "Just make the room stop spinning."

We went back into the motel room. Dean was already there, completely beaten up. Apparently, he hadn't hurt the guy, but got hurt in the process. Sam helped me inside and I collapsed on the bed with a groan. "I see they improved your face," Dean remarked, looking at Sam.

Sam laughed. "Right back at ya."

Dean came and sat next to me. "What happened to you?" he asked, noting the bruise on my back. I had lifted up my shirt to look at it. He poked at it.

"Ow," I said, rolling my eyes.

"So, crocatta, huh?" Dean said, holding a washcloth to his head.

"Yep," Sam stated.

Dean nodded. "That would explain the flies."

"Yeah it would," Sam replied. He looked at Dean sadly. "Hey, um...look I'm sorry it wasn't Dad."

Dean huffed. "Nah, I gave you a hell of a time on this one." Sam just smiled. "You were right."

Sam shrugged. "Forget about it."

"I can't," Dean explained. "I wanted to believe so badly that there was a way outta this. I mean I'm staring down the barrel at this thing. You know, Hell. For real, forever, and I just..." He paused. "I'm scared, guys. I'm really scared."

I looked up at him. It was an odd thing for me to hear Dean tell me he was scared. Dean sighed. "I guess I was willing to believe anything. You know, the last act of a desperate man."

"There's nothing wrong with having hope, Dean," I replied, leaning on his shoulder.

"Hope doesn't get you jack squat," Dean retorted. "I can't expect Dad to show up with some miracle at the last minute. I can't expect anybody to, you know. I mean the only person that can get me out of this thing is me."

"And me," Sam added.

Dean paused. "And me?" he asked, bluntly.

Sam looked confused. "What?"

"Deep revelation, having a real moment here, that's what you come back with? And me?" Dean asked.

Sam raised his eyes. "Uh...do you want a poem?"

Dean smirked. "The moment's gone." He turned on the TV and handed Sam a beer. They both took a long sip. I lay back, sadly. This was going to be a long few months, yet so short.

Sam left awhile later, leaving Dean and I alone. Dean was watching TV still. I sat up, frustrated. For some reason, I had to get these things off my chest. "You're such a hypocrite," I stated, quietly. I almost hoped he hadn't heard me.

Dean turned his head. "What?"

I was in this now. "You and Sam," I explained. "Both of you are such hypocrites."

"How?" he asked, facing me now.

"You both fight about trying to find a way out of this," I began. I didn't have to explain what this was. "And you leave me here, out to dry."

"No we don't," he argued.

I scoffed. "Oh really?" I demanded, annoyed. "Let's recount this last year, ok?" I held up my fingers, counting off. "One, you sell your soul for Sam, without even telling me or thinking first. Two," I went on, holding up another finger. "Sam decides that he's going to get help from a _demon, _who guess what? Lied."

Dean just stared at me, looking half amused. "Three," I went on, ignoring him. "Neither of you two chuckleheads realizes that I can't help either of you. I either help Sam, possibly killing him. Or I do nothing and kill you instead."

"That's not -"

"Shut up," I sneered. I stood up. I was really getting into this now. All this pent up anger, frustration, and irritation was coming out. "Four, I realize my freak show powers never went away and I can't even tell you about it at first because of all the other shit we have piled on right now. And…and…" I said, feeling tears come into my eyes. "And finally, to top it all off, I sleep with Dylan and apparently I'm so bad at sex that he won't even call me!" I collapsed back onto the bed, choking back tears.

"You what with Dylan!?" Dean roared, getting up.

I threw my hands in the air. "Seriously?" I asked my head in my hands. "Everything I said and that's what you decide to focus on?"

Dean just stared. "When did this happen?"

"After the fight with those gods," I replied. "And apparently it was really bad because –"

"Stop!" Dean said. "Just…I don't need to hear about your sex life."

"You started it," I sniffled.

Dean sat back down on the bed. "I'm sure you didn't suck, ok?" he said, looking uncomfortable. "I mean, you're a Winchester. "

"Gee," I said, rolling my eyes. I could feel myself blushing. "Thanks, De."

"You just better hope we don't run into him anytime soon," Dean stated. "I'll kill him." I glared. "As for everything else…" he sighed. "You're right. This is all my fault, ok?" I looked at him. "This all sucks, but you and Sam….you're going to be fine."

"You don't know that," I argued. He said nothing. I had a point. He didn't know. "I know you're scared," I said, and Dean looked away. "I'm scared too. That's why…that's why I think we should work on my powers."

"What?" Dean said, snapping back. "No. Not ever. No."

"Why not?" I asked. "Maybe they could help somehow. Maybe – "

"No," Dean said, cutting me off. "That's not a good idea. Trust me." I only scoffed. He stood up. "Promise me you won't go looking into it."

"But what if – "

"Promise," he said, eyes staring into mine.

I sighed. "Ok, ok," I said, my hands in the air. "I promise."

He relaxed and calmed down. "Thank you," he said.

I got up. "I'm going to take a shower," I said, going into the bathroom. I got in, letting the hot water soothe my sore muscles. The idea to work on my powers was gnawing at me now. I wanted to know what they were, how they worked, and how to use them. But I had promised Dean…

I knew there was now a question I had to answer. Do I obey Dean, or follow my own path. I sighed. I hated to say it, but I felt like it was the second option. There was only one problem. As much as I wanted to follow it, that path was a dark one.

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	73. Season 3, Chapter Nineteen

**Ok guys! This is it! Last chapter before Dean goes to hell...Scary. Ok. So. If you're interested, my plan for the parts where Dean is dead will be included at the bottom! Please enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I own Alexis. Working on the rest.

Chapter Seventy Three

Three weeks, that was all we had left. I was exhausted and tired, but we didn't want to give up. That was why we were growing desperate. Sam was trying anything that he could think of to do to help. Even Dean was on the bandwagon. That was why we were in this bar, searching out this demon.

"That's him," Dean pointed. "Been tailing him all day."

"So how are we going to do this?" Sam asked.

"Wait outside, till he leaves," Dean shrugged.

Sam scoffed. "We're going to sit here for hours?" Sam asked.

"You got a better plan?" Dean demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"I do," I said, walking away. I was past the point of asking for permission.

I went up to him; Dean and Sam close behind, watching. I sat down at the bar, showing my legs. I was wearing one of the only cute outfits I owned. It showed off my legs more than I ever had in my life. Dean didn't like it, but even he had to admit, it worked in situations like this.

"Can I buy you a drink?" I asked, looking over to the demon.

His eyes widened. "Aren't I supposed to ask you that?" he questioned.

I shrugged. "Thanks, I'd love a drink." I smirked. He motioned for the bartender and bought me a drink. "So uh," I said, flipping my hair around. "I don't know about you, but I think this bar is a little dull."

"Oh really?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "So maybe, we should get out of here." He smiled at me and I smiled back. "Maybe, we should go back to my place?"

"I don't know," he replied, with a smirk. "I like to play rough."

I giggled. "That's ok," I answered. "So do I." I got up and he followed me out. Sam and Dean were already outside waiting.

I got to the impala and Sam and Dean side swiped him, knocking him to the ground. "Whoa!" he yelled. Dean stepped on his head, making him pass out.

He tied him up and shoved him into the back of the car. "C'mon," Sam said, "We need to get out of here.

"You're a little too good at that," Dean remarked, pushing me into the front seat.

I smirked. "Don't be jealous," I stated, rolling my eyes. We drove quickly to the cabin in the woods, far away from where anyone could hear us. The demon was already stirring in the backseat. It wouldn't take him long to break the ropes holding him.

Dean tied him to a chair, a devil's trap surrounding him. He had no way out. He glared at us from the chair. "You were right," he stated, smirking at me. "You do play rough."

"I don't lie," I remarked.

"Why don't you come over here so we can play?" he asked.

"Sorry," Dean said, splashing holy water on him. "That's my job. Not hers." He waited until the demon stopped thrashing around. "Who holds my contract?"

He simply laughed. "You're contract?" he asked. "Sorry, I'm not a cross roads demon. I don't deal with contracts."

Dean just threw holy water on him again. He screamed and thrashed side to side, as though trying to throw the water off of him. "You ready to talk?" Dean demanded.

"I don't know. I don't know anything!" the demon yelled.

Dean laughed. "Oh, you hear that, Sam?" He said, looking to Sam who had been silent. "He doesn't know anything."

Sam smirked. "Yeah, I heard."

The demon groaned. "I'm telling you the truth."

"Oh, you are?" Dean asked. "My God, then I owe you an apology. Allow me to make it up to you." He shoved holy water into the demon's mouth. "I'm gonna ask you one last time...Who holds my contract?!"

The demon said nothing, hanging his head. He looked up, his eyes black. He was smiling at us, like he knew something we didn't. "Your mother," he stated. "Yeah, she, uh, showed it to me right before I bent her over."

Dean glared, leaning close to his face. "I want a name. Or else..."

"Or what? You're gonna squirt your holy water in both ends?" he asked. "Please. Brother, that's like a fleabite compared to what's coming to me if I tell you jack. Do what you want. The only thing I'm scared of is the demon holding your ticket."

Dean nodded at Sam, who started reciting an exorcism. "How does that feel? Does that feel good?" Dean demanded.

"Go ahead. Send me back to hell..." the demon groaned. "'Cause when you get there, I'll be waiting for you...with a few pals who are dying for a nice little meet and greet with Dean Winchester,"

Sam paused. "Should I?" he asked.

Dean sighed. "Send him someplace he can't hurt anyone else."

Sam finished the exorcism, and the body fell limp. "Is he dead?" I asked.

Dean went up wearily. He felt for a pulse. "Yeah, he's probably been dead for a long time." He untied the body. "We have to bury it."

"Yeah," I sighed. "C'mon." Dean and I buried the body out back, erasing all evidence that we had ever touched anything. I was exhausted by the time that we were done. The sky had changed from a dark blue to a bright pink and yellow by the time that we were done.

We went back into the cabin to see Sam on the phone. "You ran the prints twice? Are you sure? Okay. Yeah, just chalk it up to lab error. Don't I know it? Okay. Thanks. Yeah, I'll tell the lieutenant." He sighed and looked to us. "Bury the body?"

"No," I said, collapsing onto the bed. "I enjoy rolling around in the dirt for fun."

"Well you did when you were little," Sam retorted. I stuck my tongue out at him. He looked at Dean. "Remember that thing in the paper yesterday?"

"Stripper suffocates dude with thighs"?" Dean asked, chuckling.

"The other thing," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Right, the guy that walks into the E.R. and kneels over dead. His stomach's ripped out?"Dean went on.

"Ew," I said into the pillow.

"His liver, actually," Sam corrected. "Anyways, I just found out something pretty damn interesting."

"What?" Dean asked.

"The dead body covered in bloody fingerprints, not the victim's," Sam stated.

Dean looked lost. "Okay, great. My man Dave Caruso will be stoked to hear it."

"Those fingerprints match a guy who died in 1981," Sam went on, ignoring him.

"Really. So, what are we talking? Uh, walking dead? Walking, killing dead?" Dean asked.

"Maybe," Sam shrugged.

"Zombies do like the other other white meat. Huh," Dean remarked. He looked at Sam, curiously. "Speaking of, what do you care about zombies?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, you've been on soul-saving detail for months now. And we're three weeks out, and all of a sudden, you're interested in some hot zombie action?" Dean asked.

"Hey, man, you're the one who's been all gung ho to hunt," Sam said, defending himself. "I just thought I'd be doing you a favor."

"Hey, no, no, no, no, no. I didn't say I didn't want to do it, okay," Dean said, adamantly shaking his head. "I mean obviously I want to hunt some zombies."

Sam frowned. "Okay, fine, whatever."

"Zombies," I scoffed, rolling over. "I really hope this is a headshot kind. And we can just take a shot gun and annihilate all of them."

Sam chuckled. "This is real life, not a video game."

I frowned. "Well maybe it would be better as a video game," I replied, staring at the ceiling. "Then we could kill people without feeling bad, and respawn if we die."

"I think Dean is reckless enough as it is without being able to respawn," Sam stated.

"Yeah, whatever," Dean said, sitting on the bed next to me. "Morgue tomorrow? Check out the body?"

So we did. We headed all the way to the center of town to the morgue where we faked our way in to see the body. I was waiting to see a gnawed on body. However, the coroner surprised me. "Yeah, the rest of the body was intact," he stated. "The liver was the only organ missing."

"Now, where the liver was ripped out, did you happen to notice any...ah...teeth marks?" Dean asked, curiously.

The coroner looked at us like we were insane. I was going to have to take that as a no. "Can I see your badges?" he asked.

"Of course, sure," Sam said, pulling his out.

I followed in suit, showing my fake badge. The coroner eyed me suspiciously. "You look mighty young to be a cop."

"You're too kind," I retorted. "I'm an intern."

"Fine," he stated, glaring at us. "So you're cops and morons."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked. "No, no. We're very smart."

The coroner sighed, like we were wasting his time. "The liver was not ripped out. It was removed. Surgically. By someone who knew their way around a scalpel. Didn't you read my report?"

"Of course we did. Oh, it was riveting. It was a real page-turner, just delightful," Dean rambled, completely lost.

The coroner stared. "You done?"

"I think so," Dean replied.

"Please go away."

"Okay," Dean nodded, leading us out. Sam was smiling as we walked away. "What?" Dean asked.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "So, that kind of punches a hole in our zombie theory, huh, that scalpel thing?" he asked.

"Yeah, zombie with skills, "Dr. Quinn, medicine zombie"." Dean stated.

"Maybe we're on the wrong track, Dean, looking for hacked-up corpses," Sam went on.

"What should we be looking for?" I interjected.

"Survivors," Sam replied. "This isn't zombie lunch. This is organ theft." He sighed and pulled out the phone. "I'll call the hospital."

Once we got to the hospital, we headed into the patient's room. Apparently he had lost a kidney. He wasn't exactly happy to see us. "I told the cops all of this yesterday. I don't want to talk about it anymore," he complained.

"It's just a couple of questions, sir," Sam stated

"Hey, man. I just got my kidney stolen," he replied. "I'm tired."

"We'll be out of here quick. Don't you want to get the guy?" Dean asked.

The man frowned. "Will it get me back my kidney?"

Sam cleared his throat. "So what's the last thing you remember?"

"Feeding my meter," the man began. "I got jumped from behind...and then I wake up strapped to a table. And then the worst pain you could possibly imagine, only worse. And then I black out again. Thank God. And then I wake up screaming in some no-tell motel in a bathtub full of ice."

"Do you remember anything about the surgery – you know, what the guy looked like, any details about the room?" Dean asked.

The patient glared. "Let me think about that. Yeah...one thing is coming back to me. You know what I remember? Getting my kidney cut out of my body!"

"Ok, well thank you for your time," Sam said, walking out. Dean followed him, but I stayed.

"You know," I stated, with a sigh. "We're only trying to help. The last person who turned up like you? He's dead." The man just huffed at me. "You should be thankful you're alive." I turned on my heel and left.

"What was that?" Dean asked.

"He's an ass," I replied. "Can we get food? I am starving."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSN PSNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNPSNSPN

Dean and I happily ate sitting at the table in our motel room while Sam did all the work. "So, I got a theory," Sam said happily.

"Yeah?" I asked, eating a fry. I offered him one.

"Yeah, I talked to Mr. Giggle's doctor," Sam went on, eating a fry. "Turns out his incisions were sewn up with silk."

Dean spoke, his mouth full of cheeseburger. "That's weird," he mumbled.

"Yeah, nowadays it is, but silk used to be the suture of choice back in the early 19th century," Sam said. "It was really problematic. Patients would get massive infections. The death rate was insane."

"Huh," I remarked. "Good times."

"Right, so doctors, they had to do whatever they could to keep infections from spreading. One way was maggots," Sam said, showing us a picture.

Dean grimaced. "Dude, I'm eating."

"It actually kind of worked because maggots, they eat bad tissue, and they leave good tissue," Sam went on. "And get this. When they found our guy, his body cavity was stuffed full of maggots."

Dean threw his cheeseburger down. "Dude, I'm eating!" he exclaimed.

"Alright, let me get this straight. So, people are getting ganked, right?" I asked, continuing to eat.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"A little "antiques roadshow" surgery, some organ theft," Dean listed.

"Yeah," I said. "But why is this all sounding familiar?"

"Because you heard it before. When you were a kid... from Dad," Sam said. "Doc Benton...real-life doctor, lived in New Hampshire, brilliant and obsessed with alchemy, especially how to live forever. So, in 1816, Doc abandons his practice and..."

"Right, yeah, nobody hears from him for like 20 years, and all of sudden, people start showing up dead," Dean said, in realization.

"Dead or – or missing an organ or the hand or some other kind of part," Sam said.

"Cause whatever he was doing was actually working," Dean said. "He just kept on ticking. Parts would wear out, he'd replace them," Dean added.

"But I thought Dad hunted him down and took his heart out," I asked, confused.

"Yeah, I guess the Doc must have plugged in a new one," Sam shrugged.

"How do you just plug in a new heart?" I demanded.

"You got me," Sam said, shaking his head.

"All right, where's he doing the deed?" Dean asked.

"According to this, Benton's picky about where he sets up his lab," Sam said. "He likes dense forest with access to a river or stream or some kind of freshwater."

Dean took another huge bite. "Why?" he asked.

"Because that's where he likes to dump the bile and intestines and fecal matter," Sam listed. He laughed as Dean gagged. "Lost your appetite yet?"

Dean thought for a moment, looking down at his burger. "Oh baby, I can't stay mad at you," he remarked, eating some more.

I kept eating as well. Sam looked at me. "I'd have thought you'd be done."

"I grew up with you two," I stated. "It's gonna take more than that to truly gross me out."

Sam pulled out a map. He mulled over it for a long time. We searched through maps to find all the cabins in the areas, especially the ones that had been abandoned for a long time. Sam tapped me on the shoulder after a few hours, "Can you help me out for a second?" he asked, pulling me outside.

"What?" I asked.

"I think this might be it," he stated, excitedly. "This could save Dean."

I stared at him. "Ok you lost me."

"Doc Benton," he explained. "He was able to stay alive for years. What if we find out how? What if we can use it to save Dean?"

"How?" I asked.

"We can get time," he went on.

"I don't know, Sammy…" I sighed.

"Think about it," he remarked, going back inside.

I looked down at the map. We had three, all in a certain area. "So these are all the cabins," Sam said. "Most of them have been abandoned for years."

"So what the hell are we waiting for?" Dean asked, looking around. His phone rang. "Bobby." He stated.

"Hey," Bobby said on the speaker phone. "Think I finally got a bead on Bela."

Dean nodded. "I'm listening."

"Rufus Turner."

"Who's that?" Dean asked. "Like a Cleveland steamer?"

"You're disgusting," I remarked, slapping him on the arm.

"He's a hunter, or he used to be," Bobby went on.

"And now?" he asked.

"Hermit mostly," Bobby stated. "Does a little selling on the side. Anyway. I put the word out on Bela months ago. He just called. Said a woman got in touch, wanted to buy some things."

"And he thinks its Bela?" Dean asked.

"British accent went by the name Mina Chandler," Bobby explained.

"She's used that before," I said.

Dean nodded. "Well, it's kinda of a sloppy move, isn't it?" Dean asked. "Getting in contact with one of your old friends."

"Friend?" Bobby scoffed. "Haven't laid eyes on him in fifteen years. He's not the Christmas card type. I doubt she knows I know him. Canaan, Vermont."

"Thanks, Bobby. We're on our way," Dean replied.

"One other thing. Take a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue," Bobby said, before hanging up.

"Come on," Dean said, grabbing his stuff. "We're going after Bela."

"What? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second," Sam said, trying to slow him down.

"Come on. Get your stuff. The clocks ticking," Dean went on, throwing my bag at me. I caught it and looked to Sam.

"Look, I think we should stay here and finish the case," Sam said.

Dean glared at him. "You insane?"

"Dean, there's no way she still has the Colt!" Sam exclaimed. "That was months ago! She probably sold it the second she got it."

"Well, then I'll kill her," Dean shrugged. "Win-win."

I sighed. "Dean..."

"Alexis. We're going!"

"No!" Sam shouted back.

Dean stopped what he was doing. "Why the hell not?"

"Dean, this, this here. Now. This is what is gonna save you," Sam went on, trying to get Dean to listen. He was failing.

"What?" Dean asked. "Chasing some Frankenstein?"

"Chasing immortality," Sam added, like it was obvious. Dean narrowed his eyes, obviously taken aback. "Look, Benton can't die. We find out how he did it, we can do it to you."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked.

Sam was adamant. "You have to die before you go to hell, right? So, if you can never die, then..."

"Wait, wait, wait. Wait a second," Dean said, putting a hand up. "Did you know that this was Doc Benton from the jump?"

"No," Sam said quickly. Dean stared at him questioning whether he was telling the truth or not. "Look, I was hoping…" Sam admitted.

"So the whole zombie thing, it was lying to me?" Dean asked.

"I didn't wanna say anything until I was sure, Dean," Sam said, desperately. "All I'm trying to do is find an answer here."

"No. What you're trying to do is chase Slicy McHackey here," Dean accused. "And to kill him? No. You wanna buy him a freaking beer. You wanna study him."

"He was just trying to help," I said, trying to calm him down.

"He's not helping!" Dean yelled at me. I winced. "You forget that if I welch on this deal, you die," he said, looking back to Sam. "Guess what, living forever is welching."

"Fine! Then, whatever the magic pill is, I'll take it too!" Sam exclaimed.

"Oh, what is this? Sid and Nancy?" Dean demanded. "No. It's just like Bobby's been saying. We kill the demon who owns the contract and this whole damn thing wipes clean. That's our best shot."

"Even if you had the Colt, Dean, who are you gonna shoot?" Sam asked. "We have no idea who holds the ticket."

"Well, I'll shoot the hellhounds then before they slash me up," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Now, you coming or not?"

Sam was quiet for a moment. "I'm staying here."

"No, you're not.'Cause I'm not gonna let you wander out in the woods alone to track some organ stealing freak," Dean stated.

Sam scoffed. "You're not gonna let me?"

Dean shook his head. "No, I'm not gonna let you."

"How are you gonna stop me?" Sam demanded. Dean looked surprised. "Look, man, we're trying to do the same thing here."

"I know. But I'm going," Dean said. "So if you wanna stay...stay. But Lexie is staying with you."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You watch her like a hawk, man," Dean stated.

"Don't I always?" Sam asked, wearily.

Dean stared at him for a moment, shrugged and walked to the door. Sam didn't move. He turned back slightly. "Sammy, be careful," he said.

"You too," Sam replied quietly.

Dean then left, closing the door behind him.

Sam and I waited until morning to go and search the cabins. He had wanted to go at night, but I insisted that we wait until it was good and light out. The first two cabins took over the entire day to hike to and then find. By the time we got to the last cabin, the sun was going down. It was going to be dark soon. I looked to Sam. "Flashlight?" I asked. He nodded and pulled one out.

This cabin was already obviously the one. There were footprints and car marks. I looked to Sam and he nodded, motioning me to be quiet. I nodded back. We went inside. The place seemed empty; I just hoped it actually was.

Sam called me over. "What?" I whispered. He showed me a journal. "Is it his?" I asked. Sam shrugged, pocketing it.

I looked around. There was a cellar door. Sam opened it. I shook my head. "Sam, you got what you wanted, let's go."

"C'mon," he said, pulling me down the stairs.

This place was seriously creeping me out. There was blood on the floor. I grimaced as we passed sheets hanging. Sam moved them to show a dead body. "Oh god," I said, with a sigh. His heart was clearly cut out. "Poor guy."

There was a shuffling noise. Sam moved towards it. There, behind the second set of curtains, was another person on a table. Her arm was stretched out, maggots on top of a deep wound. Sam leaned over to check her pulse.

She jumped awake. I jumped as well, feeling stupid as soon as I had. She started to cry and scream. "Shh! Shh! Shh! It's okay. I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you. I'm gonna help you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Sam said, trying to calm her down. She was terrified.

I handed him a cloth, hearing a door open upstairs. "Sam…" I mouthed, looking up. There were footsteps above us.

Sam covered the woman's mouth. He nodded towards an open window. He hoisted himself out of the window, leaving me and the woman. I waited until he gave the ok, and he lifted the woman out by her armpits. There were footsteps coming down the stairs. I climbed through next, cutting my hand on the broken glass in the process.

"Run," I said, breathlessly.

We ran the way back to the car. Sam placed the woman in the passenger seat. She was still out of it and crying. I got into the back. "Sam, hurry," I complained.

Sam got into the car and was about to start it when a hand crashed through the window. I screamed. It was Doc Benton. He slammed Sam's head against the wheel. I opened my car door violently to knock him off balance.

Sam floored it, driving straight into him and then kept going, not looking back. "That was close," I remarked.

"Yeah," Sam replied, looking scared.

"Guess he doesn't want to be friends," I huffed, sitting back. The girl was still crying. "Hey," I said, helping her to sit up. "It's going to be ok. You're safe now. We're going to get you to a hospital."

She only continued to cry. "My name's Alexis," I said, with a small smile. "What's yours?"

"Isabelle," she answered, sniffling. "Thank you."

"No problem," I replied. She leaned her head on the window, closing her eyes. I met Sam's eyes in the rearview.

SPNSPNSPNSPNPSNPSNSPNSPNSPSN PSNPSNSPNSPNSPNS

We were back in the motel room. Sam had been reading the book we stole out of the cabin for a long time. I was only watching him. I didn't want to be in his way. I also didn't want to have to be the one to discover that it was hopeless. I still hadn't come to terms with the fact that three weeks from now Dean was going to be gone.

"I'm going to call the hospital," I said, "Check on that girl."

I went outside to get some fresh air. I called, and they said that she was doing well. I was happy about that. I had been worried that her arm was infected. I guess that maggot theory really did work. I walked down to the convenience store to grab a snack. I was sick of sitting in the room.

By the time I got back, nearly an hour had passed. I got to the room and the door was slightly open. I pulled my knife out. I kicked open the door. "Sam!" I demanded.

His phone was on the ground, and Dean was screaming from it. "Dean?!" I demanded. "What happened? Where's Sam?!"

"I was going to ask you that!" he yelled back. "Look around, what do you see?"

"Uh…" I said, looking around. Everything was how we left it…the bags were on my bed…the book was gone. "Dean, it was Doc Benton."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, to book we took," I said hurriedly. "It's gone."

"Which cabin was he in?"

"The northern most," I replied. "Dean, I'm going to—"

"You're going to stay there," Dean said. "Lock the doors, windows, and bunker down until I get there."

"But Sam – "

"We'll get him when I get back," he said, "I'm already in the car."

"Ok," I said, and hung up. I paced around for a moment. What the hell was I doing? I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door. I got into the rental and booked it back to the cabin.

It was pitch black outside. I nearly couldn't even find my way to the cabin at all because of it. I staggered slightly as I entered. I heard Sam's voice. He was in the basement. I sincerely hoped that Sam wasn't being cut open. I looked down at the gun I was holding. This wouldn't even hurt him. But maybe I could distract him long enough for Sam to get help, or for Dean to get here.

I ran into the basement, ignoring my instincts to run. "You can relax. It's all gonna be okay. Ain't nothing gonna happen here that you got to worry about, Sammy," Doc Benton stated as I went down the stairs. "Your chances of coming out of this procedure alive? Very, very high."

"How do you know my name?" Sam asked.

"Oh...I know," The doctor stated, with a chuckle. "You think I'm some kind of monster, don't you? Well, I got to tell you; I have never done one thing that I did not have to do. This whole eternal-life thing is very high-maintenance. If something goes bad, like my eyes here...you got to replace them. And sometimes things get damaged, like when your father cut out my heart. Now, that...That was very inconvenient." He sighed. "So, I'm sure that you can understand all the joy I felt when I read all about myself here in his journal. Kind of makes this whole thing just feel like some kind of family reunion, don't it?" he asked. He held up my father's journal. "Well, I guess it's about time that we get this thing started."

I shot three times into him before he could touch Sam. He turned to look at me. I let out two more. They weren't doing anything. I was right; this was a really really really stupid plan. He threw me against the wall, and I fell to the ground out of breath. My ears were ringing from that.

"Ow," I complained. He lifted me back up, ready to strangle me. My legs dangled above the ground. I fought for breath to my lungs.

Suddenly, Dean was behind him. I thanked whoever was in charge for this. He thrust a knife into him. Doc Benton threw me down with a laugh. "A knife? What part of immortality do you not understand?" he demanded, turning to look at Dean. "Pity about the heart, though. It was a brand-new one."

"Good," Dean remarked. "It should be pumping nice and strong..." He held up a bottle of chloroform. "Sending this stuff throughout your whole body. See, I picked up your little bottle upstairs and dipped the knife in it."

The Doc wavered, falling back onto the wall before collapsing.

Dean helped me off the ground. "I thought I told you to wait," he remarked, glaring at me.

"Since when do I wait?" I smirked, going over to help Sam. I unstrapped him from the table.

Dean dragged the Doc to the table. "What do we do with him?" Dean asked.

"I wanna talk to him," Sam stated.

Dean sighed, tying him down. "I figured as much." He paused. He slapped his gross, sutured up face a few times. "Oh, hiya, Doc. Wakey, wakey, eggs and bac-y." Dean smiled.

"Please," he pleaded.

"Please what?" Dean asked. "You've been killing poor bastards for over 150 years and now you got a request? Shut up."

Doc Benton shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I can help you. I know what you need."

Dean ignored him. "We might have to cut him up into little bits. You know, this immortality thing is a bitch." He smirked happily.

"I can read the formula for you," he went on. "You know...immortality...Forever young, never die."

Sam squirmed uncomfortably. "Dean…" he said, motioning for Dean to follow him.

Dean and I went behind the curtain with Sam. "What?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. "I mean, we're talking hell in three weeks. Or needing a new pancreas in like half a century," Sam explained.

"Yeah, well, you can't exactly get those at a Kwik-E-Mart," Dean replied, shaking his head.

"It's not perfect, but it buys us more time to think of something better," Sam added. "We just need time, Dean. I mean, please, just...just think about it."

Dean was adamant. "No."

"Dean, don't you want to live?" Sam asked.

"What he is isn't living. Look, this is simple."

"Simple?" I asked, confused. This seemed anything other than simple.

"To me it is, okay," Dean went on. "Black or white; human, not human." He walked back to the Doc. "See, what the Doc is a freaking' monster. I can't do it. I would rather go to hell."

Doc Benton's eyes widened. "You don't understand. I can help you!"

Dean covered his mouth with chloroform until he passed out once again. "Now, I'm gonna take care of him," Dean stated. "You two can either help me or not. It's up to you."

Sam and I exchanged a glance. "Ok," I said, grabbing a shovel. "Let's get this done with."

We dug a hole big enough for it. The refrigerator, I mean. Dean had come up with the plan. It took a lot of muscle, but we got the box in there, along with his journal, and started to cover him with dirt. "No! No! Don't! Stop it! I can help you! No!" He yelled.

Dean sighed. "Enjoy forever in there, Doc."

We covered the hole until we heard nothing. I took a deep breath. "Ankle biter," Dean said, motioning at my hand. "You're bleeding."

"Oh, yeah," I remarked. "I cut it on the window earlier."

"Maybe we should put some maggots on it," Sam stated, with a short laugh.

"You do that and I will personally see to it that those maggots end up in your bed tonight," I said, grimacing.

We went back to the motel. "Dean, you never told me," I stated. "What happened with Bela?"

"Oh right," he said. "The colt is gone. Bela is…she made a deal, when she was little. She's in the same boat I am."

"Wait what?" I asked, surprised.

"Her parents," he replied. "She made a deal to kill her parents."

"You didn't tell me that," Sam stated.

"Took me awhile to work it out," Dean shrugged. "But there's more. She should be here soon. She swiped my pocket. We have to go."

"Alright," I stated. "But maybe we should leave her a surprise." I smiled.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS PNSPSNPSNPSNPSNSPN

I was lying in the backseat of the impala, and for a moment, things were ok. We were laughing. "What about California?" I asked, with a heavy sigh. "Beach is there. Good food is there. Disney land is there."

"This is my vacation, not yours," Dean complained.

"Well then where do you want to go?" I demanded, sitting up.

"Vegas," he smirked. "Hit the casinos, hit up some chicks."

Sam laughed. "And what?" he asked. "Spend money that isn't ours?"

"Who knows?" Dean smirked. "Maybe I'll get lucky." He smiled. "In more ways than one."

"Ew," I said.

Dean's phone rang. We all stopped. "Hiya, Bela," Dean remarked. "Here's a fun fact you may not know. I felt your hand in my pocket, when you swiped that motel receipt. Hope you liked the sex dolls. Those were my baby sister's idea."

Bela sounded tearful. "You don't understand."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand perfectly," Dean stated. "See, I noticed something interesting in your hotel room. Something tucked above the door. An herb. Devil's shoestring? There's only one use for that. Holding hellhounds at bay." He paused. "So you know what I did, I went back and I took another look at your folks' obit. Turns out they died ten years ago today. You didn't kill them. A demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn't you, Bela. And it's come due." He was more serious now, his eyes dark. "Is that why you stole the Colt, huh? Try to wiggle out of your deal, our gun for your soul?"

Bela was crying. "Yes."

"But stealing the Colt wasn't quite enough, I'm guessing," Dean went on.

"They changed the deal," She said. "They wanted me to kill Sam."

"Really! Wow, demons untrustworthy. Shocker," Dean remarked. "That's, uh, kind of a tight deadline too – what time is it? Well, look at that, almost midnight."

She sobbed. "Dean, listen, I need help."

"Sweetheart, we are weeks past help," Dean replied.

"I know I don't deserve it."

"You know what, you're right, you don't. But you know what the bitch of the bunch is? If you would have just come to us sooner and asked for help we probably could have taken the Colt and saved you," Dean added on, angrily.

"I know, and saved yourself," Bela stated. She grew quieter. "I know about your deal, Dean."

Dean scoffed. 'And who told you that?"

"The Demon that holds it. She holds mine too. She said she holds every deal," Bela explained.

"She?" he asked.

"Her name's Lilith," Bela replied.

"Lilith?" Dean questioned. I looked to Sam. That was the baddy Ruby had mentioned. "Why should I believe you?" Dean demanded.

"You shouldn't but it's the truth," Bela replied.

"This can't help you, Bela, not now. Why you telling me this?"

"Because just maybe you can kill the bitch," Bela said coldly.

Dean took a deep breath. "I'll see you in hell," he said, and hung up.

The air in the car was silent after that for awhile. "I think we should go to Bobby's," I stated after a moment.

Dean nodded. "Sounds perfect."

That was the closest to home we had. It was where we went to cope and right now I think we all had something to think about. Dean days were dwindling, and we were running out of options.

Everything was about to change.

**Please Review!**

**Ok, so my plan is to have one chapter per month Dean is in hell. This next part is going to be very dark, as Alexis is going to be in a very bad place. Very dark, very cynical, a lot of booze and pills type stuff. Just a forewarning that its about to get real. Thank you for reading and I'm sure you'll all enjoy it. **

**Love you all! Thank you for sticking with me this long!**


	74. Season 3, Chapter Twenty

**Here it is, Season Three Finale. **

**I sincerely hope all of you like it. It was so much fun yet so sad to write! Love you all, thank you all for sticking with me. **

**Disclaimer: I own Alexis and Dylan.**

Chapter Seventy Four

Bobby took us to a cabin. It was secluded, protected, and isolated. All of this was to keep Dean safe. However, being cooped up in here, waiting for the inevitable was making us all testy. It was merely a few days until Dean was done for. I couldn't really stand to think about it anymore. I had taken to wandering the woods alone. At least it was a way to keep my thoughts in check. I knew Dean was dealing with a lot, and I knew that he was the one dying, but for some reason I couldn't get it out of my head that this was going to end me as well.

Dean was sleeping on top of a book when I came back into the cabin. He woke up, looking startled. "Hey, you ok?" I asked, giving him a weary smile.

"Yeah," he said groggily. "Where've you been?"

"Running," I stated, still slightly out of breath.

Sam came in behind me. "Dig up anything good?" Sam asked Dean, walking past me.

Dean stared down at the book, still looking out of it. "No," He said, clearing his throat. "Nothing good."

"Well, Bobby has," Sam said, excitedly. "Finally."

"Yeah?" I asked, taking a long gulp of water.

"Yeah. A way to find Lilith," Sam smiled back at me.

"Oh. With just uh –" Dean looked down at his watch. "Thirty hours to go." He looked down then back up. "Hey, why don't we just make a TJ-run, yeah?" he asked. "You know... some senoritas, cervezas, uh, we could... What's Spanish for "donkey show"?"

Sam snorted. "So if we do save you... Let's never do that."

"Yeah..." Dean sighed. He looked back down at the books.

"Hey, Dean," Sam sighed, sitting down next to him. "Look, we're cutting it close, I know. But we're gonna get this done. I don't care what it takes, Dean. You're not gonna go to hell. I'm not gonna let you." Dean looked over at him, clearly not convinced. "I swear. Everything's gonna be okay."

Dean looked scared for a moment, but he quickly went back to normal. "Yeah, ok," he said.

"What's Bobby's plan?" I asked, getting up from where I was sitting.

"He's coming," Sam said, motioning behind him.

As though on command, Bobby walked in, a huge compass looking thing in his hands. "What the hell is that?" I asked, watching him set it up on the table.

"This is what is going to tell us where Lilith is," Bobby said, finishing up putting the contraption together. It was basically a wooden device with three legs balancing it. A crystal ball looking thing was on top. The middle piece swung freely, like a pendulum.

"So you need a name, that's the whole kit and caboodle," Bobby went on. "With the right name, right ritual, ain't nothing you can't suss out."

"Like the town Lilith's in?" Sam asked.

"Kid, when I get done, we'll know the street," Bobby smirked. He began chanting words in Latin that didn't really make any sense with a direct translation. The pendulum started to move, swinging around the map until it finally settled on a single spot.

"Is that it?" I asked.

"New Harmony, Indiana," Bobby stated. "And we have a winner."

"Alright," Sam said, pushing the pendulum away from the map. "Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on," Dean said, getting up. "Let's all shut up there, Tex."

"What's the problem?" I asked, confused.

"What's the problem? Come on, where do I begin?" Dean asked, taken aback. "I mean, first of all, we don't even know if Lilith holds my deal. We're going off of Bela's intel? Now when that bitch breathes, the air comes out crooked. Okay." I just stared at him. "Second, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And third, isn't this the same Lilith that wants Sam's giant head on a pike? Should I continue?"

"Ain't you just bringing down the room," Bobby remarked.

"Yeah, well, it's a gift," Dean stated, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, so then what are we supposed to do, Dean?" Sam asked, irritated.

"Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you have to, okay," Dean replied. "Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"Okay, fine," Sam said. "If that's the case I have the answer."

Dean raised his eyes. "You do?"

"Yeah. A sure-fire way to confirm its Lilith and a way to get us a bona fide demon-killing ginsu," Sam said, shrugging.

"Damn it, Sam, no," Dean said, turning his back to us.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"We are so past arguing," Sam sighed. "Dean, I am summoning Ruby."

Dean whirled back around. "The hell you are! We have enough problems as it is."

"Exactly," Sam said, walking up to him. "And we've got no time and no choice either."

"Come on man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay," Dean said. "She told you that she could save me, huh – lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right – Lilith owns my soul!"

"Okay, fine. She's a liar. She's still got that knife," Sam said.

"Dean," I said, trying to get my own two cents in.

"For all we know, she works for Lilith," Dean went on.

"Then give me another option, Dean," Sam said, throwing his hands in the air. "I mean, tell me what else."

"Sam's right," Bobby added.

"NO! DAMN IT!" Dean yelled. I jumped. He took a deep breath. "Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again." We all stared at him, a little shocked. Here we were, trying to save his ass and he was denying it. "You guys wanna save me, find something else.

Bobby sighed after a moment and grabbed his jacket. "Where are you going, Bobby?"I asked.

"I guess to…to find something else." He disappeared out the door.

I looked to Dean. Then I looked to Sam. Both had a very distraught look on their face. I could clearly already see how this was going to go down. Sam sighed and went outside. I glanced at Dean and then followed him. "So what's your plan?" I asked, sitting down on the porch next to him.

"I'm going to need your help to distract Dean for awhile," he said, not looking at me.

I sighed. "You're summoning her anyways aren't you?"

"Please," he stated. He looked at me, and I could see the desperation in his eyes. It was hard to realize, but he felt the same way I did. He was slowly losing his brother too.

"Yeah, ok," I said, putting my head on my knee. "But be quick, ok?" He nodded and got up. I went back inside. "Hey, you alright?" I asked. He was staring at me like I was on fire or something.

"Uh yeah," he said, looking away. "I mean, as good as I can be at this point."

"Don't talk like that," I said sitting down next to him. "We'll figure something out."

"No," he said. "We won't." I looked at him, trying not to cry. "I mean, look ankle biter, this isn't going to work. We have nothing. I just…I don't want to get your hopes up for a miracle."

"I…" I sighed. I went into my bag. "Here," I said, handing him a certificate. "I got it online. I, uh, I graduated."

He picked it up with a huge smile. "Wow," he remarked. "That's so nerdy of you."

I rolled my eyes. "I just wanted you to know I followed through with your dumb ass wishes, ok?" I stated. "Now I have a useless degree."

He gave me a weak smile. "You know if there's anything I regret its dragging you into all this," he said waving his hands around. "I mean, the cops part anyways."

"It would've happened eventually," I sighed. "Besides, I don't have a life outside of this. It's our family business."

"Yeah, it is," he said with a short laugh. "I remember, when you were little and all you wanted to do was go out with me and dad."

I smirked. "Good times."

"Happy Birthday by the way."

I frowned. "What?"

"Tomorrow," he stated. "It's yours and Sam's birthdays."

I thought for a moment. I was eighteen tomorrow. That statement just didn't seem to hold any weight with the predicament that we were in. "I guess it is," I replied. "Thanks."

He frowned after a moment. "Where's Sam?"

I tensed. "I, uh, I don't know."

He glared at me. "He went to summon Ruby."

"Dean – "

"No!" he yelled, grabbing my arm. "C'mon."

"We're just trying to save you!" I exclaimed as he pulled me out of the cabin and into the cellar.  
"Why won't you let us?"

"Because this is how we get into trouble," he stated. "Dealing with demons. Why are you two so stupid?" He stopped. "I have a plan."

"A plan?" I asked. "To what? Be a bastard to everybody? Because you're doing a fine ass job."

"To get the knife," he replied. He went down into the cellar, pointing at me to stay where I was. I groaned.

Sam was coming back towards the cabin. "Where's Dean?" he asked.

"Oh, you know," I said, walking away from the cellar. "Down there."

"What's he doing?" he asked, "I have the stuff to summon Ruby. Can you take him somewhere?"

"Like where?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied, as Dean came back up.

"What were you doing?" I asked.

"Just checking it out," Dean shrugged. "I'm gonna go read some more. See if I can't learn something."

I gave Sam a look and followed him. "That's your plan?" I asked, "Reading?"

"We're waiting," he replied, not looking at me. After about fifteen minutes he got up. "Stay."

"No," I replied, following. He didn't really object.

"Look," Ruby was saying as we headed down. "Call me a bitch, hate me all you want, but I have never lied to you, Sam. Not ever. And I'm telling you. You... can save your brother, and I can show you how."

"So that's you, huh?" Dean asked, stepping out from the shadows. "Our slutty little Yoda."

Ruby turned around at the sound of his voice. "Dean," she stated. She glared. "Charming as ever."

"Aw, I knew you'd show up. Because I knew SAM wouldn't listen," he remarked. "And Lexis is a terrible distraction." I gave Sam and sorry shrug. He only looked away. "But you're not gonna teach him anything, you understand me? Over my dead body."

"Oh. Well, you're right about that," Ruby stated, coldly.

"What you are gonna do is give me that knife," Dean went on, ignoring her. "And then you can just go crawl back into whatever slop you came from and never bother me or my brother again. Are we clear?"

"Your brother is carrying a bomb inside of him and we'd be stupid not to use it," Ruby stated, irritated.

"Dean, look, just hold on for one –"

Dean snapped. "Sam! Don't. Come on man, what, are you blind?" he demanded. "Can't you see that this is a trick?" He stalked around her, angrily.

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "That's not true."

"She wants you to give into this whole demonic psychic whatever, okay," Dean said. "I mean hell, she probably wants you to become her little anti-christ Super Star."

Ruby scoffed. "I want Lilith dead. That's all."

"Why?" Dean persisted.

Ruby was growing angrier. "I've told you why!"

"Oh, right, yeah," Dean mocked. "Because you were human once and you liked kittens and long walks on the beach."

"You know, I am so sick of proving myself to you," Ruby shouted. "You wanna save yourself, this is how. You dumb, spineless dick."

Dean smiled slightly and nodded like he was going to laugh at her. He whipped back around punched her in the face. I backed off slightly, surprised. When he said he had a plan, I didn't think that plan was to beat her senseless.

Ruby wiped the blood from her lip. She glared at him, her eyes not black like a demons, but black nonetheless. She took a step forward and punched him twice in quick succession. "Hey!" I yelled, running towards her. She might not be able to be truly hurt, but Dean could.

She pushed me away, sending me flying into the wall. I bit my lip in the process and tasted blood. I hated this bitch.

"Ruby, hey!" Sam yelled. She hit him in the back, and then kneed him in the face. Sam went backwards, albeit not as hard as I did. He only moved away so that she wouldn't hit him anymore.

She turned back to Dean, who had gotten up. He hit her once more in the face, but she was ready and kicked him back. He doubled over in pain. She kicked him again, sending him to the floor.

He stayed on the floor, but looked up at her bloody and smiling. "The hell are you grinning at?"She demanded, angrily.

"Missing something?" he asked, pulling the knife out. He grinned, blood in his mouth. He held it in front of his face, taunting her.

"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch," she growled, rushing towards him. She was abruptly stopped by something invisible. Dean just smiled at her and looked up.

There was a devil's trap painted on the ceiling.

"Like I said..." Dean smirked, pocketing the knife. "I knew you'd come."

He got up, leaning on the wall at first for support. I helped him to stand up straight. "Wait! You're just gonna leave me here?" she asked.

"Let's go, Sam," Dean said, waiting for him to follow. He was ignoring her.

Sam got up, taking a deep breath. He followed Dean and me to the steps. "Oh, oh you – so you're just too stupid to live, is that it? Then fine! You deserve hell!" she yelled. She was trying to rile him up again. However, what she didn't know was that Dean was way past that point. "I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones!" she added. "I WISH I COULD BE THERE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM!"

"And I wish you'd shut your pie hole, but we don't always get what we want," Dean remarked, heading out of the cellar.

The next hour was awkward. Sam was sitting there like he had done no wrong. Dean was silently stewing. We were all loading weapons. I picked up a mag and handed it to Dean. "Here," I said. He took it and loaded it into his pearl handled gun.

Sam sighed and I inwardly cringed. "We're just gonna let Ruby rot down there?" he asked.

Dean didn't look phased at all. "That's the idea."

"Dean, what if, uh... What if Ruby's right?" Sam asked. "What if I can take out Lilith?"

Dean looked at him, clearly irritated. "Quit looking at me like that," Sam insisted, shaking his head.

"What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes "poof"?" Dean asked, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know what Ruby meant," Sam said. "You know, maybe we should just go ask her."

Dean blinked at him. "Sam, you wanted the knife – I got you the knife." He got up and walked over to the other table.

"Dean, just listen to me for a second," Sam pleaded. "Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass, and all we got's one little knife? I mean, like you said, we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

Dean nodded. "Well, this ain't smart."

"We got one shot at this, Dean. Just one," Sam pleaded. "So if there's a sure-fire way then maybe we should just talk about it."

Dean turned and walked back towards us. "Sam. We are not gonna make the same mistake all over again."

"What does that even mean?" I asked, desperate. I hadn't opened my mouth before. I didn't want to argue but I was confused.

"Don't you see a pattern here?" Dean demanded, like I was missing the elephant in the room. "Dad's deal, my deal, now this? I mean every time one of us is – is – is up the creek the other is begging to sell their soul. That's all this is, man. Ruby's just jerking your chain down the road. You know what it's paved with and you know where it's going."

He sat back town, picking up his gun again, inspecting it. Sam shook his head. "Dean," he said, sitting back down as well. "What do you think is gonna happen? This is me, I can handle it." Dean stopped what he was doing.

"And if it'll save you..." I went on.

"Why even risk it?" he asked, looking at us.

Sam and I exchanged a look like we really had no answers for that besides the obvious. "Because you're our brother," I replied.

"Because you did the same thing for me," Sam went on.

Dean scoffed. "I know... and look how that turned out.

"All I'm saying…" Sam said, stopping for a moment.

"Sammy, all I'm saying is that you and Lexie are my weak spot," he stated.

I looked at him confused. "You are. And I'm yours," he added.

Sam was getting choked up. "You don't mean that. We're… we're family."

"I know," Dean said, with a not. "And those evil sons of bitches know it too. I mean, what we'll do for each other, you know, how far we'll go? They're using it against us."

"So what?" I asked. "We just stop looking out for each other?"

"No, we stop being martyrs," Dean insisted. 'We – we – we stop spreading it for these demons." He picked up Ruby's knife. "We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down, then, uh... then we go down swinging." He paused. "What do you think?"

"I think you totally should have been jamming "Eye of the Tiger" right there," Sam stated.

Dean chuckled. "Oh, bite me. I totally rehearsed that speech, too."

"So, Indiana, huh?" I asked.

"I'm not sure I want you to tag along, ankle biter," Dean stated slowly.

I rose. "Dean," I stated. "I did not spend the last year of my life attempting to save your life not to be there for you when shit hits the fan." I folded my arms over my chest. "So over my dead body will I not be there."

Dean stared at me for a moment. "God, you're a pain in my ass."

"I know," I replied, easing up. "I'm also officially eighteen in about six hours. SO, I'm not a kid anymore."

"I can still tell you what to do," he replied, shaking his head.

"You mean you can try," Sam smirked. "So we're headed to New Harmony?"

"Yeah, where Lilith's on shore-leave," Dean added. "Tell me something," he asked, and I looked up at him. "The hell's a demon do for fun?"

There was the sound of an engine. We all immediately tensed. Unless that was Bobby, who it wasn't because the engine clearly wasn't a clunker, we had been found by someone else. I had this foreboding feeling I knew who it was.

I walked out ahead of Dean, who tried to grab me back. "What are you doing here?" I demanded, angrily.

"I came to see if there's any way I could help," Dylan said, taking his helmet off.

"Well there isn't," I snapped. "So you can go."

He stared at me like I was a psychopath. "What's with the attitude?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I gave him an incredulous look and opened my mouth to answer but Dean was already stopping me. "She's pissed," he answered for me. He stepped in front of me.

"Dean," I said, pulling him back. He wouldn't budge. "I can fight my own battles."

"Don't care," he barked back at me.

"You should go," I said again, shaking my head. "We don't need help. We're fine."

He stared hard at me, ignoring Dean's threatening glance. I was actually proud he could stand there with the way Dean was shooting daggers at him. He put his helmet back on, got on his bike, and sped off.

"We should go too," Dean said. "We need to get to Indiana by tonight."

We all proceeded to get into the Impala, except it wouldn't start. I looked at Dean worriedly from the backseat.

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice asked, scaring the living shit out of me.

It was Bobby holding up a distributor cap from the impala. I looked at Sam, who gave me a look that said all kinds of worry, and we all got out of the car. Bobby was standing there not looking very happy.

"We got the knife," Dean clarified.

Bobby scoffed. "And you intend to use it without me." He gave Dean a mean look. "Do I look like a ditchable prom-date to you?"

"No, Bobby," I said. "Of course not."

"This is about me... Lex and Sam. Ok?" Dean asked. "This isn't your fight."

Dylan strutted out from behind Bobby's car. "I don't think that's yours to decide."

"What the hell are you doing back here?" I asked.

"I saw the bags in the car," he said, motioning for the impala. "I thought Bobby might want to know."

"Still," Dean said, not looking at him. He was staring hard at Bobby. "This isn't yours to deal with."

"The hell it isn't!" Bobby yelled, walking up to Dean and getting in his face. "Family don't end with blood, boy. Besides, you need me."

"Bobby," Dean warned.

"You're playing wounded," Bobby went on. "Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?"

I looked to Dean, confused. He looked slightly uncomfortable. "How'd you know?" he breathed after a moment.

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt," Bobby stated. "And because I'm smart." He handed the cap back to Dean. "Porter and I will follow."

He turned around, along with Dylan, whom I glared at as he walked away. He just stared right back. Dean put the cap back in the car. "Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either!" Bobby called, starting up his engine.

We all collectively shared a look and sighed. I was not happy with Dylan following me around. I mean, he apparently didn't care at all for me, and I wasn't that enthused with enlisting his help. I shook that thought of my head. I had more important things to be worrying about.

We drove until the sky grew dark and it was mere hours until time would be up. I had elected to sit in the front seat instead of the back. I was leaning on Sam's shoulder, struggling to keep myself awake. I didn't want to miss a moment of this, but I could barely keep my eyes open. I had been up for the last thirty six hours.

"Hey, Dean?" Sam said, bringing me out of my haze.

Dean was driving, only staring out the window. "Yeah?"

"You know if this doesn't uh... this doesn't go the way we want, I want you to know – "

Dean shook his head, cutting Sam off. "No. No, no, no, no."

"No what?" Sam asked.

Dean finally looked over at us, his eyes glistening slightly. "No, you're not gonna bust out the misty good-bye speech, okay?" Dean said, "And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward."

Sam tensed and looked out the window. I looked to Dean, waiting for him to say something else. He looked at me and sighed. "You know what I do want?"

He reached in front of me to the radio and started playing Bon Jovi. I frowned. "Bon Jovi?" I asked, confused. Dean was very specific with his music, and this usually not on his rotation of five tapes that he played over and over.

"Bon Jovi rocks, on occasion," he said, wagging a finger in my face. I couldn't help it, I laughed.

"And I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back!" he sang, completely off tune. "I play for keeps!" He punched Sam's arm. "Come on," he said, going on with his song. "Cause I might not make it back! I've been everywhere!"

Sam smirked. "Oh yeah…"

"And I'm standing tall!"

Sam laughed and sang louder. "I've seen a million faces! And I rocked 'em al!"

I stared at them both like they were crazy and rolled my eyes. "Cause I'm a cowboy, On a steel horse I ride!"

Dean looked at me, and I could see he wanted me to sing. I rolled my eyes, and took a deep breath. "I'm wanted!" I yelled.

Sam laughed. "WANTED!"

"Dead or alive!" we sang together. I couldn't help it, I was smiling now. "Dead or ALIVE!"

I was laughing and listening to Sam sing so loud I could barely hear the tape anymore. Dean had stopped singing, and was looking out the window.

All the sudden there were sirens behind us. I turned the music down. "We getting pulled over?" I asked.

"I've got a busted tail-light," Dean explained. He scoffed. "It's not like we're in a hurry or nothing."

Sam got out the fake license and registration out of the glove box and handed them to Dean. "Problem officer?" Dean asked, rolling down his window.

"License and registration, please," he stated, not saying anything else.

Dean handed it to the officer and he stared at it for a few minutes. "Do you realize you have a tail-light out, Mr. Hagard?" he asked.

Dean was staring at the officer funny. "Yes… yes sir. Uh… you know I've been meaning to… take care of that," he said. He looked at me and I frowned. "As a matter of fact..."

He opened his door as hard as he could, hit the officer in the stomach, and rushed out to keep at him. I stared, not really sure what the hell he was doing. "DEAN!" I yelled. I mean I knew we were desperate, but we usually didn't attack people willy nilly.

Sam was already out of the car and coming up to Dean before I got out of the car. Dean pulled the demon knife out and stabbed into the jaw of the officer. The normal orange sparks appeared. He had been a demon. Dean let go of him, letting him fall dead to the concrete.

Bobby and Dylan pulled up behind us, shocked. "What the hell happened?" Bobby asked, getting out of his car.

"Dean just killed a demon," I stated, staring at the dead body.

Sam shook his head. "How'd you know?"

Dean looked worried. "I just knew," he panted. "I could see its face. Its real face under that one."

"We need to get rid of this," Dylan said, looking from the car to the body.

"C'mon," Dean said, lifting up half the body. Sam helped him. I got into the cop car and started it. Dylan got into the passenger seat. I tensed, but said nothing. I drove it far enough into the woods so that you couldn't see it from the road.

Sam and Dean followed. Dylan opened his mouth to talk to me, but I was already out of the car and slamming the door in his face.

"So what, now you're seeing demons?" Sam asked, grabbing branches to hide the car.

"I've seen all kinds of things lately but... nothing like this," Dean admitted. He looked uncomfortable. I rolled my eyes. Welcome to my world.

"Actually it's not all that crazy," Bobby interjected.

Dean looked at him. "How's it not that crazy?"

"Well you've got, just over five hours to go?" Bobby said, shrugged. "You're piercing the veil, Dean. You're glimpsing the B side."

Dean looked lost. "A little less new age-y please."

Bobby glared. "You're almost hell's bitch. So, you can see hell's other bitches."

Dean looked surprised for a moment, and then mocked him with a sarcastic eyeroll. "Thank you," he remarked.

"Well, actually it could come in pretty handy," I said.

"Oh, well, I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something," Dean stated, clearly not enthused.

"Damn right it is," Bobby replied. "Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we're started."

"Well, this is a terrific plan. I'm excited to be a part of it," he went on. "Can we go, please?" He threw one last branch on the car. I had to say, I knew he was truly starting to freak now with this snarky attitude cropping up.

We got back into the Impala, and I sighed. We were only about three miles out from New Harmony. We parked the car far away from anywhere near the street where Lillith was supposed to be and hoofed it the rest of the way.

We knew which house it was. It was the only one with lights on in the front. Dean was peeking through their windows with the binoculars. "It's the little girl," he said, pointing her out. "Her face is awful."

I took a peek. The girl couldn't be any older than maybe eight years old. She was sitting at a table with a dead person to her right. Seemed fitting.

"Alright then, let's go," Sam said, walking ahead of me. "We're wasting time."

Dean grabbed his jacket. "Wait!"

"For what? For it to kill the rest of them?" Sam asked, gesturing at the house.

"Yeah, and us too if we're not careful. Look," Dean said, pointing. "See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine PM?"

I looked over the bushes. There was a mailman, sorting mail in his truck. The only problem was that it was almost ten o clock at night. "And Mr Rogers over there," Dean added, pointing to an old man on his porch.

"Demons?" Bobby asked.

"Yes," Dean said, as though it were obvious.

"Ok, fine," Sam said, desperately. "We – we – we – we, we ninja pass those guys, sneak in."

"Then what? Give a "Columbian necktie" to a ten year old girl, come on!" Dean exclaimed.

"Look, Dean, I know it's awful," Sam suggested.

"You think?" Dean asked.

"This isn't just about saving you, Dean," I remarked, looking at the little girl in the window again. "This is about saving everybody."

"She's gotta be stopped, son," Bobby added, when Dean looked unsure.

"Oh, damn it," he stated. "Ok, plan?"

"You and I will grab the mail man," Sam said, holding up the demon killing knife. "Bobby, get the water system going in case. Lex, you and Porter head off Mr. Rogers over there."

"Ok," I said. Dylan nudged my shoulder but I ignored him. We split up into our individual goals. I motioned for Dylan to follow me behind the house. He did so, right on my heels.

I looked at him and kicked over the garbage can. The neighbor came running to see what had happened. He stopped when he saw me. I smiled. "Boo," I whispered. I took off around the house where Dylan was waiting. He grabbed him, clamping a hand over his mouth. I exorcised him quickly and quietly. Dylan moved to dispose of the body which was dead.

"Why are you mad at me?" Dylan asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"This really isn't the time," I replied, looking around.

"Would you just tell me?" he whispered urgently.

I scoffed, but stood my ground. "Where have you been, huh? Where were you after the last time I saw you two months ago. You never even called me you bastard!"

He looked guilty. "I was caught up in some things."

"What things?" I demanded. "In two months you couldn't pick up the phone and call me?"

"Things with my sister, ok?" he said. "She was in trouble. I had to get to Florida, fast."

I huffed. "She ok?" I asked. I had never met this sister, but I had a clue that Dylan and she had a complex relationship. He nodded, wearily. "Look, for right now, we need get along. C'mon."

I heard a small commotion behind the house next to us. I ran there to see Ruby holding Dean against the chain link fence. "I'd like my knife back, please," she said, glaring at him. "Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone."

Sam ran up ahead of me, knife in hand. "He doesn't have it," he said, holding the knife to her neck. "Take it easy."

She thought for a moment, but took her hands off Dean. Dean shrugged his shoulders. "How the hell did you get out?" he demanded.

Ruby scoffed. "What you don't know about me could fill a book."

Dean looked shocked. "Whoa."

"What?" she demanded.

Dean looked away from her. "Nothing. I just – I couldn't see you before, but you're one ugly broad."

I laughed to myself. Ruby looked pissed. "Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself," she insisted, hand out.

Sam shook his head. "You'll get it when this is over."

"It's already over," she countered. "I gave you a way to save Dean, you shot me down. Now it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not gonna let you die too."

"Try and stop me, and I'll kill you," Sam remarked. He paused for a split second before adding. "Bitch."

"Hit me with your best shot, baby," Ruby replied.

"Guys, guys!" Dean said, grabbing my attention. "Hey. Have your little catfight later."

I looked to where he was, and saw a group of people all staring at us, their eyes black as night. I gulped. Well, fuck.

"So much for the element of surprise," Dean remarked.

"Go. Go. Run. Run!" Sam yelled, pointing to the house Lilith was in.

We ran up to the porch, a dozen demons now on our tail. "What the hell is taking Bobby?"Dean asked, watching them catch up to us.

I was on my knees, trying to pick the lock into the house. "I'm trying!" I yelled.

I looked behind me and watched as one of the demons stepped onto the lawn. The sprinklers went off, and he screamed, trying to get away. I smiled, and finally got the tumbler to turn. I pushed the door open. Bobby had done good, creating a barrier with the sprinkler system.

Sam went in first, the knife pointed out like a gun. There was a dead body on the floor, flies on the face. I grimaced. "You think Lilith knows we're here?" Dean asked, closing the front door behind him.

"Probably," Ruby remarked.

I heard the creak of a door and the next second Dean had his hand clamped over a man's mouth. I knew already that he wasn't a demon. He was too scared looking to be a demon. "We're here to help. Ok?" Dean whispered, shushing him quiet. "I'm gonna move my hand, and we're gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?"

The man nodded, his eyes wide. "Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asked.

"It's not... it's not her anymore," he said, nearing tears.

I persisted. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs. In her bedroom," he replied, slowly.

"Okay, okay, okay. Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?" Dean asked, letting him go.

The man frantically shook his head. "Not without my wife."

"Yes, without your wife," Dean said. The man started to argue more, and Dean took one punch to the head to knock him out cold. He picked him up like a sack of potatoes and sighed. He walked to the basement.

I looked to Dylan. "I want you to do something for me," I started. He waited expectantly. "Go out the back door and make sure Bobby's ok."

"Why would I do that?" he asked.

"Because you owe me for being a dick," I replied, folding my arms over my chest.

He scoffed. "I told you I was with my sis –"

"Please?" I asked, interrupting him. He sighed, but disappeared.

I went up the steps after Sam and Ruby. Dean met me at the top of the steps. He pointed to room with the door slightly open. I moved towards it quietly. He went in front of me. I saw Sam, about to stab the girl. I had a rush of emotions. We were about to win.

Dean rushed to him, grabbing his arm and stopping him. "It's not her!" he yelled.

The girl looked terrified. "It's not in the girl anymore?" I asked, confused. The girl cried, scared of Sam.

"We need to get them safe," he said, motioning for the girl and her mom to follow him. They did do, knowing the danger of what could happen now that it had taken two people in their own house.

We went back into the living room. "Alright, no matter what you hear. You, your husband and your daughter stay in the basement," Dean instructed, taking them down there.

"Well, I hate to be a "told you so"." Ruby remarked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Alright Ruby, where is she?" I demanded, turning on her.

Ruby looked lost. "I don't know," she remarked.

"Could she get past the sprinklers?" I went on.

"Her pay grade, she ain't sweating the holy water," she went on.

I glared at her, annoyed. She didn't have to be so nonchalant about his.

"Ok, you win," Sam said, throwing his hands in the air. "What do I have to do?"

Ruby frowned. "What do you mean?"

"To save Dean," Sam went on. "What do you need me to do?"

"Sam, don't," I stated.

Dean came up behind me, bumping me out of the way on his way to Sam. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Just shut up for a second," He said, shaking out of Dean's grip. "Ruby!"

"You had your chance," she said, shaking her head. "You can't just flip a switch. We needed time."

"Well, there's gotta be something," Sam said, desperate. "There's gotta be some way, whatever it is, I'll do it." Dean tried to grab him again. "Don't, Dean! I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!"

"Yes, you are!" Dean yelled. I looked at him for a second, then went back to looking at the ground. "Yes, you are," Dean repeated, calmer. "I'm sorry. I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you."

I walked closer to Dean, who put his hand on my shoulder. I was crying, with no way to stop it. "Then, what am I supposed to do?" Sam asked, saying what I wanted to.

"Keep fighting. Take care of my wheels. Take care of my baby sister," he said.

"I'm not a baby anymore, Dean," I stated, holding onto his arm. I gripped it tight, like he was going to disappear right in front of me.

"I know," he said. "I know." I felt more tears. "Ankle biter, Sammy, remember what Dad taught you... okay? And remember what I taught you."

Dean had tears in his eyes now. The grandfather clock in the room hit midnight. It chimed twelve times, as tears threatened to spill over onto my face.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Ruby stated. "I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy."

Dean quickly looked at the window. "Hellhound," he stated.

I looked where he was looking. "Where?"

"There," he pointed. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it. It was right in front of us.

Dean bolted into the next room. We all followed. Sam and Ruby closed the doors, just to hold them off for a moment. Dean pulled out goofer dust and did the door; I took a handful and did the windows. The growls and barking stopped for a moment.

"Give me the knife, maybe I can fight it off," Ruby panted.

Sam stared at her for a moment. "What?"

"Come on! That dust won't last forever," Ruby replied.

Sam took it out to give it to her, but Dean lunged in front of me. "Wait!" he ylled.

Ruby scoffed. "You wanna die?"

"Sam, that's not Ruby. It's not Ruby!"

The next thing I knew I had been flung against the wall, my back aching. I looked to my right to see Sam in the same position. Dean was against the table. "How long you been in her?" Dean asked.

Ruby's, I mean Lilith's, face changed from her normal sneer to one of childlike amusement. "Not long," Lilith replied. She looked down at her body. "But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty."She looked up, her eyes turning white.

"And where's Ruby?" Sam asked. I wondered why the hell he cared.

"She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away," Lilith replied, her eyes back to normal.

"You know, I should have seen it before... but you all look alike to me," Dean remarked.

She snapped her head towards me and Sam. She looked at Sam. "Hello, Sam," she smiled. "I've wanted to meet you for a very long time." She grabbed his chin and kissed him. I looked away, grossed out. "Your lips are soft," she remarked.

"Gross," I stated, rolling my eyes.

She smirked, looking at me. "Poor Lexie," she remarked. "You know I've heard about you. You're cute little powers didn't go away like Sammy's did. Maybe you could've done something to save your brother."

"Shut your mouth, bitch," I snapped.

"Right, so you have me," Sam said, bringing the attention back to him. "Let my brother go."

Lilith smiled. "Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want." She smiled. "You don't."

"So, is this your big plan, huh?" Dean asked. "Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

"I don't have to answer to puppy chow," Lilith replied, walking back towards him. She went to the door that was holding the hellhounds back. My eyes widened. She smiled widely, her hand on the handle. "Sic 'em, boys."

I looked to Dean at this, terrified. Dean's eyes fell on mine for a split second before he looked back to the doorway. Lilith just laughed as the hellhounds dragged Dean off the table.

Dean screamed. Like screamed bloody murder. I winced, screaming along with him. That sound, that sound of him screaming, would haunt me in my dreams. I never, not even when he snapped his leg, heard him scream that way.

"No! Stop!" Sam screamed.

"DEAN!" I shouted, through sobs.

Dean was being torn apart, wounds appearing on his chest, blood bubbling out. I wanted so bad to close my eyes, but I couldn't look away. "DEAN NO!" I kept screaming, like it was going to help. Lilith's restraints kept me against the wall.

"STOP IT!" Sam kept yelling.

Dean stopped screaming. I didn't know what was worse at that point. Blood was pooling around him, and he was shaking. He was going into shock.

"NO!" I yelled.

Lilith turned to me and smiled. "Yes," she stated. She turned to me and Sam. Her hand out, a white light appeared. I felt hot, like it was burning me. However, it didn't exactly hurt. I closed my eyes.

Then it stopped. I fell to the floor. Lilith looked at us, confused. I looked at Sam, who looked just as lost as I did. He got up from the floor.

"Back," she said, putting her hand up.

Sam took a step towards her.

I ignored everything as my eyes fell on Dean again. He was just lying there. I got up and walked right past Lilith. She looked terrified. I fell to my knees next to Dean. I couldn't feel anything. That numb feeling, the same feeling when I had lost my dad, was back.

I was covered in blood, but I didn't care. Sam was holding the knife to Lilith. "I don't think so," he said.

She exited Ruby's body, disappearing. I didn't care when she fell to the floor next to me. Sam went to the other side of Dean, tears pouring down his face. "No... no... Dean..." he cried. His face was screwed up in tears.

I held Dean's hand, like I did when I was little. His hand was still so much bigger than mine. Sam grabbed at me, needing some sort of reaction, I think. He was holding Dean over his legs. "Dean..." he cried again.

I couldn't move. Sam had a grip so hard on my arm I thought it was going to fall off. Dean was dead, his eyes glazed over. For some reason, all I could think of was when I was little. I had just seen my first dead body, up close and personal.

"_Dean," I stated, looking down at the burning body. "I don't want to die. I don't want you to die. Or dad…" _

"_I won't," he replied, cockily. "I'm way too awesome." _

_I had smiled slightly. "Promise?" _

_He smirked. "Promise."_

You said you never would be gone….

Sam kept crying, tears mixing with blood.

You lied.

I felt the tears pour down my own face, my body racked by sobs.

It wasn't supposed to go like this.

"_Promise."_

**Thank you for reading! Please Review lots and lots! Lemme know ideas or anything else! **

**Also, just a heads up, the next chapter will take me longer to write. As I said, I'm writing one chapter for every month Dean was in hell. So I have to plan them all out, make sure it matches up...yadda yadda. So please bear with me! THANKS!**


	75. The In-between, Part One

**Thanks for waiting patiently! **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alexis and Dylan**

Chapter Seventy Five

It had been hours; no only minutes since we were both kneeling there, hovering over Dean's body. Sam was still sobbing uncontrollably. I was simply staring, as though unable to believe my eyes. But I knew. I knew what had happened. I had known for months what was going to happen. This really shouldn't hurt as bad as it did. I had been in the process of losing him for months.

This, however, was like the final blow. It was over now. The constant worrying, it was over. I almost didn't know what to do with that. It was like everything I had was gone.

Bobby walked into the room. "Oh…" he sighed, staring at Dean's torn apart figure. He was watching us tearfully.

Sam looked up at him. "He's gone."

"We need to go," Bobby said, taking off and putting back on his hat nervously. "This place is still surrounded by demons."

"Can you help me?" Sam asked through sobs, moving Dean's body.

"NO!" I screamed blocking him from moving Dean. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" I pushed Sam's hands away. "He's dead…" I cried, finally letting the tears fall.

"Darling," Bobby said, kneeling down to my level. "We have to go."

"I can't – I can't…" I choked, tears streaming down my face. He pulled me away from Dean. "Dean…" I continued to cry.

"Porter," Bobby said, motioning to me. "Get her."

Dylan had to drag me to my feet. "C'mon Winchester," he insisted, pulling me along. I was so destroyed I couldn't even fight him. I made him stop touching me, slapping his hands away. Sam carried Dean's body out of the house. I watched him carefully.

"Oh no," Bobby stated, as we neared the door. I pushed ahead of him to see what he was upset about. We were surrounded by black eyes. The sprinklers were still keeping them back from us.

I took a step forward. "It's your fault," I said, through gritted teeth. I took the demon knife from Sam. "Your fault," I said again, louder this time.

I pushed ahead of all of them, knife out ahead of me. "Lexis, stop!" Bobby yelled. "It's suicide!"

"I don't care anymore," I said, heading to kill them all. I needed something, some kind of retribution for what had been done.

"I do!" he yelled back.

I went ahead anyways, Dylan close behind me. By the time I was at the end of the drive, I was wet, covered in blood, and angry. "Let us go," I said my face still red and puffy. "Or I swear I will kill every last one of you." I glared at the one who was in front of me.

She held her composure, but backed away slowly. I walked forward, motioning for Bobby, Sam, and Dylan to follow in suite. We made it back to the Impala, and I started crying again. "Sam we can't put him in the car," I stated, not looking at the body.

"We need to cover him or something," Dylan said,

"Yeah," Sam said. He laid him in the back of Bobby's truck in the end. I couldn't look at him anymore. I couldn't comprehend that the body's was Dean's anymore. I was reminded of my father's death, but somehow, this was so much worse.

My father died because of a deal, and so did Dean. Dean's death however was bloody and….I thought I was going to puke. I went over to the bushes and emptied the contents of my stomach. "Hey," Dylan said, following me.

"Go away," I complained, still doubled over. "I don't want to talk to you."

He sighed, waiting until I got back up. "You ok?"

"No," I said, standing straight. "No, I'm not ok at all. Dean is…" I trailed off, feeling sick again.

"I meant are you sick?" he asked.

"What do you care?" I demanded. I threw my hands in the air angrily. "Just get out of here, ok? Just leave."

He looked at me for a long time. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Part me wished he would say something. Anything. "Ok," he said. "If that's what you want." He turned. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

I didn't know what he meant by that, but right now, I didn't really care.

I went back over to the Impala, Sam was staring at it. "I don't want to have to drive it," he remarked, staring at me. His eyes were still red and teary. "Will you –"

I thought for a moment, and held my hands out for the keys. "Yeah," I said, taking the keys from him. "Yeah I can drive." I got into the driver's seat feeling completely out of place. The impala roared to life, but shuddered slightly. It was like even it knew that something was out of place.

"We're going to bury him," Sam stated, as I drove blurry eyed down the street.

"What?" I asked, confused. "Sam, we burn-"

"No," he replied, coldly. "I want to bury him."

"Why?" I asked. "Because you're going to do something stupid?" He didn't answer me. "Sam don't you dare go and-"

"Go and what?" he demanded, angrily. "He did it for me? Why can't I make a deal for him?"

I was silent for a moment. "Because I don't want to do this every year, ok? I don't want to live the rest of our lives constantly in fear!"

Sam said nothing, brooding out the window. "I want to bury him. He's my brother too."

Sam shifted uncomfortably. We approached an old camping ground. "Stop the car."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Why?"

"I want to stay around here until we figure out what we're going to do," Sam replied, looking around. He hopped out of the car before I even had the keys out of the ignition. Bobby had stopped as well, looking lost. "We stay here," Sam said, grabbing his bag.

"Sam wants to bury him," I said, looking at Bobby.

"You don't," he replied, watching us wearily. I had to say I felt bad for him. This was not what he had signed up for.

"No, I want to treat him like he should be," I said, "Like a hunter."

"That's what got him killed!" Sam yelled back at me.

"THAT'S WHAT WE ARE!" I screamed back.

"Hold it," Bobby said, "Why don't we just take a night to sleep on this?" He waited for our answer. Neither of us said a word. "None of us have slept in days. Let's take a minute to think. Idgits."

There was a long pause. "OK," I said, grabbing my bag. "I think I saw a sign back that way for a cabin. We can hold up there until we figure this out."

Sam threw his bag back into the car and slammed the door shut in the process. "Fine," he replied. He got back in the Impala, this time in the driver's seat. I followed him, getting back in myself. Bobby followed us to the cabin.

Sam dropped his stuff off and nearly ran out the door.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next morning, when I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. I looked at the clock and realized it was nearly sixteen hours later. Bobby had been right, we hadn't slept in days. I groaned and went into the bathroom. I tried the sink, but it was murky water. This cabin hadn't been used in a long time.

I sighed, turning the water off. I wanted to wash the dried tears away from my face, but apparently I would have to suffer a little longer. I went outside, to see Sam digging. Anger flared through me. "I thought we said we would talk about it," I said, running over to him.

"I'm done talking," he said, stoically. "Talking wastes time."

"Time for what?" I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration. "To try to get him back?"

"Look," Sam said, stopping. "I can't burn him, ok? I can't. He's Dean he's…"

"Gone," I stated. Sam's eyes met mine, fresh tears threatening to pour out. "I want him back to. Believe me I do. But we're not exactly in the clear here, Sammy. I just don't think leaving his body out for the taking is right."

He stared back at me. "Please," he said, "I can't."

It was in that moment, that final act of desperation I understood why Sam needed this so badly. He didn't want to give up hope yet, sure. However, he also needed to win something. He needed to win at least one battle today. I sighed. "Hand me the shovel. Go get a…thing. If we're gonna bury him, we're doing it right."

I didn't have to tell him what a thing was.

Bobby came back later watching me. "You sure about this?"

"No," I replied. "But sometimes you need to take a risk, I guess." I kept digging. The dirt was all over me by the time it was deep enough. The sky was growing dark again. Sam finally came back.

"You good?" he asked.

"Are you?" I replied, rolling my eyes.

He sighed. "OK."

I didn't watch as they lowered him in. The pine box just seemed so unnatural. I didn't want to do this. This final act was like admitting that it was true. However, at the same time, I was glad. I was glad that it could be over with. This wasn't something I could think about anymore. I would go crazy.

Yet I knew that it would always be on my mind.

We all looked at each other like one of us was going to say something. None of us said a word. I threw dirt back over the box. We worked silently until it was dark, and the hole was filled. I threw the shovel into the back of the impala, slamming the trunk shut.

"Let's get out of here," I said, nodding at Sam.

"Yeah, alright," he replied.

We got in the car. It had taken three days to bury Dean and leave him behind. Sam started up the car and put it into park. Bobby drove off first, and to my surprise Sam was not following him. "Where are you going?" I asked, "We should head back to Bobby's."

"For what?" he asked, not looking at me.

"I don't know," I said, looking back towards Bobby. "I figured we needed to recuperate. Get our shit together."

He shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't."

"Well I do," I said. "I just thought you might want to take a few weeks off to figure things out."

He was silent after that for a long time. I didn't know what the hell he was thinking. I missed the days back a long time ago when Sam and I were close. I wondered where we had gone so wrong. "Maybe we should stay somewhere for the night," he said, finally.

"Ok," I said. Maybe this was a start.

We pulled into a cheap motel, and I got the room while Sam unloaded the bags. I was in desperate need of a shower, and went into the bathroom as soon as we got into the room. I washed the dirt wash off my body, crying again as I went. That was the last thing I had that connected me to where Dean was.

I slid down the shower until I was huddled under the hot water, my knees pulled up to my chest. I looked up into the water, letting it wash the tears off my face. "Damn it," I swore, sobs racking my body. I felt like my heart was breaking inside my chest. Everything around me was crumbling away. I was defeated. I was dying on the inside, while the rest of me went on with a life that I wasn't sure still existed.

I collected myself as the water grew cold and got out. I threw on an old t-shirt and jeans. I just wanted to go to sleep and escape. Even if I was only escaping for a little while, it would be worth it. I exited and realized that Sam was sitting at the table, surrounded by three beers. "What are you doing?" I asked, sitting across from him.

"Drinking," he replied, taking a long gulp. "Leave me any hot water?"

I shook my head. "You'll have to wait until tomm." I wasn't even ashamed of the fact that I had been crying for the last half hour.

"I need to do something," Sam stated, staring off at nothing.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Something," he repeated. He tried to get up and nearly fell over. I barely was able to hold up his giant ass long enough to get him to collapse on the bed.

"I think you've done enough," I answered, pushing him back onto the bed. "Go to bed, Sam."

"I don't—"he started. "Ugh…" He lay back on the bed and was out snoring before his head hit the pillow. I stared at him for a second, and went into the other bed. It was lonely over here. I couldn't fall asleep. I tried surrounding myself with the pillows, but it just made me feel empty.

I heard the creaking of the bed. Sam was moving around. I waited to see if he was going to be sick. Instead of heading to the bathroom, he headed for the door. I ran out after him. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Go back to bed," he replied.

"No, where are you going, Sam?"

He stopped. "I'm just going for a drive," he replied, trying to seem nonchalant.

I glared at him. "You're going to make a deal?"

"What?" he asked, clearly stumbling over his words. "No, I just…"

"Yeah, whatever, Sam," I scoffed. I walked ahead of him. "At least let me drive." I held my hand out for the keys.

"What?" he asked, staring back at me confused.

"You'll kill yourself," I said, noting how he could barely stand straight. "Gimme the keys and get in the car." I started the impala as Sam got in the car.

"Why are you letting me do this?" Sam asked.

"Because if I don't you'll do it anyways," I replied, backing out. "And you're drunk, and hurt, and scared. And I'd rather be with you."

He shut up after that. I drove off to the middle of nowhere so there would be no chance that anyone would stumble by us. I reached into the backseat and opened the bottle of tequila that was back there. "Here," I said, after taking a sip. He took a long drink and got out of the car. I only watched him for a moment, hanging back, seeing what he was doing.

He buried the box right in the center of the road. I got out of the car as he flung the bottle of tequila at a light post. It mashed into tiny pieces.

"Come on!" he screamed, staggering around in circles. "Where the hell are you?"

"You just wasted the entire bottle," I complained, kicking around the broken glass.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Your sister's right Sam," a voice stated. "What a waste."

I was tied to the spot. When I tried to move, the demon put a knife to my neck. Sam watched this, saying nothing. The demon smiled. "I was wondering whether to come or not. I mean, you shot one of my co-workers." He held me still, the knife cutting into my flesh. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sam, but you don't look so hot, buddy. I guess burying your brother didn't agree with you."

Sam scoffed. "Well? You wanna let her go?"

"Well, let's see that special little knife of yours first," he said, the smile on his face slowly disappearing.

Sam took the knife out of his pocket and slammed it down on the table. The demon watched him and let me go. I stumbled back towards Sam. "No devil's traps, either. I'm not here to play games," Sam stated, after I was back next to him.

"Well, let me guess. You want to make a deal," the demon laughed. "And 'round and 'round the Winchesters go." He walked to the other side of the table. "I'm sorry, Sam. That's not gonna happen."

Sam angrily picked up the knife and stabbed the demon in the hand.

Sam was adamant. "I don't want ten years. I don't want one year. I don't want candy! I want to trade places with Dean."

The demon shook his head. "No."

"Just take me!" Sam screamed. I winced. "It's a fair trade!"

"No," the demon said again.

"Why not?" Sam demanded, eyes bloodshot. "Lilith wants me dead. Just let Dean go, and she can have me."

The demon turned to me. "Wow, Lex," the demon remarked. "No comment. You're willing to give Sam for Dean?"

"No," I replied. "But I knew you wouldn't take him."

"Oh," he said, with a smile. "How?"

"Because if Lilith wanted us dead, we'd be dead by now," I said, looking around. "We're not hiding; we're not under some spell. We're right here."

The demon chuckled. "Your sister gets it Sam," he stated. Sam didn't look like he understood. "Don't you understand, Sam? It's not about your soul. Dean's in Hell, right where we want him. We've got everything exactly the way we want it. You want to kill me? Go ahead. I've made peace with my lord."

Sam picked up the knife, and stabbed it into the demon. He fell to the ground, dead.

I looked down at Sam, who had crumpled to the dirt. "C'mon," I said, nodding at the car. "We're going to Bobby's."

I got back in the car and waited for Sam to move the body out of the street. He got into the impala and leaned against his door. I said nothing, starting up the impala again. We were both tired. I stopped at the motel, grabbing our bags. By the time I got back, Sam's eyes were still puffy and red, but he was fast asleep. I wiped tears from my own eyes. I wasn't sure if it was from the events that had happened or just from frustration. I wiped them away so the road wouldn't be blurry. I needed to get my shit together and stop crying.

I stopped at a gas station an hour outside of Bobby's town. I got out of the car, slamming the door shut to wake Sam up. I came back to him looking a little pale. "Hey," I said, throwing him advil I bought inside. He took about five and laid his head back down with a groan. "You gonna throw up?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "Where are we?"

"About an hour away," I replied. "Figured you'd want to be up before we got there."

He sat up straight, looking around for a moment. "Thanks." He looked like he was about to be sick.

I sighed, about to start up the car again. "I think we should talk," I stated. He looked at me like he was going to fall asleep. "Later, I mean," I added.

"We'll talk at Bobby's," he nodded. I nodded back, starting up the car.

I drove the hour actually doing the speed limit. I was dreading getting to Bobby's. Something told me that I wasn't going to like what Sam was going to say to me. I parked the car in the lot and got out, grabbing my bags, along with a select few of Dean's things that I wanted to go through. Sam followed, not really saying much to me.

Bobby met us at the door. "Was wondering where you two went," he remarked. I didn't meet his eyes. "Rooms all ready if you're staying for awhile."

Sam didn't say anything. He was sobered up from before. "Bobby," he said softly. My stomach sank slightly. That tone of voice was not happy. "Can I talk to Lex for a minute? Alone?"

Bobby looked to me and then at Sam. "Yeah, sure," he stated. "I'll be inside." He turned his back, but not before glancing at Sam again.

"Sam?" I asked, confused. Sam was staring at his shoes.

"We said we should talk," he started.

"OK," I said, getting worried. I folded my arms over my chest. "Then talk."

He stared at me for a second. "You're not ok," he said. "I think you should stay at Bobby's for awhile. No hunting, no new cases. Just a break, you know?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Sam, I'm not the one who just tried to sell my own soul for my brother's. You're clearly not ok either."

"I didn't say I was," he replied.

I took a step forward. "So _we'll _stay at Bobby's for awhile."

"No," he said, shaking his head.

"But you just said-"

"I know what I said," Sam cut me off. "But you're going to stay here. And I'm not."

My brain was so strained, I thought it might rupture. I felt tears threatening to fall down my face, but I held him back. Dean deserved my tears, but this person in front of me, my own brother who was ditching me, did not. "Sam, you promised you wouldn't leave me. We promised we wouldn't do this! I'm your sister!"

"I just need some time to…to figure things out."

"This hurts me too, Sam," I glared. "You're not the only one dealing with this."

"Just back off," he scoffed. "I need to handle this on my own."

I was shaking I was so mad. "Dean wouldn't-"

Sam stepped up to me. He screamed in my face. "I'm not Dean!"

I met him, standing on my tip toes. "You're right! DEAN WOULDN'T DITCH HIS FAMILY!"

I didn't see the hand until it was far too late. My face stung, but it was nothing compared to the turmoil that was going on inside me. I felt like he had slapped the life right out of me. I wanted to hit him back. Hell, at this point he was lucky I didn't pull out my gun and shoot him in the balls. But all I could do was stand there and try not to hyperventilate.

Sam looked at his hand shocked. He opened and closed his mouth, speechless. "Sam," I said, backing away. "Don't." He stared at me. "If you want to go, just go."

"Alexis, I didn't mean to-"

"Just _go,_ Sam," I urged, turning away from him. I stared at my shoes. He sighed, and then hesitantly left the porch. I didn't bother to watch him get into the Impala. I didn't watch him press the gas pedal. I didn't watch him speed down the road, leaving me in the dust. I kept my eyes on nothing, trying not to cry.

I went inside, stopping when I saw Bobby staring at me from his desk. "He gone?" he asked. The question made my heart pang. I slowly nodded. He nodded back at me. "C'mere."

I collapsed into the chair in front of his desk. I looked at his glass full of whiskey. "You wanna pour me some of that?" I asked.

He stared at me for a second. "You're just a kid," he remarked. I smirked a little. He poured me a glass, sliding it over to me.

I took a half hearted sip. "Thought I was only a kid," I asked, downing more of it.

"You've been through enough," he replied. I chuckled to myself. He just kept staring at me. "You know you're welcome to stay here at long as you want. I'd prefer it actually."

I glanced up at him. "Bobby, you don't need to take care of me." I smiled sadly. "Although you're the closest one to it, you're not my father."

"Shut up," he growled. "I'm close enough." He drank some of his own glass. "Besides, last time I checked, you got nowhere to go."

I finished my drink. "Good point," I choked out. I sighed. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome darlin'."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNS PNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSP SNPNSPSNPSPN

About two and a half weeks later, Sam still hadn't called me. I was waiting for him to give me some sort of sign that he was alive, but apparently I wasn't even worth that. I had tried to call him, but he ignored me every time, until eventually the phone was shut off. I wasn't sure if it was him or it was the phone company because he wasn't paying the bill. I could have found him if I wanted to. I knew all our aliases he would use. It wouldn't be hard. But still, something inside me knew he didn't want me to.

"You need to get out," Bobby said, standing in his kitchen.

"What?" I asked, coming out of my thoughts.

"This kitchen," he replied. "You never eat, you never do anything. Get out of my kitchen. Go do something."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't know," Bobby replied, baffled. "Go to the store or something."

I grabbed a pair of keys off of the wall. "I'll be back," I sighed. I got in the unfamiliar car and drove down to the convenience store. I couldn't help but think about Sam again. I wondered if he was having a hard time too. I couldn't imagine him being ok.

I got back with two big bags of food to eat. I didn't actually know what to buy, but I figured some simple dishes I could make for Bobby would be ok. There was a bike in front of the house when I pulled in. I groaned to myself.

Dylan was sitting at the table in the kitchen with Bobby when I walked inside. I put the bags on the counter and stood there, staring at him. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm fine thanks for asking," he replied, rolling his eyes. I waited for an answer anyways. "I'm here to visit Bobby," he answered, motioning at him. "I didn't even know you were staying here. Relax. The world doesn't revolve around you."

"I know," I said, gritting my teeth. I looked at Bobby. "I'll let you two talk then and head outside. Get some fresh air." Bobby nodded, and I disappeared.

I went outside and stood in the sunshine. Usually this kind of shit made me happy, but I couldn't be happy. Not now, not when everything sucked so much. "Hey," Dylan's voice said, following me into the woods. "I wanna talk."

"Ok, you're an asshole," I said, turning around. "Good talk. See ya." I tried to stalk off, but he followed me. He didn't even give me a sarcastic remark, he only kept right on my heels. I stopped and he almost ran into me. "OK, ok," I said, with a sigh. I sat down on the roof of a car from the lot. "Talk."

"I just wanted to let you know that just because someone dies," he began. "Doesn't give you the right to be a bitch to everyone."

"I'm not being a bitch to everyone," I retorted, "Only you."

"Why?" he demanded, angrily. "Because I didn't call you? What are you five? I had important shit to do, ok? We're hunters, I thought you of all people would get that."

"What was so important you couldn't even send me a text?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "It takes two seconds, ok? Two seconds to say 'hey, we had sex and I think more of you than to never speak to you again now'."

"That's what you wanted?" he asked. "To know that I think more of you than just sex?"

"Um, yes?" I stated, getting off the car. "Would have been nice."

He looked half amused. "You are such a girl."

I motioned to my body. "Thanks for noticing," I stated. I took a deep breath. "Why can't you just tell me where you were? Or at least tell me why you didn't even want to call me."

He stared at me for a moment. "Ok," he replied. "Fine, if it's really that important to you that you know." He took out his wallet, pulled out a picture, and gave it to me. It was a picture of a baby, not more than a month old. It's slight bit of hair was all messy, and its face was screwed up into a slight smile.

"OK," I said, returning the picture. "I don't get it."

"That's my niece," he answered, smiling a little. "Her name is Olivia." I stared hard at the picture again, waiting for some more explanation. "I told you about my older sister? When my dad died, she didn't want this life anymore. She left me and all of this in the dust and settled down with some guy in Florida. For a long time, we didn't have much to do with each other. I'd visit once, maybe twice a year." He paused. I looked up at him. "She had her, about three days after we hooked up. I didn't even know she was pregnant."

"So you were with her," I replied, handing him the picture back.

"Yeah, I was with her," he nodded. "So I'm sorry I didn't call you."

For a long moment, I just looked at him. "You still could've called me," I stated. He opened his mouth to respond. I smiled, stopping him. "But I get it."

He smiled back. "Honestly," he replied. "At first, I wanted to call you. But I didn't want to call you immediately. Seemed desperate."

I snorted. "You're such an idiot."

He shrugged and walked back towards the house. I followed him, still a little weary. "Dylan?" I asked, before we walked in the house.

"Yeah, Winchester?" he asked, giving me a winning smile.

"Where are you going?" I asked. "After this, I mean?"

His smile faltered. "Dunno," he replied. "But uh," he paused. "I think its best we keep this how its been."

"Oh."

"Yeah," he went on. "I mean, I can't handle anything more than a platonic relationship right now, and I know you can't either."

"Right," I nodded. "I wasn't actually asking because I wanted to you to follow you around though."

"Oh," he smirked. "Then why?"

"Just curious as to what you do," I shrugged. I was lying. I had wanted to have something to do, even if it was hunting, which reminded me of Dean.

I walked past him and went inside. Bobby was staring at us like he was trying to figure out what just happened. I only smiled and went upstairs.

I went into my bedroom and lay down on the bed. I hadn't been able to sleep at all lately. I kept seeing hell, like I had before, but this time Dean was the one being tortured. He would scream until I woke up in a cold sweat.

I closed my eyes.

When I was little, Dean would always hide the candy and good treats that he bought for himself. However, by the time I was around seven, Sam didn't care so much if he got any of them anymore. He was old enough to realize that those treats were few and far between, and let Dean have them.

Dean would hide them though. He hid them in the same place every time. He placed the box in the cabinet under the sink in our room in between the pipes or, if our room didn't have a sink, under the bed. It was easy for me to find them if I decided I wanted one. I would always steal them anyways, whether he yelled at me or not. But, instead of hiding them somewhere else, he kept them in the same place, as though he wanted me to be able to find them.

I hadn't realized it then, but he did that on purpose.

God, I missed him. I missed Sam.

"Darlin' we're going to grab some grub," Bobby called up the steps. "Do you want to come?"

"No," I called back. "I'm going to try to catch some sleep."

"Ok, see you later," he stated, and I heard the door shut. I rolled back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

_What was that?_

_The end?_

I sat up abruptly. Did they come back already? I went down the steps. "I thought you guys were…" I stopped. No one was there. I looked out the window. The car and the bike were gone. I frowned.

I went to my room and picked up Dean's silver handled pistol. It felt foreign in my hand, but somehow it was better than mine. When I held it, at least I wasn't alone. I took salt and did the door to my room and the window. If something was coming, you couldn't say I wasn't ready.

_Give the guy a break…._

"Hello?" I called. I didn't know why I expected an answer. My head was starting to hurt. "What the hell?" I questioned aloud. There were more whispers that I couldn't make out what they were saying. I felt my nose. Blood. I sat on the ground, staring at the doorway.

Maybe I was going crazy.

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When I woke up the next morning, I felt like someone steamrolled over my head. I was in so tired, but I couldn't do anything about it. I took a long gulp of water and almost passed out from the effort. I went downstairs. "Feel good?" Bobby asked.

"No," I replied, collapsing into the kitchen chair.

_Put it in its place…_

More incoherent whispers. They were back, and if anything, they were louder. At least my nose had stopped bleeding.

"Still not sleeping?" Bobby asked, looking worried.

I shook my head. "I was tired," I replied. I looked away, wondering why I lied to him.

"Well good," Bobby stated. "We're going a few towns over. There's a werewolf, I'm almost positive."

"Ok," I nodded. "I'm ready when you are."

He narrowed his eyes. "You sure you're ready?"

"It's been three weeks," I replied. "I'm ready."

"I'll get the silver bullets," Bobby answered, walking away.

_It's not going to be…_

_Who can…_

_Please…_

"Shut up," I whispered to myself.

A few hours later we were in another town ready to do some research. Bobby was better prepared than we were when we started a case. He already knew who the werewolf liked to go after, and where he would probably strike next. "Ladies of the night," he told me.

"Hookers," I replied, with a deadpan stare. "Where?"

"Corner of Lincoln and Gerard," he retorted. "We'll hang around tonight. Wait for it to arrive. Lure it into the alley, and kill it."

"Working with you is no fun," I replied, shaking my head. "You're too prepared."

He smirked. "You can never be too prepared."

Bobby waited in the alley, while I stalked around the street. The store fronts were practically empty. I was still hearing whispers, not that I could make out what they were saying. I was freaking out about them on the inside. On the outside though, I was trying to ignore them.

I saw it in the shadows. I winced and ran after it. "Hey!" I yelled, as I walked down the street. "Looking for a good time?"

It turned, its wolf featured face glaring at me. If it weren't for the cover of darkness it wouldn't look the slightest bit human. It stalked towards me slowly at first, until I took off running. Then it was hot on my trail.

I made it to the alley, panting from running this far. I was out of shape already. "Bobby!" I yelled.

He came out, gun pointed. "Drop!" he yelled.

I did so. Three shots went off, and I turned to see Bobby flung at the wall. The werewolf was still going strong. "You missed?" I demanded.

I grabbed my own gun, but the wolf smacked it away, sending me flying at the same time. I groaned as I smacked the ground. "Ow," I complained. It lunged for me. I took the knife out of my boot and held it towards the stupid thing's heart. I landed on it, the knife plunging into it. It screamed in pain. I threw it off me, and sat on top of it, stabbing it again.

And again.

And again.

Blood covered all my clothes. I was soaked in it. I stabbed him again, this time crying. "Lex," Bobby barked. "That's enough."

I was panting, crying and still gripping the knife like it was my only life line. I stopped, lowering it. "Bobby…" I cried.

"C'mon," he said. "We have to go."

He helped me up. "I'll take care of the body," he said. "You go."

I took one last look and ran. I ran until I physically couldn't anymore. I didn't know where I ended up, but it was dark. I was exhausted, the voices were louder, and I was scared. I went back to where we had parked the car. Bobby was waiting inside, looking worried. "Where the hell were you?" he asked.

"I ran," I said, not looking at him. "Sorry," I added.

We were driving back to the house when he turned to me. "I shouldn't have taken you out. You weren't ready."

"I'll never be ready," I said, already feeling tears in my eyes. "I'm never going to be ok." The voices were growing louder.

_What do we do about them?_

_The plan…._

_The girl…._

"Oh shut up!" I yelled.

"What?" Bobby asked.

I looked at him. "I'm hearing voices."

"Voices?" he asked.

"They talk to me," I replied. "Well, not to me, I just hear them. They talk to each other."

Bobby stared at me. "How long has this been going on?"

"Less than a few days," I answered, crying. "I'm scared."

Bobby pulled into his own driveway. "We'll figure it out tomorrow," he stated. I could tell there were things he didn't want to say. He didn't want to scare me.

"You think they have something to do with my powers?" I asked. He gave me a shrug. I sighed and went into the house while he checked the lot. I went downstairs and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and went back upstairs quickly. I took a long drink, burning my throat. If I was going crazy, I was going to do it right at least.

I was roaring drunk when Bobby came up hours later. He stopped when he saw me staring at him from the doorway. "Did you drink that whole bottle?" he asked.

"It was only a little more than halfway full when I found it," I said, hiccupping. "I'm hearing voices."

Bobby scoffed. "You're drunk."

"I was hearing them before I got drunk," I replied. "And now they're gone, sorta." I held up the nearly empty bottle. "Want some?"

"Go to bed," he remarked. "We got research to do tomorrow."

I sat on my bed, trying not to cry for the longest time. I dialed Sam's number, the one we always kept running for emergencies. He didn't answer. "You bastard!" I yelled into the phone. "You're a dick, Sammy." I hung up without a goodbye.

_Broken…_

_Deal was that…_

_Seal it up…_

I couldn't sit still anymore. I was going crazy. My head was killing me, the voices wouldn't stop. I looked at Dean's gun for a slight moment before shaking my head. I wasn't going to kill myself, that wouldn't solve anything.

I went outside of Bobby's house and called Dylan. "Yeah?" he answered.

"I need your help," I said, wiping tears off my face.

"With?"

"I want to learn to use my powers."

**REVIEWS? Thanks :)**


	76. The In-between, Part Two

**Hey guys! Sorry this took forever, college is hectic! Anyways love you all, thanks for sticking with me!**

**Disclaimer: I own Alexis and Dylan**

Chapter Seventy Six

The air was smoky, the music was loud, and the atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I was sitting at the bar on my third shot of rum. "You like to go hard, don't you?" the bartender asked, taking my empty glass.

I just smiled, feeling the buzz behind my eyes. "I like to do a lot of things." I slammed a twenty down on the bar. "Keep the change," I smirked, and walked to the dance floor.

The voices were louder than before. Ever since I left Bobby's, they grew louder and louder until sometimes I heard nothing else. The alcohol kept me from going crazy. Somehow, through the feeling that I was slipping into a stupor, was clarity. It was easier to feel crazy because of alcohol than voices.

"I've been watching you over there," a voice said, slinking up behind me. "You wanna dance?"

I turned on my heel, nearly toppling over. "Maybe," I replied. "Are you just trying to get laid?"

He only laughed. "That's a loaded question."

I smiled at him. "C'mon." I pulled him onto the dance floor. His hands roamed over my body. "Are you the one I talked to on the phone?" I asked.

He nodded slightly. "And you're Elizabeth?"

"Who else would I be?" I said, pulling him closer. His hands were on my waist. I stood on tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "What do you say we get out of here?"

He gestured towards the door. "After you malady," he remarked, his eyes more serious. I went towards the door, double checking I had my knife in my boot. I could feel it rubbing against my foot. That was a comfort even if I had nothing else.

Once we got outside I was serious. "I'll drive."

"You sure you're ok to drive?" he asked, watching me wobble.

I smirked. "I can handle my liquor." He stared at me. "I'm not getting into a car with a strange guy I just met," I went on, with a small smile. "I'm not that stupid."

He sighed, "As much as I believe you, I'd prefer not to die." He pointed at his car. "How about I drive, you navigate."

I thought for a moment. "Fine." I followed him to his car and got into the passenger seat.

He started the car and I pointed to the right. "Mind if I ask where we're going?" he questioned, making the turn.

"Motel," I replied. "That ok?"

"Fine," he replied.

We drove the rest of the way in silence. Once we finally made it to the motel, we got out and went into a room. I stared at him from the opposite end. "So tell me about the pills."

He went into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. "There's a month's supply of pills in here."

I nodded. "How much?"

"For this?" he asked. "First time buyers I give a discount. Eighty a bottle."

I went into my pocket. "And this will keep me awake. Help me focus?" I asked, not looking at him.

He nodded. "Adderall tends to do that." I handed him the money and held out my hand for the bottle. "Mind if I ask why you want this?" he asked.

"Exams soon," I replied, "I'm a college student."

He handed me the bottle. "Look, you seem like a nice girl. Just be careful."

"Thanks," I replied. "But I'm not as nice as I seem."

He only smiled. "You're really drunk right now, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah," I laughed. "I'm hammered." I put my hand on his shoulder and kissed him. "Thanks for everything."

I went to walk out the door. "Hey," he called. "Maybe you shouldn't leave. I mean, I want you to get wherever you're going safe. And you can barely walk."

I turned around. "Promise you'll make it worth it?" I asked.

He stepped towards me, capturing me with a long kiss. "I can try." I smiled and kissed him some more.

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I sat up in the bed. He was snoring softly next to me. I rolled my eyes. "Boy's are stupid," I remarked. I grabbed my shirt, my jeans, and my pills. I closed the door behind me and disappeared into the night. Luckily I didn't have far to go.

I went about five doors down to my own room. I opened the room. "Hey," I said, nodding at Dylan on the couch. "You waited up, how sweet."

"Where were you?" he asked. Unlike how my brothers would have demanded, he just seemed honestly curious.

"Just out," I replied. I shoved the pills in my bag. "You ready to move on soon? We've been here for too long. My card will only work for a few more days before they get suspicious."

"Yeah, I found something," he stated.

"What?" I asked, sitting next to him. "Is it good?"

He held up a piece of paper. "A name. With a ritual."

"For what?" I asked, taking it from him. The name was Belial. "To summon him?"

"Right," he replied. "This is supposedly a high up demon. I figured maybe he could answer questions. Lead us somewhere."

"Ok," I replied. "We should go." I grabbed my bags off the floor and shoved my stuff into them.

We stopped at the store on the way to somewhere secluded. We grabbed rope, spray paint, candles, and three spices that we needed to have for the ritual. The cashier gave us a confused look. "This looks like a good time."

I smiled widely. "I always have a good time." The cashier smiled back.

"Ok, that's enough out of you," Dylan smirked, pushing me aside. He grabbed the bags. "Let's go."

I walked outside behind him. "You don't have to be so grumpy," I remarked, putting the bags in the little compartment.

"You don't have to be such a freak," he replied. He hopped on and patted the backseat. "C'mon."

We went to an old abandoned house. The windows were boarded up. Its roof was dilapidated. The whole foundation looked like it was going to cave in. "Perfect," I remarked, hopping off the bike. I grabbed the bags to take with me into the building

We went inside together, Dylan carrying in our guns and knives. I really hoped that we weren't getting in over our heads. Dylan started to set up the supplies. When he wasn't looking I took out the pills. I stared at them for a moment.

I popped one in my mouth and swallowed.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, Dylan was staring at me. "You ready?" he asked.

I took my flannel shirt off so that I was only in a tank top. "Yep," I replied, grabbing the small glass we had stolen from the motel. We were using it as a chalice. It would have to do.

I placed it in the middle of the room along with a chair. The chair was in the middle of a red spray painted devil's trap. I sighed, and grabbed a knife off the table. "Ready?" I asked Dylan.

"Let me do it," he replied, reaching for the knife.

I glared at him and slit my forearm. "Stop, I can handle a little cut," I replied, letting the blood slide into the glass. "In Dei nomine tuo daemonia voco nomen tuum Belial"

The stuff in the glass sparked and the glass shattered. I looked around, but nothing happened. "Where you get the ritual from?" I asked, looking at Dylan. "I think they played you."

"No one's been played," a voice replied, from the other side of the room. "You're just impatient."

I spun around, only to see the demon right in front of me. I took out my flask and threw holy water at him. He sizzled, falling back. Dylan swung at him with a knife, sending him into the devil's trap. I smiled and looked down. "Sit," I said, motioning to the chair. "Let's talk."

He snarled at me. "What do you think you're going to get out of this?" he demanded. "I'm not going to be able to tell you anything."

"I said sit," I demanded, pointing a gun at him.

He chuckled. "You know very well shooting me won't do a thing."

"I know it'll hurt," I replied, not wavering. "Especially since these are rock salt bullets." He stared at me, as though trying to see if I was serious. I sighed and shot.

The salt imbedded into him and he screamed, collapsing into the chair behind him. "Ok, I sat," he panted after a few moments. "What the hell do you want?"

"I want a lot of things," I remarked, circling around him. "How do I get Dean out of hell?"

The demon laughed. "You can't," he replied. He sneered at me. "But don't worry. From what I hear, he's having a great time."

"Shut up," I growled, pointing the rock salt gun at him again. "Tell me how to get Dean out of hell."

"I already told you, you can't," the demon answered, like he was bored of my questions. "Why don't you ask me something else?"

"Ok," I nodded. "Why don't you tell me about who the hell is in my head?"

He frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe you've been hit in the head one too many times."

"Don't be stupid," Dylan remarked, stepping forward.

"I'm not," the demon replied, spitting out his words. "Look, if I'm here so you two can torture me for nothing, you might as well kill me."

"I know it has to do something with hell," I added, growing desperate. "So tell me."

"Don't be so quick to accuse." The demon crossed his legs. "I haven't heard anything about messing with you, sweetie. And trust me; they need someone to harass the baby Winchester? I know a handful of demons that'd be first in line."

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

He scoffed. "Am I speaking another language?" He paused. "You're not like your brother. That's all I know. Azazel didn't need you. He only wanted Sam."

"Then why was he in my room that night?"I asked. "Why did he kill my mom?"

"Look," the demon said, lowering his eyes. "I don't know anything about his plans. Maybe you should've asked him before you killed him."

I huffed in annoyance and backed off as Dylan stepped forward. "So what you're telling us is that you have no idea where her powers come from?"

"No idea," the demon repeated. "So why don't you let me go?"

"You said yourself," I said, glaring. "There are lines of people waiting to harass me. Why would I let you go?"

He laughed to himself. "Because you never captured me in the first place." He got up out of the chair and held up his hand.

I flew into the wall, breaking the dry wall behind me. I landed outside on the dirt. I got up, trying to start an exorcism but I could barely breathe. I was lifted to the sky, my chest feeling like it was going to pop. "STOP!" I screamed. "DYLAN!"

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus," he started, getting up off the ground. "Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii." He flew backwards before my eyes.

I could see little white dots forming behind my eyes. I choked for breath. My lungs screamed for air. My heart pounded in my ears.

"Omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica," Dylan said again. He staggered towards me, his eyes dark and serious. "Ergo, draco maledicte."

"I'll be back," Balial smirked, twitching.

I dropped to the floor, smacking the concrete slab floor. My side tightened and I struggled to sit up. "Ecclesiam tuam secure tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos," I finished.

He screamed as his stupid demon self was sent back to hell. I watched the black smoke dissipate, and collapsed back to the floor. My side was killing me. I groaned and struggled to sit up. I made my way to the table and angrily smacked my hand against it. "What the hell?" I demanded. I leaned against the table for support. "Belial was right, I have no idea what happened that night."

The slight remnants of the window behind me shattered. I jumped. "That's it!" Dylan gasped.

"Sorry," I winced, my head pounding. "I can't control this."

"No, no," he replied. "I mean I know how your powers work."

I just stared at him. "Enlighten me."

"When you get pissed, things explode," he explained. "So all you have to do is…stop getting mad." He paused. "That's not going to happen."

I glared at him. "Keep it up and you're going to end up looking like that window." I sighed and sat on the table. "I think I broke a rib," I remarked. I grabbed the ends of my shirt and yanked it off over my head.

Dylan's eyes widened. "Uh…"

"Oh it's not like you haven't seen it before," I stated, rolling my eyes. "Gimme that bandage." He handed it to me like I was on fire. I think he just wanted me to put my shirt back on.

"I'm still right," he replied. "Think about it. Every time something's happened, you were upset."

I scoffed, but knew on the inside that he was right. I couldn't think of a time where something hadn't happened because I wasn't emotional. "Ok, so then what are you saying?" I asked. "You have to piss me off?"

He shrugged, handing me a beer. "Shouldn't be too hard."

I taped down the bandage. "Yeah, ok," I said, with a heavy sigh. I put my shirt back on. "Let's get to somewhere more permanent first."

I hopped off the table to reach for my bag when my head exploded with pain. "Fuck," I grimaced. I fell to my knees for a moment.

Dylan grabbed me. "You ok?" he asked, helping me to straighten up.

"Yeah," I said, quickly taking a long drink of alcohol. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache." I picked up my bag. "Let's get out of here."

"Yeah," he nodded, eyeing me wearily.

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I got out of bed a few weeks later the voices keeping me awake. I had managed to only need a few hours of sleep every couple days since I was able to get the pills. I was running low, but I wasn't worried. Turned out it was a lot easier to get them then it should have been.

I got dressed in sweats and headed out the door. Lately I had taken up running in the mornings. Not only because it got my blood pumping, but because would help me clear my head. With the daily mix of Adderall, booze, and headache pills, I was in a constant fog. These short twenty minute jogs were the only time of the day when my head was clear enough to form a constant thought.

I knew deep down that this was very wrong. I knew I shouldn't be acting this way, but the voices in my head were making me crazy. I missed Dean, I missed feeling like a family, and believe it or not, I missed Sam. If he would call me and tell me that he was sorry, I'd go to him in a heartbeat. I missed feeling like I wasn't all alone. That was the worst part of all.

I was alone.

I ran back into the motel room and popped Excedrin and Adderall and drowned it down in booze. It wasn't safe, but so far nothing bad had happened. "Headache already?" Dylan asked, stepping out of the shower.

I shrugged, trying not to look towards him. Ever since I took my shirt off in front of him he was taunting me. "I'm being preventative," I replied. "Get dressed I wanna get started."

"What's the rush?" he asked, towel drying his dark hair. "Can't we grab breakfast?"

"There's a rush when you sleep in until eleven," I scoffed. "So no, no breakfast." He put a shirt on and pulled on jeans. I tossed a granola bar at him. "Ready?"

He sighed. "I guess."

We headed into the park that was near our motel. There were plenty of woods behind it to go into so we wouldn't be disturbed. The trees were thicker the farther into the forest we went. We walked until we made it to the creek. There was a large enough clearing that we had room to move around.

"OK," I said stopping. "We'll stop here."

He rolled his shoulders. "Alright." He stared at me for a moment. "What?"

"You have to make me mad or something," I said, rolling my eyes. "I can't just do it."

"Uh, you look like shit today," he stated.

I glared at him. "Really? That's the best you can do. You look like shit today?"

"It got you annoyed, didn't it?" he demanded. I scoffed, and he smirked. "Fine, you want me to piss you off? I get immunity."

"Immunity?" I asked, confused.

"Anything I say cannot be held against me later."

I thought about that for a second. "How will I know if you're telling me things that you really think?" I asked.

He shrugged. "You won't."

I sighed. "Fine."

"And no hitting me."

"Fine."

"And no shooting me."

I groaned. "Fine," I stressed. "Go ahead."

He paused for a second. "You're a selfish bitch."

I stared at him. "How?"

He shook his head. "All you do is care about yourself. Dean dies, you go into major depression. I have way better things to be doing than helping you right now."

"Like what?" I asked. "Sleeping around?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "No offense, but you're not really putting out here."

I narrowed my eyes. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. "You want me to put out?"

"I want you to think of someone other than your god damn self once in awhile," he scoffed. "Take Dean for example. He was dying and all you cared about was who was going to take care of your ass once he was dead."

"I can take care of myself," I said through gritted teeth.

"No, Lex you can't," he replied. "Sam can. Bobby can. I can. But you can't. Why the hell do you think you keep jumping around? Sam left you, Bobby wasn't doing the best job, and I'm the only one left. Why did you call me?"

I sighed. "Ok, I said make me mad," I replied. "This isn't really –"

"Dean liked Sam better than you," he yelled over me. I stopped. "He gave his life for Sam. What did he do for you? Nothing. He left you here on earth to die."

"That's low."

"It's the truth," Dylan shrugged. "You're weak, and pathetic. You're too scared to be alone, and know that Dean didn't give two shits about you."

"Shut up," I said, feeling my head start to throb with my heart.

"No," he went on. "And you wanna know what's even better. You keep calling me because you think somewhere deep down I give two shits about you either. But the truth is nobody likes you. Nobody likes you because you're a selfish bi – "

He was thrown to the ground into the creek. I collapsed to the ground where I stood. Dylan sputtered. "Ow," he remarked. "Next time throw a stick or something. Geez."

"I'd say I'm sorry," I remarked, helping him up. "But I'm not."

"Hey, we had an agreement," he replied.

"Sorry," I shrugged. "This selfish bitch doesn't care." I smirked. "Let me try without you nagging me."

"Go ahead," he remarked, trying to wipe the mud off his jeans.

I closed my eyes, blocking out the voices. I tried to raise that feeling inside me. It felt like I was being burned on the inside, sort of like when you have heartburn, but a lot stronger. It usually flashed through me, but that was when I was angry. This time I had to try to control it.

"You're an idiot," Dylan remarked. He flew back again into the water. I only heard the splash. He looked over at me. "Seriously?" he asked, throwing his hands up.

I grinned cheekily. "My bad."

Six hours later I had gotten nowhere. I couldn't even throw Dylan into the creek anymore. I was frustrated, hungry, and tired. My head felt like it was going to explode. If anything, I think the voices had gotten louder. They weren't drowned out by my thoughts, they overpowered everything else.

"Maybe we should be done for the day," Dylan stated. I nodded and we began the hike back to the parking lot.

On the way back I nearly collapsed into the dirt. "Whoa," Dylan said, catching me before I plummeted. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, "Just dizzy for a second. I'm ok now." I had to literally push him away from me. He stayed right beside me after that.

Over the next two weeks, we worked every single day until I couldn't stand any longer and had to be dragged back to the motel room. Once there I would immediately collapse into the bed, sleep it off for two or three hours, and be back up before the sun was. Then, I would take Adderall, my headache pills, and drink enough booze to possibly knock me out. Wash, rinse, repeat.

This morning however, was different. Dylan was already awake before I was. "Hey," I said, wiping the sleepiness from my eyes. "What's up? Why are you up so early?"

He stared at me, a beer in his hand. "No reason," he remarked. "Couldn't sleep. Why are you up?"

"Nightmares," I stated. I grabbed my running shorts. "Wanna come?" I asked. I didn't know why I asked. I didn't really want him there.

"Sure," he agreed, and went out the door with me.

The sky was still a light twilight, the stars barely twinkling behind a city haze. "You like running?" he asked me, looking up at the moon.

"Sometimes," I replied. "It helps me clear my head."

"Oh," he replied. "I gotcha." He ran alongside me, the only sound was the footsteps we made on the asphalt. I ran until my heart raced so fast I thought I would keel over if I took another step.

"Can I ask you a question?" he panted, hands on his knees.

_No progress._

_We're attempting a new route…._

I winced as the voices grew. I drown them out yet for the day. "Yeah, what?" I asked, doing the same. I took long, deep breaths.

"What was your dad like?"

I paused. "What the hell are you asking me that for?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes. "You never met him."

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug. "I told you about my dad, my mom, and my sister. I realized I don't know anything about your dad."

"Uh, ok," I said, sitting down on the curb. He joined me. "Well he was a marine, and treated us like his little army. He gave his life to save Dean's ass…." I faltered. "I don't know. He wasn't around much when I was little. He was always hunting, always wanting revenge."

"Revenge," he remarked. "Huh."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Reminds me of you," he stated.

I said nothing to that. "Ready to head back?" I asked. "I want to get an early start today."

He sighed and stood up. "Yeah, c'mon."

I stopped as we neared the motel. I pulled Dylan to the side the building instead of in front of it. "What?" he asked, looking lost.

"The maid's at our room," I replied.

He looked at me like I was nuts. "So?"

"So," I went on. "How many times has the maid come by our room at six in the morning?"

He stared at me for a moment, realization dawning on his face. "Oh," he remarked. He peeked around the building. "What should we do?" he asked. "All of our stuff is inside."

I walked around the side of the building. "Then I guess we have to go inside."

Dylan followed right behind me. I walked casually up to our room like I hadn't suspected a thing. It was easy, since I didn't actually know what was going on. I opened the door.

"Finally," a voice scoffed. "I thought you'd never be back."

I walked in and stared for a moment. "Belial," I scoffed. "How cute. You keep your promises."

"I don't think keeping my promise of killing you is cute," he remarked, standing up, "But to each his own." Two others came out of the bathroom. "Kill her friend. I'll take care of her by myself."

Dylan stood still beside me like he hadn't just heard that. "Porter," I said slowly. "Run."

"I'm not leaving you here," he said, shaking his head. "That's a death wish."

"It's a death wish for you to stay," I said.

"Whatever," he remarked.

"Ok, fine," I said. "But your ass is not on my conscience."

"Fine," he replied. "Yours isn't on mine either."

The two demons suddenly flew at us. I grabbed the one's arm, and he glared me like it was burning him. His eyes flashed black and he started choking. I realized that I was doing this, and kept pushing. The burning feeling was rising to the top, threatening to spill over. I groaned under my breath. "C'mon," I urged. "C'mon!"

The demon screamed and was sent back into the depths. I looked to the other one, who was staring at me like he had just seen a miracle. I grabbed him too, despite my head telling me to stop. I pulled back, trying my best not to pass out. "Dylan!" I said, as I felt myself slipping away.

The second demon was sent back to hell, but I was falling to the ground. Dylan caught me and held me straight so I was staring at Belial. The stupid demon looked at a loss for words. "Leave now," I said, glaring at him. "Or I swear I will hunt you down and kill you."

He glared at me. "I'm going," he said, his hands in the air. "But not because I'm afraid. They have plans for you, Winchester." He ducked out, leaving without another word.

I looked to Dylan. "My nose is bleeding," I remarked, before falling into darkness.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSPNSPNSPNSPN SPN

I woke up the next morning to Dylan staring at me from across the room. "Morning sunshine," I remarked. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" he questioned.

"I remember Belial showing up," I stated. "And then, uh, I passed out?"

"Something like that," he replied, handing me an orange juice. "Here, this will help."

I took it. "Is there vodka in it?" I asked, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I took a long gulp.

"Sorry, all out," he answered.

I drank it all anyways. "So you wanna head out after lunch?" I asked. "I think I have it in me to get some work done today."

"About that," he replied. "I think we should stop."

I nearly choked. "What?" I asked. "Dylan, I'm finally making progress and you want me to quit now?"

He just shook his head. "Lex, when was the last time you truly slept?" I opened my mouth to answer, but he cut me off. "Besides last night," he added.

"I don't know," I scoffed, standing up. "Does it matter?" I went to my bag and took my pills.

"Obviously since you've been religiously taking pills for weeks," he replied, coming closer to me.

"I'm finally getting somewhere," I complained. "There is no way I'm stopping."

"Hey," he said, sitting down at the table. "Look, I'm just worried about you ok? Have you seen yourself? You're falling apart."

"You don't need to care about me ok?" I said, sitting next to him. "We established awhile ago that we're not in a relationship."

"I can still care about you."

I put my head in my hands. "No, you can't." I stood up again, restless. "You're not allowed."

He followed me. I turned to face him and he put his hands on my shoulders. "Don't tell me what to do." He cupped my chin in his hand and kissed me so lightly, I wasn't even sure if it really happened.

There was a long pause. "Get out," I said, nodding towards the door.

"What?" he asked.

"Just…I need some time to think, ok?" I said. "To work this all out in my head. Get some food or something."

He sighed and left without an argument. I was thankful for that.

I looked around the room. What was I doing here? We were pretending that we weren't together, while acting like we were, while still not being real. I threw my stuff into my bag. I had to go.

You know that feeling you get when you feel nostalgic for people you don't know if you'll ever see again? That's me. All the time. I had to stop it. I couldn't deal with feelings on top of everything else right now. That's why I left without a goodbye.

I hope he knew that.

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	77. The In-between, Part Three

**Thank you guys so much for your kind reviews! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alexis and Dylan.**

Chapter Seventy Seven

I lay on the bed, staring at the cheap; water stained ceiling contemplating how I had gotten here. I mean, I knew how I had gotten here physically. I had travelled from Dylan's motel room, went in circles for ten days, and proceeded to get lost somewhere in Montana for a day and a half. I finally made it back to Wisconsin where I found more pills and then camped out in a motel room for the last two days.

My heart started to skip beats as I lay completely still. I looked to my right and saw the empty pill bottles and half empty bottle of whiskey. I had taken in all in about six hours. I looked back at the ceiling. It was changing colors, going from a light eggshell white to a pasty green. I couldn't tell if I was imagining it, or I was really hallucinating.

It didn't matter. I closed my eyes, waiting for an escape.

Dean would be so pissed if he found out. We always agreed that this was a coward's way out. We were supposed to go down swinging, in an amazing blaze of glory. This felt nothing like that. This was fear at its highest level. I couldn't do anything, I could even move without feeling like I was going to start screaming for help. I wanted someone to rescue me, but no one was coming.

_Can't happen_

_Plan will be ruined_

_Chosen to be there_

Once Dean had told me that I wasn't going to die young. "You won't," Dean argued. He had looked hurt that I had even mentioned it.

I had just rolled my eyes. "Dean, we're hunters. I'll be dead before I hit thirty."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," he affirmed. And, for a split second, I believed him.

I used to believe every word he said. I believed him when he told me that Santa was real, when he said that dad was just busy a lot, and when he said that monsters were real. Only one of those wasn't a lie. Sometimes I still wished I believed everything. That way, when people told me that I didn't have to be scared, or that everything was going to be ok, I would have faith in it.

Hours, minutes, days passed. I didn't know anymore. Everything felt like it was in slow motion and I was nearly positive that I could feel the earth spinning. That spinning turned to nausea and I jumped up.

I ran to the bathroom before it hit me. I kneeled there, over the toilet, wondering why everything I tried to do when terribly wrong.

I turned the water on in the shower, crawling inside and crying until I was too dehydrated to make anymore tears.

"Why?" I screamed. "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

I got no answer.

I lay back on the bed, the ceiling back to its correct color. My phone rang for the third time that day. Bobby and Dylan had been calling me nonstop. Bobby hadn't called me when I was with Dylan because I was pretty sure that Dylan had been telling him that I was ok and with him. Now that I was on my own however, they were calling every few hours. I didn't know why they bothered. If I didn't pick up the first time, I wasn't going to pick up now.

I flipped over and faced the window. It was a dreary summer day outside. It had been thunder storming for the last 24 hours. I grabbed my phone and turned it off. I didn't want to be reminded of them anymore. Like Dylan had said, I had to learn to take care of myself.

How was that even possible when I couldn't even kill myself? I looked up at the ceiling again. "Bastard," I murmured.

I looked at my phone again and started to feel really guilty about turning it off. Not because of Dylan, but because of Bobby. I sighed and slipped the battery back in. I dialed his number and stared at it for a moment before finally hitting send.

"Alexis," he said, gruffly. "Where are you?"

I frowned. "Uh, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"I bet you are," he went on. "But seriously, what are you doing?"

"Just…hanging out," I sighed. "Bobby, I'm trying to take care of myself. Don't be offended about it." I knew that I wasn't doing a very good job of taking care of myself, but he didn't need to know that.

"Taking care of yourself," he scoffed. "You're just a kid."

"I'm eighteen," I reminded him. "So I'm not a kid. And I've taken care of myself since I was little."

"Your brothers took care of ya," he corrected. "Look, I know you can take care of yourself. But you can do that living with me."

"I don't want to live with you right now," I said, trying not to offend him. "I'm sorry Bobby I need to figure this out on my own for awhile."

"Yeah, bullshit," he argued. "You're hurt and you don't know how to handle it. Now get back here before you do something stupid."

I felt anger rising in me. "Bobby, you're not my dad!"

"I'm damn close enough!" he yelled back.

I thought for a moment. I couldn't let him see me how I was right now. I couldn't let anybody see me right now. "Bye, Bobby," I said into the phone, and I hung up.

My phone rang immediately. It was an unfamiliar number, probably Bobby trying to pull one on me. My blood boiled. "What?" I yelled into it, angrily.

"It's Ruby," a new voice said.

"How the hell did you get out?" I asked, sitting up. "I thought Lilith killed your demon ass."

She scoffed. "Yeah, well, I got a second chance. I'm risking my ass talking to you."

"What do you want then?" I demanded. I had no idea why she was calling me instead of Sam. Unless she had already talked to Sam.

"I need your help."

"Why would I help you?" I asked, confused.

"Because Sam's about to be dead like Dean if you don't," she went on. "And I don't think you want to lose another brother."

I thought about it for a moment. "How do I know that it's really you?" I asked. "You could be lying."

"Look, you want to save Sam's ass, show up. You want him to die, don't," she said, desperately. "But don't say I didn't try."

I thought for a long moment. "Where?"

"I'll text it to you," she replied, and with that, she hung up.

I grabbed my bag, which was still packed, and ran out of the room. I swear on my life if he wasn't really in trouble someone was getting killed. I hopped in the stolen car, and sped off to the address on Ruby's text.

I thought for a long time about what I was going to say to Sam. He had run off, left me alone, abandoned. That wasn't something I could forgive lightly. Besides that, did I even want to be back with him? He had hurt me in more ways than one. I shook my head. I would help him and then get out. I was in no state to listen to what he had to say to me. I didn't care.

It took me longer than expected, and I could already sense that demons were near. I parked a block over and walked up to the house. I just saw someone walk inside and close the door. I sighed, exasperated, and headed inside.

Two demons were holding Sam. The demon knife was on the floor.

"Lilith sends her regrets," the demon said to Sam. "She couldn't make it."

I picked up the knife and stabbed him in the back. "That's ok," I said. "I made it in her place." He fell to the ground, dead. I looked to the other one and then at Sam. "Hey."

A woman came running in. "Ruby?" I asked.

She took the knife out of my hands. "Take the girl and run!" she insisted.

Sam picked up the girl and I followed him out. No offense, but I could care less what happened to Ruby. Sam put the girl down outside. "Watch her," Sam said, pointing. "I'm going back."

"Sam," I said, "Don't."

He clearly wasn't going to listen to me. I looked to the girl, and then back to Sam. "I need to go save my brother. Wait here." I ran after Sam.

I stood in the doorway as Sam was glaring at the demon. At first, I didn't know what he was doing. He was standing, feet planted, hand out like he was using the force or something. That's when I saw his nose bleeding. And I saw the demon.

The demon was choking up himself, fighting against Sam's powers. He lost the battle, collapsing to the floor in the process. Ruby, who had been held by the demon, fell as well.

She looked at Sam, wearily. "Sam," she breathed.

"I'm okay," he nodded. "Thanks."

He was talking to Ruby, but I didn't care. "You're welcome?" I asked, walking ahead of him. "Cool trick, Sammy."

He turned to me, somewhat angrily. "What are you doing here?"

I nodded towards Ruby. "You're bitch called me. Said you were going to off yourself. Guess she forgot to mention it was because you were after Lilith." Sam didn't say anything. I started to back away. "Well, since you're ok now. I'm gonna go."

"Hey, wait," he said, catching my arm. I involuntarily flinched away. "Are you ok?" he asked me. I could just see him staring at my matted blonde hair, the huge circles under my eyes, and my pale complexion.

I pulled away. "I don't know, Sam. Are you ok?" His face hardened.

"I'm really sor –"

"Save it," I stated, looking to Ruby. "Is she the one who taught you that?" Sam didn't answer me. I don't think he wanted to. I started backing away. "Good talk, Sam. Glad we chatted."

"Wait," he said again, "I just….be careful."

I nodded, and gave him a half smile. I walked out the door.

SPNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSN

Sam didn't call me. Not that I expected him to. I half expected to never hear from him again. I was keeping tabs on him of course. I always knew at least what state he was in. That's where the contact ended though. And, after this event, I wasn't sure if we'd ever get back together.

I went to a diner for some real food. Maybe that would help the impending head ache that was taking over. I hadn't taken meds today yet. "What can I get you?" a waitress asked. She gave me a look of concern before looking back down at her pad of paper.

"Coffee," I croaked out. "Black."

I put my head down on the table, my hood covering my head. "You ok sweetie?" the waitress asked when she came back with my cup of coffee.

"Fine," I said, "Just tired." I drank down my coffee, wondering how Sam had pulled that trick with the demon. He had pulled it out without even touching it. I couldn't do that. I guess that's what happens when you have powers from different sources. I sighed, none of this made sense to me, and I would give anything for a definitive answer. That was the part that was killing me inside; the not knowing.

"So anyways," a voice said, walking in the door. She was a petite redhead with pale skin. "I think there's something wrong."

"Janie," the girl following her scoffed. "Are you trying to tell me your house is haunted?"

The redhead sat down at the table near me. I heard the word haunted and turned my head to listen. "I'm kind of scared, Hanna," she went on. "You've slept over. That can't be normal."

"I think you're over reacting," Hanna stated. "I mean, come on. Haunted?"

Janie sighed. "I hear noises, things move, I see things," she listed. "It's all I got."

I turned around. "I can help," I stated.

Both the girls stared at me like I was crazy as hell. Which, I had to admit, I probably looked like. "Uh," Janie stuttered. "What do you mean you can help?"

"You said your house was haunted," I remarked. "I know a lot about that stuff. I can probably help."

Hannah looked at Janie like she was thinking about dashing out of this restaurant. "Are you right in the head?" Hannah asked.

"Hannah!" Janie reprimanded. She looked at me only slightly apologetic. "Sorry, don't listen to her. She's just rude." Hannah scoffed to herself, but looked uncomfortable. "I don't think I need help quite yet," Janie went on.

"Oh, ok," I stated, trying to not seem so crazy. I don't think it was working because Hannah rolled her eyes. "Look, uh," I said, writing on a napkin. "If you decide you need my help, call me." I threw some money on the table and walked out the door.

The car I was driving was almost out of gas. I had to stop at a gas station. I looked inside. "Well, while I'm here," I mumbled to myself. The bell dinged when I walked in the door. I picked up a six pack of beer and went to ring out. "Twenty bucks on pump six," I stated, putting the beer on the counter.

"Can I see some ID?" the woman asked.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the ID that stated I was twenty two. I handed it to her, not really paying attention. "Uh," she said. "Is this fake?"

I stared at her confused. "What? No."

She looked back down at the ID. "C'mon, I know a fake ID when I see it," she went on. She handed it back to me. "You could at least try a little."

I took it back and stared at it. She was right I had forgotten to print the seal on it. What the hell? I hadn't done that before. I never messed that up.

I walked out the door, still staring at it. I was a lot more out of it than I thought. I needed my pills. I got in the car and left without getting gas. I went back to a motel room right outside of town and took three Advil, an Adderall, and washed it down with water.

_More times than I can count…_

_No, don't try that…._

_A stupid plan…._

_If you think…._

I groaned and lay down on the bed. "I hope you're happy," I said to the voices. "You're making me go nuts."

Great now I was talking back to them.

I heard voices outside of the room. I went to the peep hole and saw three police officers talking to the motel desk man. I winced. Shit, I had to go.

I didn't waste time grabbing anything but what was in my bag. I ducked out the window, using the ledge of the roof to shimmy to the end. I nearly slipped twice. It seemed I was losing my agility fast. I dropped to the ground. I paused. I left my pills up in the room. I looked back up at the window. I couldn't go back; I had to get out of here.

I took off running. My shoes slapped the pavement like a mantra, I was on the run. My lungs burned for air after awhile and I slowed. I looked stupid anyways, running down the street. It was suspicious.

My phone started to ring. I picked it up. "Yeah?" I asked, panting.

"Sorry, uh," a voice said. "Is this the girl from the diner? Who said she could help?"

I stood up straight. "Yeah," I said. "You ok? You sound terrified."

"No, I mean, I'm…." she stopped. "I need your help. Can you get to my house? I live off of Pine."

"Sure, sure," I said, "Just text me your address and I'll be there as soon as I get my car." I looked around. That looked like it was going to be a problem.

"Ok, thank you," she said. "My name's Janie by the way."

"Alexis," I replied. "See you soon."

I walked into the nearest parking lot and picked the junkiest car in the lot. I popped the window open, hotwired it, and left in less than ten minutes. I had to admit, if I was still good at one thing, this was it.

I hit the gas and sped off to Janie's address. I reached it in only a few minutes. I pulled into her driveway and she met me, tears in her eyes. "It locked me out," she cried. "I mean, the door locked behind me." She looked at the house. "What the hell is going on?"

She took me the door to prove her point. "I've tried unlocking it, but it's stuck. So are all the windows."

I looked up at the house. "C'mon," I said, walking up to the window.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"We have to get inside to fix the problem," I replied. "I have to break in the window."

"Yeah, ok," she said, eyeing it wearily. "Go ahead."

I grabbed the hose that was on the ground and swung it into the window. Glass shattered everywhere. I felt cuts appear on my hand. "OK," I said, "I'll go first." I pulled myself up onto the ledge, hurting my hands even more. The house was quiet. I looked around, seeing if anything moved. Something inside me told me that I was being carefully watched.

"Janie, you can stay out there if you want," I called.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I want to know what you're doing in my house." She clambered in the window.

"When did you move in?" I asked, treading carefully towards the front room.

"It's my mom's house," she replied. "When my brother died, she moved and I took the house. I just moved back in last month."

"When did your brother die?" I went on, looking at the kitchen. I knife was laid out on the counter like someone had been using it. I picked it up and put it back in the block. Better safe than sorry.

"Almost six months ago," she replied.

"And he's buried….?"

"Uh," she said, looking around. She seemed really uncomfortable. "The cemetery a couple miles from here?"

I felt a presence behind me and whipped around. Behind Janie stood a boy, probably two or three years older than me, staring angrily at us. "Janie," I said, "Move."

She looked at me funny. I grabbed my knife out of my boot. "What are you doing?" she demanded. She was immediately thrown towards the couch and toppled over it.

I swung my knife at the boy, and he disappeared. "What's your brother look like?" I asked, panting.

She was struggling to sit up, looking like she was about to pee herself. "You really think that matters right now?!"

"Just answer the question," I said, taking out salt and making an enclosed circle.

"Uh, dark hair, blue eyes, tallish?" she listed.

"IS that him?" I asked, staring across the room.

She looked, her eyes widening. "Jimmy?" she breathed. He disappeared.

"OK," I said. I took one last glance around the house. "This is going to sound crazy, but we have to burn his body."

She stared at me. "Please tell me you're joking."

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I'm not." She looked away from me, like assessing whether I was telling the truth or not. "I can go alone," I added.

She shook her head. "I don't want to wait in this house alone."

I nodded, "Alright," I looked outside. "It's getting dark, we should get going."I walked to the door and she followed me.

She got in my car and stared out the window stoically. "He was twenty four," she remarked. "He got hit by a drunk driver."

"I'm sorry," I stated, shaking my head. "That's awful."

"My mom took it hardest of all of us," she went on. "But I miss him too, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," I stated. "My brother…he uh, he passed a few months ago."

She was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know how you must feel."

"Destroyed?" I questioned, with a small smile.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Like part of you doesn't really believe it. You feel like he could walk back into your life at any moment."

"I wish that was true." I pulled into the cemetery. "You wanna wait here?" I asked.

"I'm coming with you," she said. "I want this to be over." She grabbed a shovel out of the backseat.

I followed in suit and we walked into the dark cemetery. There was no light except our two flashlights. I almost tripped over headstones twice before we made it to the grave. I placed my flashlight on the tombstone and started digging. We dug in silence for nearly an hour.

"Do all people come back as ghosts?" Janie asked suddenly.

"No," I said, wiping my forehead. "Usually if they have something left to do."

She thought for a moment. "I don't know what he had to do."

"Maybe it was just because his death was so abrupt," I thought aloud. She didn't say anything. "Sorry, I mean."

"No, its ok," she sighed. "I just wish I knew what he wanted."

I hit the coffin with my shovel. "You shouldn't watch this part," I said, and helped her out of the hole. I broke into the coffin. The body was still relatively fresh. I grimaced, pouring on salt and hopping out. "OK," I said, pouring lighter fluid. I lit a match and threw it in. "Now we wait."

"How long?" she asked, not looking at the grave.

"About four or five hours," I answered.

"It takes that long?" she asked, uncomfortably.

"Usually," I said, sitting in the dirt. "But then we have to refill the hole."

She sat down next to me. "How the hell do you know all this stuff?"

I sighed, looking at the fire, which was all too familiar. "Family business," I retorted. She didn't ask me any more questions about it.

The fire died down to nothing, and I stood up. We filled in the hole. "So that's it?" she asked. "Now it'll stop?"

"It should," I replied. "But I'll stay the rest of the night, just to be sure." I packed the shovels back into the trunk of the car. "I'm really sorry about all this."

"It's not like it's your fault," she scoffed, looking back at the grave. "I just wish I knew what he wanted."

"I'm sure he wanted to tell you he loved you," I remarked. I thought of Dean in hell and how much I wished I could tell him that. I wanted to tell him how much I missed him and how much it meant to me that he took care of me all my life. "He's at rest now though."

She got into the car. "Do you believe in heaven and hell?"

I paused for a moment. "Yes," I replied. "I do."

We drove back to her house. "I'll chill in here if that's ok," I said, standing in the living room.

"I'll stay with you," she sighed, collapsing onto the couch. "I can't sleep after all that." She put her head in her hands.

"Sorry," I said, sitting on the chair across from her. "I know it can be tough."

"I just wanna lie down," she stated, lying across the couch she had been thrown across earlier.

I was silent, lounging across my own chair. I could feel my mind reeling. I hadn't taken pills in hours. I was going a little crazy. My eyes wanted to cross every time I opened my eyes for too long. I needed my pills. The voices were getting loud again, taking over my head like it was their own personal radio station.

_Give it to me…._

_We need to make a move…_

_It's going to be too late…._

_Alexis._

I shot upwards. "What? What's wrong? Are you ok?"

She looked over at me groggily. "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"Didn't you say my name?" I asked. By the time I asked it, I already knew the answer. She slowly shook her head and closed her eyes again. "They said my name…" I mumbled. The voices had said my name. That was the first time they ever acknowledged that I was there.

I heard a crash in the hallway. "What was that?!" Janie yelled, jumping awake. "What the hell was that?!"

"Calm down," I said, "Nothing can touch you in here remember? The salt?" She barely nodded. "Stay here; I'm gonna go check it out."

"Be careful," she whispered, terrified.

I nodded and went around the corner to the salt line. A vase had crashed to the floor, shattering into a million tiny glass shards that covered the linoleum. "It was a vase," I called to Janie.

The glass shards started to shake on the floor, like there was an earthquake. I blinked my eyes a few times. It stopped and everything was still. "Did you feel that?" I asked, looking back at Janie. Her look of confusion is what made me know I was hallucinating, probably from withdrawal.

I looked back at the glass. There were footsteps around it, clearly kicking the glass out of the way. My heart dropped. I heard scraping of walls. "Janie," I stated. She came and stood next to me.

She gasped. "That's my brother's name," she said, pointing at the wall. "Jimmy."

The name was being scratched into the wall, the paint peeling away to reveal Jimmy's namesake.

"This is bad," I remarked.

Janie glared at me. "Oh, you think?"

"Stay inside the salt," I called, stepping over the line.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked.

"To get my gun," I replied, running towards the door. I was stopped by an invisible force. The sheer power of it knocked me back into the steps. "Ow," I groaned.

"Are you ok?" Janie demanded.

"I'm fine," I moaned. "Can you distract him?"

She scoffed. "By doing what?"

"I don't know," I replied. "He's still your brother! Try talking to him."

"Jimmy," she stated, sounding unsure of herself. "It's Janie. You need to stop this."

I was able to get up. The walls were spinning. I felt like I was in one of those movies where the hall seemed ten times longer than it actually was and no matter how fast you walked towards it, there was no getting closer. I fought my way to the door and ran into the car.

My shotgun in my hands, I busted back into the house. "Janie?" I called. It was quiet.

Janie came up to me, looking desperate. "I need your help."

"Yeah, I know," I said, shaking my head. "I thought I told you to stay in the salt lines!"

"No, no," she said, clinging onto me. As soon as she did, an electric shock went through my body. "I'm not Janie. I'm Jimmy."

I stared hard for a moment, and aimed my shotgun. "Get out of her."

Janie's eyes widened. "I need your help."

"With what?" I demanded. "Saying BOO?"

"No, there's someone else in this house," he said. "Janie's not safe. She's not – "There was a pause. "She's back."

Janie's eyes glazed over for a moment. She looked up at me. "Alexis?" she questioned. "What happened?"

"Who else died in this house?" I asked. "Or who was connected to you?"

She shook her head, lost. "What do you mean?"

"There's someone else in here, not just your brother," I said, pulling her back to the salt lined room. "Who could it be? Think Janie!"

"Uh…uh…before I lived here, there was this other family. They had a little girl. I think she died of cancer?"

"Ok," I said. "Is there anything in this house that connects her to it?" I asked, glancing around wildly. "A picture…or uh, anything?"

"There was stuff in the attic?" Janie spat out. "I think it was hers…"

"Ok, ok," I said, looking at the stairs. "I'm going to go up."

"I'm coming with you," she said, following me.

"It's not safe," I replied, shrugging her off.

"I don't care," she answered.

I sighed. "Stay close. Take this." I handed her my dagger.

We took a step out of the salt lines and ran up the stairs. I pulled the attic steps down. "Help!" Janie cried, seeing a flash of a little girl. I shot at her before turning back to the steps.

"You first," I said, pointing up the stairs.

I watched her go up. "OK," I said, getting to the top. "Where is it?"

"That box," she stated, pointing. I grabbed it and tossed it back down the steps. "What are you doing?"

"We have to burn it," I replied. "Just like you're brother's body."

"But he's still here!" She cried. "Obviously that did nothing."

"Unless you have a better plan," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "This is our best bet. C'mon." We went down the ladder together. She landed at the bottom before me.

The stairs closed up with me still on them. "Hey!" I yelled. I grabbed onto the ledge. I had to climb back into the attic. "Janie! Take the box outside and burn it!"

"What about you?" she screamed.

"Don't worry about me," I called. "Just go!"

I heard her footsteps as she ran away. It was dark and I couldn't see anything. "Stupid ghosts!" I yelled. "Come at be bitch!"

I heard a giggle.

There was nothing there.

The room started to spin as I looked around. I was totally going to throw up. It was roasting up here too! I didn't remember it being this bad when I got up here.

I shadow passed in front of me. I instinctively shot.

I fell backwards onto the floorboards. I blinked to keep myself from passing out. I needed my pills so badly. The ghost appeared in front of me. I tried to raise the gun to shoot but it was too late. She was holding me still. I couldn't breathe; little white dots appeared before my eyes.

The ghost erupted in a cloud of smoke and vanished. I took a deep inhale. "Oh thank god," I remarked.

"Alexis!" a voice called. "You ok?"

"Just open the stairs," I called back. I climbed down. "Good job. She's gone."

Janie smiled only for a moment. "What about Jimmy?"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPNSPNSP NSPSNPSNPSNSPNSPN

"I can't believe it," she remarked. "He was protecting me."

"That happens more than you'd think," I sighed. She handed me a baseball mitt. "You sure this is it?"

"It's got to be," she replied. "It's all I have here. The rest my mom has."

"OK," I said, taking it from her. I placed it on the concrete. "Would you like to say goodbye?"

She thought for a moment. "It's not goodbye," she replied. "If there's one thing I learned, it's that there is something after death. I'll see him again." I handed her the matches. "Thanks, bro." She tossed the match on it.

I went to leave in my car. "Hey Lexie?" she called. "I uh, take care of yourself. I know you're on stuff, and I get it. I really do. After Jimmy died….well I did the same for awhile. But trust me, stopping makes it easier. I promise."

"Thanks," I replied. "But uh, I'm not ready yet." I got into my car and drove away.

I was automatically thinking of where the next college town was. That was when I realized I was near where I had gotten the pills originally. I dialed. "Hey," I said into my phone. "This is Elizabeth. Can you hook me up?"

"Yeah sure," he replied. "When?"

"Tonight," I said. "Same place in an hour." I hung up.

By the time I got to the bar it was well past an hour. I had thought I was closer than I was. "Hey," he said, slinking up behind me. "I thought you weren't gonna show."

"Yeah well," I replied. "You got them or what?"

He frowned. "Easy girl," he answered. "Let's get out of here first." He led me to the alley behind the bar. "How much you want?"

"How much will you give me?" I asked.

He smirked, reaching into his pocket. "Two months for $450."

"Fine," I replied. I pulled out a wad of cash. "Here. Gimme the pills."

"You ok?" he asked, as I snatched them out of his hands. "You haven't been taking them with booze, have you?"

"None of your business," I replied. "Thanks for the pills."

"Wait, this is like $700."

"Keep it," I called, running away. I got into my car and started driving until I could barely see. My head was pounding so badly. My eyes were going blurry because of it.

_We should let it go…_

_What about the girl?_

_Alexis_

I grabbed my pills to keep myself from immediately screaming out in frustration. "STOP IT!" I yelled. I took the Adderall, three Tylenol, and a shot of whiskey that was sloshing around in the backseat.

"JUST STOP –"

I hadn't seen the headlights plowing towards me until it was far too late. All I heard was crunching metal, and all I saw was light before everything was gone.

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! and thanks for reading!**


	78. The In-between, Part Four

**Last chapter before Dean comes back! Enjoy! Thank you for all the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I own Alexis and Dylan**

Chapter Seventy Eight

My eyes wouldn't open. That's the first thing that I noticed before the crippling pain. My eyes felt like they were glued shut. I soon realized that my left eye wouldn't open because it was too swollen. My right eye was open, but it was dark. I could see faint glimpses of red and blue lights surrounding me. Help was here, I thought pathetically.

I tried to assess the damage to my body. Nearly half of it was hidden by debris. I couldn't see very well anyways. What I could see was broken glass, the steering wheel bent funny, and half of the passenger door gone. The metal that had been next to me was ripped away. I nearly toppled out of the car when it did. My arm moved and I screamed. It was most definitely broken. I couldn't even think to move it I was in so much pain.

"Ma'am," a voice said, "Ma'am can you hear me?" She tried to pry my left eye open to shine a light into it, but it was so swollen she couldn't.

"Stop," I croaked out. "Hurts."

"Where does it hurt?" she demanded, looking me over.

I refrained from looking at her like she was insane. "Everywhere," I insisted, closing my eyes again.

She said nothing to that. "Can you tell me your name?"

I swallowed. "Annie," I replied, thinking of the name on the card in my wallet. I couldn't give her my real name. There would be cops around in an instant.

"Ok Annie," she went on, backing up. "We have to pull you out of this mess. If you start to hurt too badly, let us know. Alright?"

"Alright," I said. I remained still while they cut off my seatbelt. They moved me without touching my arm at all. I was thankful for that. I probably would've started cussing them out. I fell back into a stupor when they put me in the ambulance. I didn't wake up again until I was in the hospital room.

There were about a million people on top of me. They shoved needles into me, put a brace around my neck, and cut me out of the clothes I had been wearing. "She's going to need reduction on that arm," a man's voice said. "We can take her in OR 4."

The nurse started to put a mask over my nose to knock me out. "No," I argued, using my good arm to push her away. It hurt, and I wondered if I had thrown out my shoulder as well. "Just do it here."

"It's going to hurt," the doctor said. "You need anesthesia."

I stopped arguing. There was a lot of pain that I could deal with, but I wasn't so sure this was one of them. I nodded at the nurse.

"Wait," another nurse said. "We couldn't find any identification in the crash. Is there someone we can call?"

I thought for a moment. "My brother. His number is 330-988-7432."

She nodded and the mask was placed back over my face. I didn't even have time to count backwards or anything. I was out in only moments.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNPSNSPNSPNPSNSPNSPSN

I woke up again with a cast on my arm. It only went up to my elbow, but it was enough to restrict my movements. I sighed. Way to go Lex, you broke your arm. I looked down at all the bandages that covered my body. There were butterfly band aids all down my legs and arms, some were deep and some were shallow wounds. They would probably leave scars. I sighed. I had enough scars.

The nurse came in the room. "Good morning," she smiled. "How's your pain?"

"Manageable," I remarked. I was starting to feel the familiar voices start to make their way back to the forefront of my brain. I needed a drink. "What happened?"

"The doctor will be in soon to talk to you," she replied. "Oh, and you're brother's out in the waiting room. He said he wanted to make sure it was ok before he came in."

I was reminded of before they fixed my arm. I had given them his number. "Yeah, send him up," I sighed. "Thank you."

She took down my vitals and left. I looked out my window. It was covered in a blanket, but the gown I was wearing was still annoying. I didn't like only being half covered. I sighed and I waited for him to get up to my room.

"Hey," Dylan said walking in the door. He gave me a big stupid grin, looking at me with absolute amusement. "How are you sis?"

"Oh shut up," I remarked, closing my eyes. "I had to tell them something or they would start asking questions."

"And you didn't give them your real brother's number because?" he asked.

"Because I'm not talking to him."

He frowned. "Last time I checked, you had walked out on me, and we weren't talking. Yet, I still got a call."

"I knew you'd come," I said softly. I looked away from him. Even admitting that I somehow trusted Dylan to come and get me was messed up. He wasn't related to me, we fought all the time over the stupidest things, but here he was. He had come here for me, and I didn't even attempt to ask Sam. That was embarrassing.

"You didn't think Sam would be here?" he demanded. "He's your brother."

"Yeah well," I sighed. I sat up straight using only one arm. That doesn't sound like it should be hard, but when you're entire body was a bruise… "Can you help me out of this bed?"

"What, why?" he asked.

"I'm getting out of here," I answered. I pushed the blankets away from my legs. "I don't do hospitals."

"Why?" he asked, holding out his hand.

I took it. "Last time I was in here I was almost killed, so excuse my weariness about this place." I hobbled into a standing position. I was suddenly very dizzy. I sat back down. "Shit."

"Maybe you should at least wait until you're not all warm and fuzzy on pain meds anymore," he said, watching me struggle to get up again.

I lay back on the bed. "You're right."

He looked surprised. "I'm sorry, say that again?"

I scowled. "Porter, mess with me and I will bludgeon you with my casted arm."

"Touchy," he said, putting his hands up. He sat on the end of the bed. "Can you at least explain to me how in the hell this happened?"

"I was driving," I said, trying to think about what had been going on. I remembered the pills and the alcohol. "And I crashed," I finished. He didn't need to know the details.

"Yeah, I got that much from the police," he replied, as if I was being stupid. "I meant, why did you crash?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Don't remember. Now, more importantly, how am I going to get out of here?"

He shrugged. "I already gave them my – I mean our insurance," he smirked. "Being your older brother and all I thought it was fitting."

"Who said that you were my _older_ brother," I scoffed. "You're like barely older than me."

"Still older," he remarked. "But as soon as the doctor clears you, that's when you'll leave. Ok? Now relax," he got up and sat down in the chair. "You broke your arm anyway it's not like you're useful for anything."

I glared at him. "Gee thanks," I replied.

"Oh and uh," he went on. "Bobby's on his way."

I shot upright. "You called Bobby?"

"Hello," a man in a white lab coat said, walking into my already too crowded room. "How is your pain?"

"He's terrible," I stated, looking at Dylan. "Thank you for asking."

Dylan only glared at me, somewhat still smirking at the same time. "She's obviously fine," he said to the doctor. "But I think you may need to do a full lobotomy."

"I don't find that necessary," the doctor smiled. He looked down at my chart. "As long as your pain in manageable, you should be ok to go home."

"Thank you," I grinned.

"Just need to do the paperwork," he added. "See you in six weeks to get that cast off."

"Six weeks," I choked. I looked to Dylan, who looked amused. "I have to wear this thing for six weeks?"

"Apparently," he said. "Maybe you shouldn't get into car crashes."

I sighed. "What happened with that car anyways?"

"Well," he stated. "The plates mysteriously couldn't be found and neither could the bags inside of it." He smirked. "I have to say, they need better security."

"You're a lifesaver," I said, relaxing. "But can you do me one last favor? If we're leaving, I need clothes."

He got up. "I suppose I can't let you walk out of here naked."

"Thank you, Dylan," I replied.

As soon as he was gone, I pulled the IV out of my hand. I didn't need any of this pain medication. It was making me too woozy. By the time he came back I was in so much pain I thought about gnawing my arm off. "We need to go," I said grabbing the bag. "I want to get out of here."

I went into the bathroom and struggled to get clothing on my body. This cast was becoming a total pain in my ass. I fought my way into jeans and a button up shirt that I had to force the cast through and then fold the sleeves up to my elbow. Once I felt better and was straightened up, I grabbed Dylan and we walked out the door.

Once we were outside and I was free, I felt better. The voices in my head were still loud, but at least I could get access to something to dull it down. I got on the back of Dylan's bike and frowned. "How am I supposed to hold on with one hand?" I asked.

He half turned to look at me. "Guess you'll have to hold on tight," he smirked. I scowled. "Just put your one arm around me," he added. I did so, hugging myself into his back.

He took me to the motel room he had rented out the night before. I went inside and saw my bag on the table.

"Bobby's still on his way," he said, sitting down on the chair. He looked more tired than when I had left him. His eyes were droopy, like he could fall asleep at any moment. I wondered what he had been up to after I left him.

I rummaged through my bag. I was sure some pills had to be rolling around the bottom. I needed them. I couldn't think about Bobby right now, I was too concentrated on getting some relief. "Tell him not to," I replied. I came up with only dust.

"He wants you to go home with him," Dylan went on.

I scoffed. I found a pill on the bottom of the bag and held it in my hand for a moment. "I'm not going with him," I said. I grabbed some Advil and the warm beer that was on the counter. "I don't need to be baby sat." I was about to pop all the pills in my mouth when Dylan caught my hand.

"Are you on pills?" he asked me.

I frowned. "It's Advil."

"That's not Advil, that's a horse pill," he stated, staring at the Adderall. "Is that the stuff that you were taking before? What's it do?"

"God, what's with the third degree?" I asked. "It's fine." He smacked the pills out of my hands. "Porter, what the hell?"

"You're hopped up on pain meds still," he stated. "You don't need pills too. What, are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Look," I said, taking a swig of the beer even though it tasted like shit. "You're not really my brother. I'm not going back to Bobby's and you don't need to stay with me either."

"Maybe someone does," he remarked. "You look like shit."

"Thank you, you're too kind."

"I'm serious," he stated. "What the hell have you been into lately? Drugs? Lying? Killing?"

I scoffed. "Look, I don't know what you want from me. I called you for a favor, that's it."

He stepped towards me. I was backed into the counter. His eyes no longer looked tired. They looked like they were on fire. "You sure that's the only reason you called?"

I stared at him. "We're platonic," I reminded him, using his words. "You didn't want a relationship."

"I know what I said," he stated. I could feel his breath on my lips.

"Are you trying to tell me that you changed your mind?"

He seemed to tense. I could see the muscles in his arms flexing. They were big and buff, he was strong. "I'm telling you that I don't like the idea of you sleeping around with other guys."

I looked up at him, my eyes meeting his. "I didn't know you were the jealous type."

"I guess I am," he replied. His lips met mine and I was instantly taken aback. Everything about this was confusing. Part of me wanted to stop him, but the greater part of me wanted more. He lifted me onto the counter. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling his body closer to mine. We were relentless, me and him. One minute we were fighting, another minute we were on top one another.

"You're impossible," I remarked, when we broke apart for air.

He lifted my shirt over my head, doing the same to his. "I don't really care." He went back to kissing me, carrying me to the bed.

SPNSPNSPNSPNPNSPSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNSPNSPNSPSN PSNPSNPSN

We lay there, me on his chest, him playing with my hair. "We have to get dressed," I said, staring at his abs muscles. They quivered under my touch. "Bobby's coming."

"No he's not," Dylan sighed. "I told him I could handle you."

"What?" I questioned. I frowned, annoyed. "When did you do that?"

"When I went to get you clothes," he answered. "I figured it would be shitty for him to see you like that." He paused for a moment. "That being said, I think you need to go see him. You need help, Lexie."

I thought about it for a moment. Having Dylan back made me realize that I wasn't good alone. I never had been. I needed someone to keep me sane. "Ok," I said. "But this doesn't change anything."

"I know," he replied. "I know."

We fell asleep like that, lying there together. I woke up to him in the shower. I sighed and picked up the pill that was on the ground. I took it, washing it down with water instead of alcohol. I was going to go back to Bobby's but I still needed the pills. I needed something to shut the voices up, even if it was only temporary.

There was a knock on the door. Had Dylan called for more towels or something? I pulled on a t-shirt and peered through the peep hole. A housekeeper was standing there. I grabbed Dean's gun off the counter and held it behind me. "Yes?" I asked.

She smiled. "More towels?"

I stared at her for a moment. Her demeanor immediately changed. I knew in my heart that she was a demon. "Cristo," I remarked.

She lunged at me before I could see if her eyes changed. Taken by surprise, I dropped the gun. She pushed me against the wall, her hand on my neck. "What do they say?" she asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied.

She started to lift me off the ground. "You hear them," she said. I fought to get her hand away from my neck. I was choking. I kicked around, but was getting to where.

Dylan came out of the shower in only boxers. "Whoa," he remarked. "I'm all for girl on girl play, but choking's a little too kinky for me." I glared at him.

The demon held me with a stronger force, if that was even possible. Dylan picked up a machete that was hanging out of his bag. "Put her down!" he yelled. "You have to seconds."

I could feel my lungs collapsing from lack of air. "Help…"

Dylan swung the machete, cutting off her head in one fell swoop. That was one way to immobilize a demon. I fell to the ground, now able to pry myself away. I coughed and gulped in air. "Thanks," I panted.

He put out his hand to help me up. "We need to get out of here," he stated. "Get dressed." I pulled on jeans. "What did it say to you?" he asked.

"She wanted to know what I was hearing," I replied. "The voices." I thought for a moment. "This is Belial's fault."

"Probably," Dylan nodded. "But why now?"

"I don't know," I replied. "They must know something I don't." I picked up everything that was hanging out of my bag. "We should go before more come."

"Ok," he said. "Let's get out of here." He slapped a twenty on the counter. "Housekeeping needs a good tip for this mess."

I scoffed. "C'mon."

We hopped on the bike and sped off to Bobby's house. We took the extremely long, back way to his house to avoid being followed. Once we got there, I felt completely out of it. It seemed the pills were finally taking over again. It made me feel a lot less stressed, but I knew Bobby would notice.

We walked up to the door. "He didn't know I was bringing you," Dylan stated.

"You didn't tell him," I said, confused.

"I didn't want to get his hopes up if you ditched," Dylan clarified.

I nodded, and knocked on the door. I heard his footsteps, but didn't see him until he was at the door. He took one look at me and splashed water in my face.

I stood there, spitting out water. "What the hell?" I asked.

He pulled me into a hug. "Oh thank god," he remarked. His arms gripped me tighter than they ever had before.

"Why would I be possessed?" I asked, walking into the house.

"Well you look like shit, and you disappeared," Bobby stated. "Honestly, I kind of hoped there was an explanation."

"Look, you deserve to be mad at me," I started.

"Damn straight I do, you idgit," he said, his eyes narrowing. "You left in the middle of the night. And you," he said, turning to Dylan. "You let her!"

"Hey," he said, putting his hands up. "She left me too."

"Ok, yeah," I said, sitting at the kitchen table. "But I'm back. I'm ok. I'm not possessed." I listed. Bobby didn't seem appeased. "I'm alive, Bobby. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," he stated. "You look a damn mess. What happened to you?" He was staring at my casted arm.

"Car accident," I replied.

"Were you drinking?" he asked. He looked away from me, like he already knew the answer. "What are you doing, Alexis? You're brothers wouldn't have let you get into this stuff."

"I don't have any brothers," I stated, coldly. "Besides," I said, holding up the empty bottle that was sitting on the table. "I'm not the only one."

He took it out of my hands. "Are you staying?" he asked.

I looked to Dylan before answering. "Yeah, for now," I responded. "Thank you." He only scowled. I smiled. "I mean it Bobby," I added. He looked at me. "Thanks."

He put a hand on my shoulder, and walked off into the den. I looked to Dylan, who looked pleased with himself. "Are you staying?" I asked.

"Yeah, for now," he said, mimicking my words. "I need a place to crash for awhile. My bike needs work." He looked out the window at it.

"Go ahead," I sighed. "I'm going to do some research."

He nodded and walked out the door. I went into the den, where Bobby was sitting at his desk, already having opened a new bottle. "Bobby," I started. "Your wards are still up right?"

"Why?"

"Some demons might be on my trail," I explained.

"What did you do?" he asked, looking exhausted.

"I think they want me because of the, uh…the voices," I said. Bobby sighed. "I need help."

"Take a seat," he stated. He took a sip of his brandy. "We're in it for the long haul.

Two weeks later, I was tired and irritated beyond belief. The pill supply I had snuck out to get was dwindling. We hadn't found anything worth looking into. There didn't seem to be any answers anywhere. Then, one day, he tossed me a book. "I found this."

I looked down. "A spell?" I questioned. "What's it do?"

"It's supposed to show what's in your head," he explained. "Before modern medicine took off, they used to think schizophrenics were possessed. Some still believe that to be correct, but in the form of evil spirits."

"You think there's evil spirits in my head?" I asked, worriedly.

"Whatever it is," he went on. "This will let you talk back."

I sighed. "What do we need?" I asked.

"I have all of it except one thing," he said. "The blood of the newly dead."

"Newly dead?" I asked. "Like how new?"

"At their last breath," he stated. He showed me a book. "It's supposed to have power. When a person dies, evil is able to get into their empty body. You need blood before that happens."

"How in the hell am I supposed to do that?" I asked.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNSPSNPSNPSNPSNPSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSP NSPSNPSN

"This is crazy," I remarked, as we walked through the halls of the hospital. "What are the chances that someone is going to spontaneously die while we're here?"

"We're in a hospital," Dylan reminded me. "Someone will die."

"That's comforting," I said, looking around.

"Room 226 is coding!" a voice shouted.

"That's uncanny," Dylan said, blinking.

I scoffed. "C'mon."

We waited in the hallway to see what would happen. The man ended up dying. They gave up on him too quickly for me to be comfortable with the idea that they tried their best. "Go," I said, pushing him forward.

We nonchalantly went into his room and pretended to be doing something important and routine. I took the needle that we had stolen from some supply closet. I took a blood sample from his right arm and we walked out just as easily. I handed Dylan the blood and we ran out the door before anyone could wonder about us.

"Bobby," I said, calling him on my cell. "We got it."

By the time we got back to his house, Bobby had cleared the living room of furniture. There was only a chair in the middle of the room. "Get on your throne, princess," Dylan remarked.

I scoffed, but sat down. "What's going to happen?" I asked.

"You're going to be in a dream like state," Bobby replied, looking at the book.

"And then what?" I asked.

"I don't know," Bobby answered.

I blinked. "Awesome." I got comfortable. "Ok," I said. "I'm ready."

Bobby started blessing the ingredients. I watched as they formed a mass that looked something like a pill. I grimaced as he handed it to me. "When you take this, it'll knock you out. Then you're on your own."

I held it in my hand for a moment. "See you on the other side," I breathed, and popped it in my mouth.

_At first, nothing seemed to have happened. It reminded me of the fiasco with the dream root we had that one time. I heard nothing, and all I saw was Bobby's house. Then everything changed. I was in a cold, dark and damp room. The voices started up. I felt like I was a telephone operator. They were louder and more pronounced than ever. _

_"Hello?" I called loudly. "Who is talking?" _

**_Is she talking?_**

**_What's going to happen now?_**

**_ We need to answer…_**

**_Can't let this go…_**

_"Hey!" I yelled. "Answer me!" _

_They all talked at once again like there were a million of them. "_Can_ someone help me please?" I questioned desperately. _

"Hey, hey, hey," Bobby said, holding me upright. I coughed up the pill. It came out in a nasty lump. "You alright, darlin'?"

"They didn't answer me," I said. "I think I freaked them out. They didn't know I heard them."

Bobby and Dylan exchanged a glance. "That's not how it's supposed to happen," Dylan said, looking down in the book.

"Well I'm not exactly a normal case," I retorted. I got up off the chair. "I just want to go lay down for awhile." I went into the bedroom upstairs and lay on the bed. I didn't even mean to actually fall asleep, but I was asleep in only moments.

_I was walking around a park. There were children playing on a jungle gym. I watched from afar. Why was I here?_

_"Hello, Alexis," a voice said. It was deep and rough, and I had never heard it before. I turned to see a man, younger, dressed in a trench coat. I stared at him. _

_"Who are you?" I asked. _

_"My name is Castiel, and I am an angel of the Lord." _

_I stared. "Please tell me this isn't a mother Mary situation." _

_He looked confused. "You are not the mother of Jesus." _

_"Oh," I said, "Good." We stood there in silence for a long moment. "So…what do you want then?"_

_"I was told to tell you to control yourself," Castiel stated. "We can only stop your death so many times. It's attracting attention." _

_"What?" I questioned. "Who is saving my life? Angels?" I almost laughed. "That's a good one." _

_"A good one what?" he asked. _

_I blinked. "Are you trying to tell me that angels have been keeping me alive? Is that who I overhear too?" _

_He gave me a slight nod. "Consider the warning delivered." _

I woke up, gasping for air. That was the most realistic dream I had since…since yellow eyes had taken me hostage. Was this real? Was this person who visited me really an angel? Had I been hearing ANGELS?!

I ran down the steps into the den where Bobby was asleep at the desk. "Bobby!" I called, and he snorted himself awake. "What do you know about angels?"

"Not much," he said. "Why?" He was already pouring himself another glass.

"Do you think they're real?" I demanded. I was already searching through his bookshelves for something about them.

"I'd like to think so," he said. He took a long sip of whiskey. "But why?"

"Because then where the hell have they been?" I asked desperately. I collapsed onto the couch. Bobby came over and sat next to me.

"Darlin'," he said slowly. "I think that if our petty problems are all they had to deal with then life should be a lot simpler."

"I had a dream," I stated, after taking a deep breath. "An angel talked to me."

"A dream," Bobby stated.

"Yeah, but it was real, you know?" I said, trying to explain. "It was real."

He seemed disgruntled. "I need some more to drink." I got up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"For a walk," I called.

I went outside and walked past Dylan. "Hey," I called. He looked up from his bike. He wasn't wearing a shirt and had oil on his forehead. "Whatcha up to?"

"Watch," he said, starting his bike up. It revved up faster than it had previously. He looked at me like I was supposed to be super impressed. I pretended for his sake.

"Awesome," I remarked. I looked up at the setting sun. "Want to go and get a drink?"

He put down his towel. "I've got something even better." He patted the seat. "C'mon."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"Somewhere secret," he answered with a twinkle in his eye. He took off into the forest. I already knew where he was going. He was taking me to the clearing. He pulled his bike over into the tall grass and collapsed into the dirt. I collapsed next to him. We stared at the sky.

He got up and got two beers out of the bag of his bike. They were slightly shaken and exploded. I laughed and took a long sip. "So," he said. "You feel better from earlier?"

"Yeah," I said, setting into the ground. "Had a weird dream."

"Weird?" he questioned.

"Angel talked to me," I replied.

He frowned. "Are you pregnant?"

"God no," I laughed. He smiled. "I'm not behaving."

"What did you say to that?" he questioned.

"Screw you angels, I do what I want," I stated. He laughed again. I took another sip of beer and sighed. "You know you scare me."

He looked confused. "Scare you?"

"Yeah," I explained. "You make me feel again."

He was silent for a moment. "Feel what?" he questioned.

I thought about how to approach this situation. "If you don't decide that you want from me," I began. "This isn't going to end well."

"I don't want anything from you," he responded.

"I need to know," I said, nodding. "Are we together?" He squirmed. "You said you didn't like the idea of me sleeping around…" I suggested. "So what does that mean?"

He licked his lips and took another sip of beer. "It means…"

"What are you scared of?" I asked when he trailed off. "Why are you afraid of admitting that we're together?"

"Because our lives aren't exactly the Brady Bunch," he stated, sadly. "The moment we decide to be…whatever? We're putting each other in danger."

"If we never try how do we know it won't work out?" I asked.

He nodded. "I don't know."

I shook my head. "So?"

He came close to me and kissed me. "Ok."

"Ok?"

"Yeah," he said. "Let's be together. I'd take being happy then being confused."

"Ok," I nodded. On the inside, I was in turmoil. I hadn't actually expected him to say yes. I thought we would always be running in circles.

"But there's something I have to tell you," he added.

"Ok, what?"

He put his arm around my shoulders. "I told my sister I would come visit her once a month," he stated. "And the month is almost over."

"OK, go ahead," I said, "We're together not married."

He smirked. "I figured you'd be one of those clingy girls."

"Shut up Porter," I stated, shaking my head. Dylan left later that day.

Dylan was gone and I was feeling better than I had in a long time. I downed another pill and took a swig of whiskey. I was tired all of the sudden. I went to bed early, thinking about if I would have weird dreams again. I swear that last one wasn't a dream.

My head was killing me. I had to force myself to get my mind off it so I could sleep. That was when the dreams started again. I saw where we buried Dean. I immediately tried to wake myself up. I didn't want to see whatever was going to happen. That was when I saw his hand shoot out. He was alive?

I woke up to Bobby shaking me awake. "What?" I questioned "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. "But it's the afternoon."

"Seriously?" I asked, looking at the brightly shining sky. "How long was I out?"

"About sixteen hours," he replied. "You feel ok?"

"Yeah," I sighed. I sat up and stared out the window. I remembered staring out the window when dad had died. I had sat here for hours. I sat down there again, wanting a moment to think.

I didn't know what that dream meant. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know anything.

**Please Review!**


	79. Season Four, Chapter One

**Hey Guys, I really wanted to change a few things in the last chapter. Please reread this chapter before the next one comes out later tonight! **

Chapter Seventy Nine

I always knew I was a wuss. I mean, I could fight a demon. Ghosts couldn't scare me away. I was more than willing to chop the heads off some vampires. However, when it came to being anything other than a hunter, I was already lost by the time I made the decision. To make it even worse, without Dean I was a nutcase.

I took another sip of beer. I flipped my grilled cheese over in the pan. I was just now getting to a better place. I was still taking the pills daily, but it was more of a routine. I would wake up, pop one and wash it down with alcohol. Lately it was making me get the munchies, thus the grilled cheese.

Bobby and I had come up with a nice system. I would make us food; he would supply the groceries and liquor. We hadn't gone out on hunts together. He either went alone or sent someone else out on the case. It wasn't that I didn't want to go. I had even mentioned before that I would be willing. However, Bobby was adamant. "You aren't ready," he told me.

I sighed and took a bite of the sandwich. Bobby had tried again to get a hold of Sam. I don't think he had any more luck than I had. And, after the last time that I had run into Sam, I didn't think I would see him again for awhile. Sam was obsessed with finding Lilith and getting revenge. It consumed everything he was. I guess we were two different people, Sam and I. I was giving up and he was fighting. Both however, were dead ends.

Bobby walked in the back door. "Hey," I called. "Where were you?"

"Store," he remarked. "Since you're eating me out of house and home."

"You're the one who wanted me back," I stated, with a smirk. I took the other half of my grilled cheese out of the pan and sat up on the counter. "You know very well I eat like….like Dean."

Bobby looked at me when I said his name. I tried to play it off like no big deal. He sniffed, but said nothing about it. "Speaking of Dean, uh," he started. "Got a phone call this morning. I wasn't going to tell you, but – "

"What?" I demanded. My mind jumped to the worst possible scenario immediately.

"Someone called saying they were Dean," he remarked.

I rolled my eyes, but on the inside I was freaking out. "I knew we shouldn't have buried him," I responded. I thought of my dream from a week ago. His hand shooting out of the ground. "I swear to god, Bobby if his body shows up…"

"It won't," Bobby reminded me. He looked out at his property. "We can make sure of it."

"You want to go to where we buried him and check?" I asked, frowning. As much as I wanted to be sure that something wasn't in his body, I really didn't want to have to go back there. The memories it held were the fondest. Bobby didn't say anything. "Ok," I sighed. I reached into the bag that he had brought home from the store. "Did you forget milk?"

He looked in the bag as well and swore. "It's ok," I smirked. "I can go and get it."

"You sure?" he asked, as I headed for the door.

I grabbed car keys from the hook by the door. "Be back soon!" I called, ignoring his question. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't stay kept up in his house forever.

I got into the car and blasted the radio. I swung out of his driveway and took off for town. It was a short drive, but felt like forever since I took all of the back roads to get there. I didn't want to be around people much. I still had the cast on too. It was becoming itchy. I asked Bobby just the other day if I could take it off myself, but he said I better leave it on for the whole time unless I wanted a crooked arm.

I pulled into the supermarket. It was small, more of a mom and pop store than anything. I grabbed milk out of the fridge and went to the checkout line.

"You ok, sweetie?" the cashier asked, looking at me concerned. "You look like death."

"I'm ok," I replied, not making any more comments. My head was starting to hurt. I blinked away the pain for the time being.

"You're Bobby Singer's niece?" a voice said from across the counter. I looked up to see the owner of the store staring at me. He was an older man, probably could be my grandfather.

"Yeah," I said. Bobby used to use that cover story when we were little and he had to take us shopping in town. I was surprised that the man recognized me. I hadn't been down here in over a year.

He gave me a stern look, but said no more. I guess Bobby's reputation as the town drunk hadn't gotten any better. I grabbed my milk and headed back to the car. The liquor store was across the street. I couldn't remember what Bobby had left at home so I went inside.

I grabbed whiskey and a six pack and took it to the counter. "ID?" he questioned. I handed him mine. I handed it back and he rung me up. I wouldn't make the mistake I made that last time again. I put the alcohol into the seat next to me and sped back towards Bobby's.

I saw another car in the lot and immediately grabbed my knife from my boot. Dylan wouldn't grab some random car when he had his bike. He would have to be really desperate, meaning that something was very wrong. I walked to the door and found it half open.

"Bobby?" I called, holding the bottle of whiskey and my knife. "I got the –"

Dean was standing in Bobby's kitchen. I dropped the bottle on the floor, sending glass everywhere. My heart plummeted to the floor. This was all Sam's fault. We should have burned the body. Now he was possessed and stalking us.

Bobby looked at me, his eyes slightly teary. What the hell was he doing? Making friends with it? I ignored him and swung at Dean. Bobby grabbed my arms. "Get out of my brother, you shithead!" I yelled, fighting him.

Dean put his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, whoa," he said. "Ankle biter, it's really me. Look." He showed me a cut on his arm. I calmed down so I could look to Bobby who nodded.

I wrestled myself out of his grip. "You're a demon then," I stated, staring at him. Dean looked to the table where a flask of holy water was sitting. He picked it up and drank out of it. I watched, dumbfounded.

I ran up to him and hugged him as hard as I could. I was probably hurting him as he crippled into my embrace. "Sorry," I whispered, but I still didn't let go.

"For what?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said, letting go with a small laugh. "I don't know." I sighed. "But... how did you bust out?" I asked, struggling not to cry. I backed away from him slightly, still worried. Dean kept his eyes on me and my knife. He knew I wouldn't hesitate

"I don't know. I just, uh, I just woke up in a pine box..." Dean stated.

Dean walked into the living room to sit down. I followed like a lost puppy. I was still in a state of awe. There was something very wrong about all this. How in the hell was Dean back? I had tried myself to get him back, but every demon I asked had nothing to say about it. It was impossible, and yet here he was staring back at me.

That's when I was reminded of my dream. I had seen his hand shoot out from the ground just last week. Had I seen what was going to happen? Did the angels show me that? Were angels even real or were they a trick? My mind was reeling.

"What the hell happened to your arm?" he asked me, lifting my casted arm closer to his face.

I took it away from him. "My arm? Dean you're back from the dead!"

"But... that don't make a lick of sense," Bobby stated, at a loss.

"Yeah," Dean scoffed. He had moved on from the arm thing. "Yeah, you're preachin' to the choir."

"Dean. Your chest was ribbons, your insides were slop. And you've been buried _four months_," Bobby added. "Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit –"

"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject," Dean nodded.

I shook my head. "What do you remember?" I asked.

"Not much. I remember I was a Hellhound's chew toy, and then... lights out," Dean stated. "Then I come to six feet under, that was it."

I sat down on the couch across from Dean. I was still staring at him, scared he would disappear at any moment. "Sam's number's not working," Dean stated, not looking at anyone. "He's, uh... he's not..."

"Oh, he's alive," I replied, quickly. "As far as I know." I added that as an afterthought.

"Good..." he sighed. He then looked at me and frowned. "Wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"

"We haven't talked to him for months," Bobby said, shaking his head.

"You're kidding; you just let him go off by himself?" Dean demanded. He looked from Bobby to me. "Lexis, you left him?"

"He was dead set on it," Bobby said.

My face stung where it had been hit. "_He_ left," I added, looking at the floorboards. "He left me."

"Bobby, you should've been looking after him," Dean admonished.

Bobby scoffed. "I tried. These last month's haven't been exactly easy, you know. For him or her or me. We had to bury you."

Dean frowned. "Why did you bury me, anyway?"

"I wanted you salted and burned," I stated. "A hunter's pyre, like dad's. But... Sam wouldn't have it."

Dean smiled softly. "Well, I'm glad he won that one."

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow," Bobby stated. "That's about all he said."

Dean immediately looked to me. "What did Sam do?" he asked me. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," I said. "Sam tried to make a deal, but it was a no go. Then he ditched me here."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"He took off. Wouldn't return my calls," I said. I didn't mention what I had been doing at this point. "I tried to keep tabs on him, but he didn't want me to be able to get to him."

"Oh, dammit, Sammy," Dean swore.

"What?" Bobby asked, confused.

"Oh, he got me home okay. But whatever he did, it is bad mojo," Dean replied.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked. "Maybe for once this isn't a bad thing."

"You should have seen the grave site," Dean said, shaking his head. "It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this... this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this."

He took his jacket off and lifted his sleeve to show a bright pink handprint on his upper shoulder. My jaw dropped. "What the hell is that?"

"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out," Dean said, fixing his shirt.

"But why?" I demanded.

"To hold up their end of the bargain," Dean answered.

"Dean, I told you," I sighed. "Sam tried to make a deal. There was no chance. I swear. Unless he found a demon willing – "

"It's what I would have done," he shrugged. "When's the last time you talked to him?"

I thought back to when Ruby called me to go and help Sam. I don't think I really helped all that much. I think I just scared him back into reality. Sam had pulled a demon out of its shell, much like I had but much differently at the same time. I was close to the answer with that one, but I shook my head. "I haven't talked to him since he left."

I still don't know why I covered for him.

Dean looked to Bobby. "Can I use your phone?" He dialed the phone company. "Yeah, hi, I have a cell phone account with you guys, and uh, I lost my phone. I was wondering if you could turn the GPS on for me." There was a pause. "Yeah. Name's Wedge Antilles. Social is 2-4-7-4. Thank you."

He hung up and went to the laptop I pulled out for him. "How'd you know he'd use that name?" Bobby asked.

"You kiddin' me? What don't I know about that kid?" Dean asked, shaking his head. He searched for a moment, and then looked at the table. There were liquor bottles everywhere. "Hey, Bobby? What's the deal with the liquor store? What are your parents out of town or something?"

"Like I said," Bobby explained. "Last few months ain't been all that easy."

Dean stared at him for a moment. "Right." The laptop beeped at him and a map popped up on the screen. Sam's location showed on the screen. Pontiac Illinois.

"Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois," I stated.

"Right near where you were planted," Bobby acknowledged.

"Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" Dean asked, frowning. He slammed the laptop closed a little too forcefully. "We should go."

"Go?" I asked, grabbing a broom. I still had to pick up the glass from when the bottle smashed to the ground. "Now?"

"Yes now," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Sam made a deal for my life and I need to kill him." I swept the glass up not saying anything. "What?" Dean asked, exasperated.

"I don't think he made a deal, Dean," I sighed. "I really don't." I didn't say anything about my dream, or Castiel the angel. I still wasn't sure where I even stood on that front.

"Then what happened?" he demanded, angrily.

"I don't know," I replied.

"What happened between you two?" he asked.

I looked away. I didn't want to think about me and Sam right now. It was too much and I had many other things on my mind. I rubbed my forehead. I needed my pills.

"He hit her," Bobby retorted.

"Bobby," I warned.

"He what?" Dean asked, confused. "Sam wouldn't…did he?" I slowly nodded. Dean took the broom away from me. "C'mon, we're going."

I went upstairs and grabbed a bag. I didn't realize I was shaking until I was trying to open my pill bottle. The stupid child safety lock was giving me issue. I couldn't believe that this was happening. Dean was back, we were going to find Sam, and we were all insane. Dean was pretending to be fine, but I could see the fear behind his eyes. It was the same fear I had inside me. The fear that you felt you had no control over your own life anymore

I popped a few pills in my mouth and headed downstairs. "Ready?" I called, as Bobby grabbed his weapons bag from the basement.

"Yeah," Dean said, walking out the door.

I followed him into one of Bobby's old broken down cars he had fixed up in the last week. We started driving in silence. I think everyone was still trying to figure out what was going on right now. It was so confusing. Why did everything have to be so confusing?

"Why don't you try to get some rest?" I asked, as Dean struggled to keep driving in a straight line.

"I rested for four months," he replied. I didn't say anything more about it. "Did Sam really hit you?" he asked.

"I think he was scared," I remarked. "We were all scared."

"That's not really a good excuse," he shot back.

"Don't be mad at him, Dean," I sighed. "We have enough going on."

We finally made it to Astoria Motel in Pontiac Illinois. It was a rundown joint, definitely a pay by the hour kind of place. I followed Dean and Bobby to room 207 where Sam was staying. I couldn't help but feel he was going to be all kinds of messed up in there. Dean knocked on the door.

Ruby answered the door wearing the same meat suit I had seen her in last time. The only difference was that this time, she was naked. She looked from Dean to Bobby to me. She seemed to linger longer on me, like she was trying not to look at Dean. "So where is it?" she asked.

Dean looked to Bobby confused. "Where's what?"

"The pizza... that takes two guys and some girl to deliver?" she asked. She was staring hard at me. I looked away. She was playing it off like she didn't know us, but why?

"I think we got the wrong room," Dean remarked.

Sam stepped up behind Ruby. He looked weary, like we woke him up. As soon as he saw us his face went stony. He looked like he didn't know what to think. I knew that feeling like the back of my hand at this point.

"Heya, Sammy," Dean said slowly. Sam was silent as a rock, tensed. Dean stepped past Ruby to get into the motel room. As Dean got close, Sam pulled a knife and lunged.

"Stop!" I screamed pulling at Sam's arms. "It's really him! Stop!"

"Who are you?!" Sam demanded, ignoring my pleas. It took Bobby prying Sam off Dean to make him stop.

Dean scoffed. "Like you didn't do this?!"

"Do what?!" Sam asked, confused.

"It's him. It's him. I've been through this already, it's _really_ him," I kept yelling.

Sam finally stopped fighting us. "What…" He seemed at a loss for words.

"I know. I look fantastic, huh?" Dean smirked, motioning to his body.

I let go of Sam and he lunged at Dean again, but this time with open arms. They hugged and I couldn't help but smile. Sam and I might be at odds, but we were still siblings.

"So are you two like... together?" Ruby asked.

I opened my mouth to confront her, but Sam interjected. "What? No. No. He's my brother."

"Uh... got it. I... I guess. Look, I should probably go," she stated.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's probably a good idea," I stated.

"Sorry," Sam said, pushing me aside.

She grabbed her shirt and slipped it on. "So call me."

"Yeah. Yeah, sure thing, Kathy," Sam said, shooing her out the door.

She looked disappointed. "Kristy."

"Right," Sam said, shutting the door on her. I raised my eyes at him, but he ignored me like nothing had happened.

I sat on the bed, watching Dean from afar. "So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean asked, no longer smiling.

"The girl?" Sam asked, with a smile. "I don't pay, Dean."

Dean frowned. "That's not funny, Sam." He stood over Sam, who had sat down. "To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?"

"You think I made a deal?" Sam asked, in shock.

"That's exactly what we think," Bobby interjected.

"Well, I didn't," Sam replied, at a loss.

"Don't lie to me," Dean stated, coldly.

"I'm not lying," Sam said, shaking his head.

I had been right. He didn't do anything. My mind kept going back to the angel from my dream. They might be able to do this. I wanted so badly to talk to Bobby.

"So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy? I didn't want to be saved like this," Dean added, ignoring Sam.

"Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?" Sam said, standing up.

Dean grabbed Sam by the shirt. "There's no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!" he yelled.

Sam glared. "Did she get the same treatment?" he asked. "Maybe she did something!"

"She was with Bobby the whole time!" Dean yelled. "Unlike you, who ran off?"

"You sure about that?" Sam asked, looking to Bobby who looked guilty. I looked away.

Sam broke Dean's grip. "I tried everything. That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."

"Its okay, Sammy," Dean said, sitting back down. "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

He looked over to me. "Lex?"

"I didn't do anything, I swear," I stated. "I'm not gonna say I didn't try, but this wasn't me."

Dean nodded. He had given up.

Bobby sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm gladdened that Lexie's and Sam's souls remain intact, but it does raise a sticky question."

"If they didn't pull me out, then what did?" Dean asked.

I started to hear whispers in the back of my mind. I cringed to myself. Every time I was emotional they got worse. I put my head in my hands.

Sam handed me a beer and I was more than thankful. "What happened to your arm?" he asked, softly. I glared at him, not giving him the benefit of an answer. I drank the beer down faster than I should have in front of Dean, but the relief in my head was worth it.

"You're not going to answer me?" he asked.

"Why should I?" I demanded.

"Whoa, ok, you two. Cool it," Dean said. "So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?" Dean asked, motioning to around the room.

"Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback," Sam explained.

"All by yourself," Bobby accused. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby," Sam stated. "I should have called. I was pretty messed up."

"Messed up," I scoffed. Sam shot me a look.

Dean picked up a pink flowered bra off the table. "Oh yeah. I really feel your pain."

Sam shrugged, but I saw his smile. "Anyways, uh, I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."

"When?" I asked.

"Yesterday morning," Sam replied.

Dean looked to Bobby. "When I busted out."

"You think these demons are here 'cause of you?" I asked. "But why?"

"Well, I don't know – some badass demon drags me out and now this?" Dean asked. "It's gotta be connected somehow."

"How you feelin', anyway?" Bobby asked.

Dean shrugged. "I'm a little hungry."

"No, I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange, or different?" Bobby asked.

"Or demonic?" Dean asked. He shook his head. "Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me?"

"Yeah. Well, listen," Bobby went on. "No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."

"Well, I feel fine," Dean shrugged.

"Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning. We got a pile of questions and no shovel," Sam added. "We need help."

Bobby perked up. "I know a psychic. A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking."

Dean nodded. "Hell yeah, it's worth a shot." I knew that Dean was desperate for answers if we were going to go to a psychic for answers. Not that we didn't believe in them, but Dean didn't like to deal with the hocus pocus of it all.

"I'll be right back," Bobby said, going to call.

Dean went to follow, and Sam stopped him. "Hey, wait," he said, standing. He took off Dean's amulet. "You probably want this back."

Dean looked touched. "Thanks," he said, putting it back on.

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, don't mention it."

"Here," I said, pulling the silver handled pistol out of my pants. "This is yours too."

He took it. "What, did you two divvy up my stuff?" he questioned. Sam and I exchanged a glance, but said nothing.

"Hey Dean, what was it like?" Sam asked, suddenly.

"What, Hell? I don't know, I, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing," Dean replied.

Sam nodded. "Well, thank God for that."

"Yeah," Dean breathed. He headed for the bathroom.

Sam grabbed my arm. "Don't say anything about Ruby," he pleaded.

I glared at him. "We're keeping secrets again?" I asked. "It hasn't even been a day."

"Lex…"

"Relax, Sammy," I said, wrenching my arm out of his grip. "If I was going to say something I would have already."

We all walked out of the motel room together, meeting Bobby outside. "She's about four hours down the Interstate. Try to keep up," Bobby said, getting in his car.

"I assume you'll want to drive," Sam said, pulling the keys out of his pocket and tossing them to Dean.

Dean chuckled to himself. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He went up to the car and patted the hood. "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"

I got into the backseat and settled in. It felt weird to be back in this car, all three of us. "What the hell is that?" Dean asked, pointing to the radio.

"That's an iPod jack," Sam replied, like it was obvious.

Dean glared. "You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up."

Sam smirked. "Dean, I thought it was my car."

Dean sneered and started the car. The radio came on, with Sam's iPod playing. Dean rolled his eyes and yanked it out. "Really?" he asked, tossing it into the backseat. We settled into our familiar seats and took off after Bobby down the highway.

The sun had gone down, leaving nothing but the street lights to show the way. "There's still one thing that's bothering me," Dean began.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, looking over.

"Yeah, the night that I bit it. Or... got bit," he chuckled slightly at his own joke. "How'd you make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."

"Well, she tried," Sam stated. "She couldn't."

"What do you mean, she couldn't?" Dean asked.

"She fired this, like, burning light at me, and... didn't leave a scratch," Sam remarked, thinking back to it. I thought as well, remembering how the light seemed not to reach me. At the time, I had been too preoccupied to care.

"Like we were immune or something," I added, thinking aloud.

Dean frowned. "Immune?"

"Yeah. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me," Sam scoffed. "She left pretty fast after that."

"Huh," Dean remarked. "What about Ruby, where is she?"

There was a split second of tense silence. "Dead," Sam said. "For now."

Dean paused for a moment. "So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?" Dean asked.

"No," Sam answered.

"Lex?"

"Nope," I said, shaking my head.

"You two sure about that? Well, I mean, now that you've got... immunity, whatever the hell that is... just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on," Dean stated.

"Nothing, Dean," Sam said. "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish."

"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way," Dean stated.

We arrived at Pamela the psychics and knocked on the door. She opened the door. She was a lot younger than I was imagining in my head. She also didn't look like a crazy person. "Bobby!" she said happily, pulling him into a huge hug.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bobby remarked, smiling.

Pamela stepped back and analyzed the rest of us. "So, these the boys?" she asked. "And their sister?"

"Sam, Dean, Alexis," Bobby introduced. "This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."

Dean immediately put on his flirt smile and nodded. "Hey."

"Hi," Sam and I said awkwardly.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. Dean Winchester," she remarked, staring at him. "Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

"If you say so," Dean smirked.

Pamela stepped aside. "Come on in."

"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked as the door closed behind us.

"I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why," Pamela said with a sigh.

"So what's next?" I asked, looking around her house. It was dark in here.

"A séance, I think," Pamela stated. "See if we can see who did the deed."

"You're not gonna... summon the damn thing here," Bobby asked.

Pamela smiled. "No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal."

Dean threw his hands up. "I'm game."

I shared a look with Sam and we both abruptly looked away. Pamela covered the table with a black table cloth that had symbols on it that I wasn't familiar with.

"Who's Jesse?" Dean asked.

I looked over to see him pointing to Pamela's tattoo. It was on her lower back and said Jesse Forever. Pamela just asked. "Well, it wasn't forever."

"His loss," Dean responded without a hitch.

"Might be your gain," She winked.

"Dude, I am so in," Dean said to Sam with a huge grin.

"Yeah, she's gonna eat you alive," Sam replied, rolling his eyes.

Dean shrugged. "Hey, I just got out of jail. Bring it."

Pamela crossed paths with Sam. "You're invited too, grumpy."

Sam blushed. Dean turned on him. "You are NOT invited."

"OK, that's enough testosterone," I said, separating him. "Let's do what we came here for, yeah?" I sat down at the table across from Pamela. She lit six pillar candles and placed them in the center of the table.

"Right," she said. "Take each other's hands." I grabbed Sam's on my right and Dean's on my left. "And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."

Dean jumped. "Whoa. Well, he didn't touch me there," he stated.

Pamela smirked, obviously not upset. "My mistake."

Dean looked around nervously for a moment before pulling his outer shirt off and showing her his shoulder with the nasty hand mark.

Pamela put her hand over the brand. "Okay," she stated. "Eyes closed." I closed my eyes, but felt very uncomfortable. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle." Pamela chanted this over and over. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle."

A TV set flicked onto static. I peeked at it. "I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel?"

I heard that name and my eyes flew open. "No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy." She added.

"Castiel?" I asked, desperately.

"Its name. It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back," she said. She didn't seem fazed.

The table began to shake. "Maybe we should stop," I stated.

"I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face," she chanted on.

The rattling became more violent. "Pamela…" I said slowly.

"I almost got it. I command you, show me your face!" she went on. "Show me your face now!"

Pamela screamed. The candles flared like someone poured lighter fluid on them. Her eyes flew open, white hot. She collapsed to the floor. Everything stopped.

Bobby barely caught her, hitting the floor. "Call 9-1-1!" he yelled. Sam scrambled into the next room.

I got up and looked over the table to Pamela. She was alive, and conscious. Her eyes opened again to empty sockets, burned and scarred. "I can't see! I can't see!" she sobbed. "Oh god!"

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPNPSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSN SPNSPNSPN

I was still shaking. Castiel, the same thing that had talked to me in my dream and told me that he was an angel had just burned out Pamela's eyeballs. I tried to take a sip of my water and nearly spilled it. "Hey, whoa," Dean said, taking it away from me. "Calm down."

"Yeah," I stuttered. I really needed a fix or something. I was starting to get a major headache.

Sam came back into the diner having just called Bobby, who was at the hospital with Pamela. We would have gone with them, but all three of us were supposed to be dead and couldn't exactly be around. "What'd Bobby say?" Dean asked.

Sam sat down. "Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U."

"And blind, because of us," I added, putting my aching head in my hands.

"And we still have no clue who we're dealing with," Sam went on.

Dean shook his head. "That's not entirely true."

Sam looked confused. "No?"

"We got a name," Dean shrugged. "Castiel or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."

"You're crazy," Sam remarked. "Absolutely not."

"We'll work him over. I mean, after what he did?" Dean stated.

"Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?" I asked.

"You got a better idea?" Dean asked. I sighed and shook my head.

"I do," Sam stated. "I followed some demons to town, right? So, we go find them. Someone's gotta know something about something."

I suddenly got a really uncomfortable feeling. I looked up and saw her approaching. Something was wrong with her, I just knew it. My head was killing me.

She came to our table and set down three pieces of pie. Then, instead of walking off, sat down at the table. "You angling for a tip?" Dean asked, with a smirk.

"No Dean," I said, darkly. "She's a demon."

She smiled, and her eyes went black. The man at the counter's eyes flashed black as well, along with another waitress and the cook. We had been surrounded. I should have realized when we walked in the door that my headache wasn't because I was upset.

They locked the door. We were trapped.

The waitress at our table smiles. "Dean. To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck?"

"That's me," Dean replied, glaring.

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh?" she asked. "Tell me. What makes you so special?"

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples," he retorted. He paused, growing serious. "I don't know. Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out."

"Right. You don't," she said, obviously not believing him.

"No. I don't," he repeated.

"Lying's a sin, you know."

"I'm not lying. But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me, Flo..."

The demon tensed. "Mind your tone with me, boy. I'll drag you back to hell myself."

I moved to grab my knife, but Sam stopped me with a hand on my wrist. I relaxed slightly. "No, you won't," Dean said.

The waitress smiled. "No?"

"No. Because if you were you would have done it already," Dean stated. She looked uncomfortable. "Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers." She scoffed. "Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla. Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they're a lot stronger than you. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."

The waitress seethed. "I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs."

Dean leaned towards her and threw a right hook at her. She took it without much of a fight. He threw another. She just glared. He smirked. "That's what I thought," he remarked. I looked around the diner. All the demons were super tensed, but didn't look like they were going to attack. "Let's go, guys," he said, getting up. I followed them out.

We walked out of the diner quickly. They might not be attacking, but that was freaking scary. "Holy crap, that was close," Dean remarked.

"We're not just going to leave them in there, are we, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Well yeah, there's three of them, probably more, and we've only got one knife between us," Dean explained.

Sam shook his head. "I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately."

I thought back to what I saw back in that house with Sam. I hoped that wasn't what he was talking about, but I had a bad feeling that it was.

"Not anymore – the smarter brother's back in town," Dean said, opening the car door.

"Dean, we've got to take 'em," Sam said. "They are dangerous"

"They're scared. Okay?" Dean said. "Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We're dealing with a bad mofo here. One job at a time." He got into the car without another word.

We went back to the motel and Dean fell asleep almost immediately. I went to the bathroom and took a shower, trying to wash the fear out of my head. It wasn't helping at all. The voices were at full blast again. I got out and took a few pills. I downed a beer and sat at the table.

That was when I realized that Sam was gone. I peeked out the window and noticed the impala wasn't in the parking lot.

_Find. Him. _

My head was exploding in pain. I groaned to myself. What was that? That was so loud it felt like my eardrums were going to explode.

_FIND HIM._

I paused for a moment. Did they mean Sam? Was someone telling me to find Sam?

I looked over at Dean, who was still asleep. I opened the door to the room and went down to the parking lot. The impala was most definitely gone. I walked down the street and hotwired a car that was parked on the curb. "I can't believe I'm doing this," I stated to myself.

I already had a feeling that I was going to find Sam at the diner from earlier. I saw the Impala parked across the street. It looked empty already. "Damn it, Sammy," I sighed.

Walking up the car, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I turned around to see Sam standing behind me. "Sam, geez," I said, my hand on my chest. "You gave me a heart attack."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Me?" I questioned. "What are you doing here? Dean said we weren't – "

"Dean isn't the boss of me," he stated.

"What are you? Four?" I asked. "C'mon. We gotta get out of here."

"I'm not leaving this town full of demons," Sam stated.

I was going to continue to argue, but my phone was ringing. "Hello?" I said.

"Lex," Dean's voice stated. "What's going on? Where'd you two go?"

"I uh," Sam glared at me. "Sam went to get a drink and I had him drop me off at the, uh, store." He gave me an 'are-you-serious' look.

"For what?" Dean asked, confused.

"Girl products," I stated, hoping that would shut him up.

"God, Lex," Dean said, sounding grossed out. "Keep it to yourself."

"You asked," I retorted.

"Well where are you?" he asked. "I'll pick you up. I'm with Bobby."

"Corner of Main and Gerard," I stated, remembering where I had seen a store on the way here. I hung up. "He's coming to pick me up. I think we're going to see Pam or something."

"OK," Sam said. "Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever," I remarked and walked away. I went to the corner store and waited for Dean to get there. It only took him a few minutes. I got in the car.

"Where's the stuff you bought?" he asked.

"False alarm," I replied, taking out my pills. I popped one.

"What's that for?" he asked.

"Headache," I answered again. "Where are we going?"

"To summon Castiel."

I nearly choked. "What? Why?"

"Because we need to figure out why I'm back out of the pit," Dean answered. "Here, Bobby."

We drove off road for a few more minutes before getting to an old barn. It was falling apart but it was hidden from the road. "OK," I said when we got out. "There's something I need to tell you."

Dean looked at me expectantly.

"I had a dream," I stated. "About an angel. His name…his name was Castiel."

Dean continued to stare at me like I was speaking another language. "You think…this is an angel."

I shrugged slightly. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"Angels," Dean repeated, looking at Bobby for support. "I seriously doubt that."

"Well whatever it is," Bobby said, trying to mend the situation. "It's powerful. So we need to be careful."

Dean looked at me like I was a psycho one more time before handing me a bag. "Start marking," he commanded.

I took the bag and went into the barn. It took over four hours, but eventually we had covered the barn in every sigil we knew. Not one wall had an empty spot. Dean set up the table.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there," Dean stated to us.

"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe. How you doin?" Bobby asked.

"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife," Dean listed. "I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."

"Unless it turns out to be something we haven't heard of," I stated.

"It's not an angel, Lex," Dean retorted.

"I didn't say it was," I replied, not looking at him.

"This is still a bad idea," Bobby remarked.

"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times," Dean stated. "What do you say we ring the dinner bell?" I nodded reluctantly. He leaned over the table and added a pinch of salt to the bowl. It smoked as he chanted a phrase in Latin.

And then, nothing happened.

I looked around. "So we just wait?"

"Maybe we're on hold," Dean stated, looking around. He looked to Bobby. "You sure you did the ritual right?" Bobby gave him a nasty look. "Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?"

A loud noise rattled the roof. I looked up. It wasn't that sturdy….shit. Dean tossed me a shotgun. I caught it and breathed shakily.

"Wishful thinking, but maybe it's just the wind," Dean remarked.

The barn doors burst open. "Yeah Dean," I remarked, "The wind did that."

A man appeared, wearing a trench coat. The light bulbs shattered as he passed. Dean and Bobby fired, but I slightly lowered my weapon. "Who are you?" Dean asked when the shotguns did nothing.

"Castiel," I breathed.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," Castiel replied.

"Yeah," Dean scoffed. "Thanks for that." He lunged at him and plunged the demon knife into him. Castiel looked down and pulled it out, dropping it onto the dirt floor.

Bobby attempted to attack him next, but Castiel already had a grip on his weapon before anything could happen. He pulled Bobby towards him, touched his forehead, and let him fall to the floor.

"We need to talk, Dean," Castiel stated, stoically. "Alone."

"What did you do to Bobby?" I cried, backing away from him.

"Your friend's alive," Castiel responded. "I know you have questions, but right now they are not of utmost importance." He grabbed my arm and touched my head. Before I could even think I was out.

SPNPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNSPNPSNPSNSPNPNSPNSPNSPNSNS NPSPNSPNSPNSPN

When I finally came to, it felt like hours had passed. Dean was shaking my shoulders. "You ok?" he asked, when I opened my eyes.

"No," I said, immediately sitting up. "What happened? What did he say?"

Dean looked to Bobby for help. "He uh," Dean started. "He said he was an angel. And that God commanded me to be brought out of hell."

I looked from Bobby to Dean. "I think we should go find Sam."

"Good idea," Bobby said. "I'll drive.

We found Sam back at the motel room. "Hey," he stated. "Where were you – "

"Castiel is an angel," I blurted out. Part of me was terrified, but the other part of me was excited.

"What?" Sam asked, standing up. "You summoned him without me?"

"Can we just – Can we not talk about it for like five minutes," Dean said, going into the bathroom and slamming the door.

"What's up with that?" Sam asked, looking over at him.

I shrugged.

Bobby sighed. "Why don't you three meet me back at my place? We can deal with this there."

"Yeah, ok," Sam stated, looking back at the bathroom.

Dean, Sam and I all piled back into the Impala and started to drive. In silence.

When you haven't seen someone you love in a long time, it amazing how easy it is to fall right back into place. How easy it is to recognize everything you never actually thought of before. That was one of my first thoughts when we, Sam Dean and I, were all together again like this. We all just fell back into everything like nothing had even happened in the first place. Sam hadn't ditched me, Dean hadn't gone to hell, and I hadn't been alone. Nothing had changed at all, and yet everything was very, very different.

Dean was still Dean. He still ate like cholesterol was some made up thing that only affected others. He still taunted me about everything from my hair, to my music choices. He still made sexual innuendos and was cynical as ever. Dean was still the same, even though he woke up screaming. Sam and I pretended to ignore him, like we hadn't heard him scream bloody murder. He had this dead look in his eyes, like he knew that he wasn't supposed to be there. He was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to be in hell.

Sam was still Sam. He had chick flick moments on an hourly basis. He tried to protect me like I'm five, not eighteen. He was still secretive and moody, and spent half his time staring out the window in Sammy-land. Sam was the same, even though I hadn't talked to him in almost the same amount of time Dean had been gone. He had gotten into something when we were apart, and we all knew it. He was hiding something from Dean that I had already seen. I wished I hadn't seen it.

I was still Alexis. I still complained about the long, pointless drives. I still used my IPod as an escape mechanism. I wore Dean's or Sam's old t-shirts to bed, no matter how much they complained that I always stole their stuff. I keep stuff bottled up until I'm going to explode, and then usually do. I was the same, even though I had just spent the longest time away from both my brothers at one time. I found out that I am not part demon or whatever like Sam. I found out that whatever I am is much different, maybe something to do with angels, and even though it scares me shitless, I won't talk to Sam or Dean, or even Dylan, because they have their own problems to deal with.

Nevertheless, we were in the same old routine within minutes. Sam was brooding, Dean was hungry, and I was ignoring my brain. Dean ordered a cheeseburger, Sam got the salad, and I got chicken. We all lay awake, pretending to be asleep. We fought the damn monster, and then moved on like our muscles were not sore, we weren't bleeding, and we weren't exhausted. Dean made a perverted joke, Sam and I roll our eyes. Dean picks up yet another chick, Sam and I don't say a word. Sam gets all moody, Dean and I say nothing. I explode, and Sam and Dean pat me on the back, tell me it's all going to be okay (When we know it's not), and I pretend to believe them.

We're all alive, we're all breathing. But we're all more broken than ever.


	80. Season Four, Chapter Two

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO REREAD THE LAST CHAPTER. CHANGES WERE MADE!**

**Here you go, sorry this took so long!**

**Also, check out another story, Alexis Winchester by EmeraldPrincess14. It's a pretty good sisfic with a character of the same name as mine! I highly recommend it!**

Disclaimer: I own Alexis and Dylan.

**AGAIN. PLEASE REREAD THE LAST CHAPTER CHANGES WERE MADE. THANKS!**

Chapter Eighty

Everything was still spinning. I sat on the couch at Bobby's house, my head in my hands again. My brain was throbbing, the voices were screaming, and everything was turning upside down.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be," Sam stated, confronting Dean for the millionth time since we told him that we had summoned Castiel.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel," Dean replied, irritated. He turned away from Sam, like that might shut him up.

"Okay, look, Dean," Sam said, equally as annoyed. This was all they had been doing since they got to Bobby's and I was getting sick of it. "Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon," Dean suggested. "Demons lie."

"A demon that's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... and Ruby's knife?" I asked, mumbling. As usual, everyone ignored me.

"Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!" Sam exclaimed.

"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... ever?" Dean asked, shaking his head.

"Yeah. You just did, Dean."

Dean glared at Sam. "I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me."

"Dean, we have a theory," I replied, "He's an angel."

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please," Dean retorted.

Sam sighed. "Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I think we –"

"Okay, okay. That's the point," Dean went on. "We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"You two chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby asked, motioning to the stacks of books he had on his desk.

"I got stacks of lore - Biblical, pre-Biblical," he listed. "Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Dean demanded.

"What else, what?" Bobby asked.

"What else could do it?" Dean asked. I didn't understand why he was so desperate for some other answer when one was staring him right in the face.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing."

"Dean, this is good news," Sam stated, excitedly.

Dean looked lost. "How?"

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," I scoffed. "An angel who burned Pam's eyes out is a good guy."

"Okay. Say it's true," Dean said, ignoring my comment. "Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

"At this point, Vegas money's on yeah," Bobby stated.

"I don't know, guys…." Dean remarked.

I got up and walked out of the room. I was so sick of all this arguing. I needed some relief. I hadn't taken any pills in awhile. I could get away with what I wanted with just Bobby, but Dean and Sam were always on top of me. That was what I got for being the youngest. I went into the bathroom and took two of them. I gripped the sink, wavering.

I went back into the other room, slowly blinking. I placed myself back on the couch.

"Because why me? If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?" Dean asked. "I mean, I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

"Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs," Sam suggested.

"Well, that creeps me out," Dean remarked. "I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by... God." He had a point there.

"Okay, well, too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat," Sam replied, throwing his hands in the air.

"Fine. What do we know about angels?" Dean asked, looking to Bobby for help.

Bobby picked up a pile of books and slammed it on the table in front of Dean. "Start reading."

"You're gonna get me some pie," Dean stated, looking at Sam. He picked up a book and tossed it at me. I was so out of it, the book almost smacked me in the face. "And you're gonna start reading."

I rolled my eyes, but cracked open the book. I stared at the words, barely reading them. They didn't feel like they were really in front of me. Nothing seemed to be like how I wanted it to be. I wanted to go back to when my life seemed simple. Dean was in charge, he always knew what to do, and nothing was this complicated. I wanted Sam to be that person that I could talk to with no problem. I didn't want to cover for him. I just wanted us to all be honest with each other.

That was when I realized that I couldn't remember when I felt that way.

"Alexis," a voice said.

I looked up to see Castiel standing in front of me. "Whoa," I gasped, taken aback. I looked around. Dean and Bobby were nowhere to be found. "What the hell?"

Castiel frowned. "I do not understand your question."

I frowned. "What are you doing here? What do you want? Why did you get Dean out of hell?"

"That is not important right now," he replied, not looking at me. He was staring out the window behind me. "You need to stop this reckless behavior. Important events are going to take place and we do not want you to be under the influence."

I stood up. "Who is we?" I asked.

"Heaven," Castiel replied, sounding bored.

"Heaven doesn't want me to be on pills anymore," I stated. I stood up. "This is like some bad Christian soap opera."

"You've been warned," he stated.

"Alexis," Dean shouted. "Alexis!"

I opened my eyes. "What?" I asked. I had been dreaming again. Why did he keep warning me? Why did the angels give a crap about what I did?

"You just like passed out," Dean stated. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, pushing him off. He looked a little hurt. "I'm just tired, ok?"

Bobby came rushing into the living room again. "We need to go."

"Go?" I asked, "We just got back."

"My friend? The one I called about this angel thing?" he explained. "She hasn't answered any calls. Something's wrong." He grabbed his ammo bag and headed outside.

Dean and I did the same and followed. Sam pulled back into the driveway. "Keep the engine running," Bobby said.

"Why? What's going on?" he asked, worriedly.

"I got a friend one state over - Olivia Lowry," Bobby said. "I've been trying to reach her for three days on this angel thing. It's not like her to ignore this many calls."

"Olivia Lowry - a hunter, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. We're gonna go check on her. You guys follow me," he called, getting into his own car.

"Scoot over," Dean said, pushing Sam out of the driver's side.

I climbed in the back seat. "Dude?" Dean asked, looking inside the bag of food Sam brought back. "Where's the pie?"

Sam looked sheepish. Dean threw the bag at his head. "Forgot the pie," he mumbled. He took off for Olivia's house.

We made it there in record time. I was shocked that we had run off here instead of dealing with our problems. It seemed like we always did things that made no sense. Dean handed me a gun out of the trunk. I felt the familiar tug of being on a hunt with my family. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or not.

Bobby led the crusade inside the house. "Olivia?" he called.

Olivia was dead on the floor, covered in her own blood. I grimaced. "That's not good," I stated.

Bobby just walked away. "Bobby?" Dean called from the other room. I followed his voice to Sam, pointing at a salt line.

"Olivia was rocking the EMF meter," Dean said, picking on off the floor.

I nodded. "Spirit activity."

"Yeah - on steroids," Dean scoffed. "I never seen a ghost do this to a person. "

Bobby walked in, phone in hand. "Bobby, you all right?" I asked.

"I called some hunters nearby..." he stammered.

"Good. We can use their help," Dean said.

"...except they ain't answering their phones either," he stated.

"Something's up, huh?" Sam asked.

"You think?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Bobby walked away, clearly annoyed with this whole situation. I had to say, I was annoyed as well.

Dean motioned at me to follow him. "Stick close. I think this is happening to hunters."

"Hunters?" I asked. "Dean, this is like, one person's death."

"Well something is telling me this isn't a coincidence. Call Dylan."

Dylan. At the sound of his name I nearly panicked. He had no idea any of this was going on at all. Boy was he going to be shocked. I dialed his number and got his answering machine. "Hey, Porter it's me. Something's up. Get to Bobby's asap."

I hung up, hoping that he was ok.

We headed around to the closest hunters house. His name was Jed. I never met him, but I was pretty sure he had helped out my dad when he was in a bind once. Once we got there, we knew we were way too late. There was blood all over the walls. He looked even worse than the last girl.

Dean called Bobby to tell him the bad news. "We're in Jackson. It's not pretty. He looks even worse than Olivia. What about you?" he asked.

"I checked on Carl Bates and R.C. Adams. They've redecorated... in red," Bobby replied.

"What the hell is going on here, Bobby? Why did a bunch of ghosts suddenly want to gank off-duty hunters?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, but until we find out, you guys better get your asses to my place," he answered.

"We're on our way," Dean stated, closing his phone.

I leaned forward and asked the one question all of us were wondering. "Should we be worried?"

Dean seemed uncomfortable. "I don't know yet."

We drove until eventually Dean and Sam switched places. Dean fell asleep in the passenger seat. "Hey, pump gas," Sam said, pulling into the gas station. "I gotta go to the bathroom."

I slid out of the backseat and to the gas pump. My head was killing me again. I contemplated going into the trunk for a pill, but I knew it would wake Dean up. I leaned against the car and breathed the best I could through the pain. I opened my eyes. I could see my breath.

"Dean," I called. "Dean!"

"What?" he asked, groggily.

"Sam's in trouble," I replied, looking towards the bathroom.

Dean immediately went into big brother mode and took off. He came back with Sam, who was bloody and bruised. Dean motioned at me to get the door. I tried to help him get Sam into the car, but Dean took over all of the heavy lifting.

"What happened?" I asked, hysterical.

"Drive," he said, toppling into the car after Sam.

"What happened to Sam?" I asked, again.

"LEX DRIVE!" Dean yelled again. I slammed on the gas, taking off towards Bobby house. I wasn't sure what I was running from, but then again I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

I drove three more miles before I pulled over again. Sam was nearly passed out in the passenger seat, Dean shoved in the seat next to him. He opened the door and stumbled out ungracefully. "What was that, huh?" he asked, when I joined him on the other side of the car.

"What was what?" I asked, looking at Sam still.

"Since when do you question what I tell you to do, huh?" he asked. "I tell you to drive, you drive!"

"I…." I paused. He was sort of right. I never would have stopped to ask questions before. I always jumped when Dean told me to jump without a moment's hesitation. I looked from Sam to Dean. "I'm sorry, I was worried about Sam."

"What's up with you?" Dean asked, still staring at me. "What happened to you? Did that car accident mess with your head? Huh?"

"I don't know!" I yelled back. "Would you just tell me what happened to Sam?"

Sam moaned. "Mad spirit," he replied. "Can we go?"

Dean and I stared at each other for a moment. "Yeah, I gotta call Bobby." He got into the car and I followed, getting into the backseat. "Damn it, Bobby! Pick up!" Dean said, slamming his hand on the wheel. He looked to Sam. "How you feeling, huh? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"None," Sam scoffed. "I'll be fine, Dean."

"Henriksen?" Dean demanded.

"What?" I asked. "Henricken attacked you?"

"Yep," Sam groaned. He adjusted himself in the seat, obviously not comfortable after the bad beating he took. I grimaced for him.

"Why? What did he want?" I asked.

"Revenge, 'cause we got him killed," Sam retorted.

I said nothing to that. "Sam," Dean complained.

"Well, we did, Dean," Sam argued.

"All right. Stop right there," Dean said, shaking his head. "Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay? I can't get a hold of Bobby, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all."

I stopped thinking at that point. My head was still killing me so it helped to just zone out for a moment. I stared at the top of the car, realizing that I couldn't remember when I last slept. I was so freaking tired.

"Alright, we're here," Dean announced way too soon.

I got out of the car and was handed a gun. "Be careful," Dean remarked. "And would you listen to me?"

"Ok, relax," I whispered urgently. "What's with the third degree?"

He ignored me and headed up to the front door. There was a fire poker lying on the ground. That wasn't exactly a good sign that he was ok. "Bobby?" Dean called. "I'll go up, Lex you go down, Sam you check outside."

I nodded and headed throughout the house. The kitchen was empty, but there was a knife out of the block. I slowly put it back, wondering what the heck was going on. What was attacking and killing hunters all of the sudden?

"Alexis," a voice stated behind me. I swung around, already pointing my gun.

Ron, from the case with the shape shifter a long way back was staring at me. "Remember me?" he asked.

"Ron," I replied, my arm wavering a bit. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. "What are you doing?"

"You were supposed to save me," he stated. His skin was like plastic, his eyes sunken in. He didn't look anything like he did when he was alive.

"We tried," I remarked. "We had the cops against us. You didn't know what you were doing. We tried to warn – "

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" he roared, lunging for me. I fired a shot, hoping it would keep him at bay. He only disappeared for a millisecond before throwing me across the room.

I landed with a loud crash against the fridge. "Ow," I moaned. I tried to get up, but Ron was on top of me, holding me to the floor. Where he touched burned like he was pressing a lit cigarette to my skin.

Another shot went off and Ron disappeared.

"Who the hell was that?" Dylan asked helping me up.

I sighed in relief. "I have never been happier to see you."

"That's not true," He smirked. "Remember the one time when you – "

"That doesn't matter right now," I said, pulling him towards the front of the house. Dean came clambering down the stairs.

"Holy Sh –"

"NO!" I yelled, pushing Dylan's gun down. "He's not a ghost, he's alive."

Dylan looked at me and then to Dean. "You Winchesters just don't know how to accept death, do you?" he asked, shaking his head.

"We're stubborn like that," Dean replied, patting him on the shoulder. He looked to me, still out of breath. "Where's Sam?"

Sam came towards the door, nearly carrying Bobby. "I got him!" he called.

"What should we do?" I asked.

Sam dropped Bobby onto the couch in the study so he could catch his breath. "What the hell is going on?" Dylan asked.

"Ghosts," Dean replied. "Sam saw Henricksen, I just saw Meg – "

"I saw Ron," I replied, with a shrug.

"So, they're all people we know?" Sam asked.

"Not just know. People we couldn't save," Dean answered. "Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't think so."

"It was like a-a mark on her hand - almost like a brand,"

"I saw a mark, too, on Henrickson," Sam stated, nodding.

"What did it look like?" Bobby asked.

Sam closed his eyes and reached out. "Uh, paper?" he asked. I took a piece off the desk and handed it to him. He sketched for a moment and held it up.

"That's it," Dean agreed.

"I may have seen this before," Bobby stated, looking worried. "We got to move." He took off away from us. "Follow me."

"Okay, where are we going?" Sam asked, hesitating.

Bobby growled. "Some place safe, you idiot." He picked up two books on the way out and headed for the basement. I followed Sam and Dean in front of me. Dylan was behind me. He kept his hand on the small of my back.

"Hang on," I called, running upstairs.

"Where the hell are you going?" Dean yelled.

"I have to get something," I yelled back. I grabbed a pill out of my bag and ran back down before ten seconds was up. "OK, c'mon let's go."

Bobby led us to a corner of the basement I never went. There was a solid iron door that led to a room made of iron. There was a grate at the top with a pentagram carved into it. It was full of provisions, a cot, and books. I stared at the room in disbelief. "Bobby, is this...?"

"Solid iron. Completely coated in salt," he listed. "100% ghost-proof."

"You built a panic room?" Dylan asked, staring up at the pentagram.

Bobby shrugged. "I had a weekend off."

"Bobby," Dean breathed, excitedly. "You're awesome."

I sat down on the cot and grabbed salt off the shelf. "Hand me those bullets," I stated, pointing across the room.

Dylan grabbed them and collapsed on the bed next to me. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well we have to leave here eventually," I remarked. I started pushing the salt into the shells. "And I want to be prepared."

Dean and Sam started to do the same. "See, this is why I can't get behind God," Dean said, a few hours later.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"If he doesn't exist, fine," Dean shrugged. "Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason - just random, horrible, evil - I get it, okay. I can roll with that." He paused for a moment. "But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"

Sam smirked. "I ain't touching this one with at 10-foot pole."

"Found it," Bobby stated.

"Found what?" I asked.

"The symbol you saw - the brand on the ghosts..." he explained. "Mark of the Witness."

"Witness?" Sam asked. "Witness to what?"

"The unnatural," Bobby went on. "None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts - they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them... on purpose."

"Who?" Dylan asked.

"Do I look like I know?" Bobby replied. "But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called "the rising of the witnesses." It figures into an ancient prophecy."

"Wait, wait," I stated. "What - what book is that prophecy from?" I already knew the answer, but I had to hear it from him.

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know," Bobby remarked. "But long story short - Revelations." I grimaced. "This is a sign, guys."

"A sign of what?" we all asked.

Bobby paused. "The apocalypse."

"Apocalypse?" Dean asked. "The apocalypse, apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence, $5-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one," Bobby went on. "The rise of the witnesses is a - a mile marker."

"Okay, so, what do we do now?" I asked.

"Road trip. Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience. Bunny Ranch," Dean nodded.

"I agree," Dylan replied. I smacked him on the arm.

"First things first," Bobby suggested. "How about we survive our friends out there?"

"Great," Dean nodded. "Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?"

"It's a spell," Bobby said, picking up a piece of paper in front of him. "To send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."

"Should work," I retorted. "Great."

"If I translate it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" Dean asked hopefully.

"So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden?" Bobby asked, rolling his eyes. "Spell's got to be cast over an open fire."

"The fireplace in the library," Dylan stated, putting his head in his hands.

"That's just not as appealing as a, uh, ghost-proof panic room, you know?" Dean said, standing up.

"Cover each other," Bobby said, preparing to open the door. I held my gun up, ready to fire. " "And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you."

"Great pep talk," I remarked.

"Ready?" He asked. He threw the door open.

We made it to the steps. Ron was sitting on them, staring at us. "Hey, Dean. You remember me?" he asked, flashing a smile Dean's way.

"Ronald, huh? With the laser eyes?" Dean asked. "I wish I could say it's good to see you."

"I am dead because of you," he yelled. "You were supposed to help me!"

Bobby shot him and he disappeared. "If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk." He headed up the stairs.

We made it all the way to the living room, where I salted the windows and entryways.

"Upstairs, linen closet - red hex box. It'll be heavy," Bobby said to Sam.

"Got it," he called, running off.

"Bobby," a little girl stated. Dean shot her.

"You," Bobby said, looking to Dylan. "Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

"Opium?" Dylan asked.

"Go!" Bobby yelled. He paused.

The two girls reappeared. "Bobby," one said. "You walked right by us while that monster ate us all up."

"You could have saved us," the other complained.

I picked up Bobby's gun and shot both of them. "What's taking Dylan so long?" Dean asked.

"I'll go," I replied, running into the kitchen.

He was standing, staring at a little girl. "I'm so sorry – "

"You let me die!" she screeched.

I hesitated but shot her. Dylan whipped around and looked at me. "Sorry," he stated, scrambling for the drawer.

Henricksen appeared next to me. "I know," I said, as he stared at me. "It's my fault you're dead. I left you behind. And the minute I heard about that explosion, I thought, "I should have known." I should have protected you."

I looked o Dylan. "Go to Bobby. I got this." Dylan took off. Henricksen threw my gun out of my hand. "Unh-unh. Not so fast," he stated. "You think you left and Lilith came and we all died in a beautiful blast of... white light? If only." He shook his head. "45 minutes."

"What?" I asked.

"Over 45 minutes," he stated. "Lilith said she wanted to have some fun. The secretary was first. Remember her? Nancy, the virgin. Lilith filleted Nancy's skin off piece by piece. Right in front of us, made us watch. Nancy never stopped screaming."

"No," I said, backing up. "Stop."

"I was the last," he went on. He came up to me. "Tell me how it's fair. You get to live - I die. You get to take all the drugs in the world, drink every minute… Why do you deserve another chance?"

He put his hands on me and I thought I was going to explode. My nose started to bleed. I screamed. Dean ran in and shot him.

"You all right?" he asked.

"No," I groaned.

"Let's go," He said, pulling me up.

We ran back to Bobby who was trying to start the spell. Ron appeared again. "Ronald. Hey, come on, man. I thought we were pals," Dean pleaded.

"That's when I was breathing," he replied. "Now I'm gonna eat you alive."

"Well...come on, I'm not a cheeseburger," Dean remarked, ready to shoot. Ron disappeared.

"Lex, Dylan," Dean said, going in front of me. "Cover Bobby."

I backed up to the desk, Dylan next to me. Wind blew through the room even though there were no windows open. That was never a good sign. Salt was displaced and we were now in the open. I looked to Dean.

Henricksen slapped Dean's gun out of his hand. "Dean," I said, throwing him mine.

He tried to shoot, but it was empty. "You threw me an empty gun!" he yelled.

"Oops," I stated. I grabbed an iron poker and slashed it through him. "Sorry," I apologized.

Meg appeared behind Bobby and shoved a hand into his back. "Dylan!" he yelled. "Fireplace!" He dropped a bowl with the ingredients in it.

Dylan picked it up and threw it into the fire. The fire turned blue, burning bright. "Bobby?" I asked, helping him up. He nodded to me, telling me he was ok.

I hated to think it was going to get worse, but I knew it would.

SPNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSP N

DEAN'S POV

We slept in the living room that night. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on everybody. I may have left them two alone when I was in hell, but now that I was back I was afraid to leave them again.

I woke up to Sam snoring in my face. I flipped over to see Castiel standing in Bobby's kitchen. I got up quietly. Lex and Sam were both conked out still.

"Excellent job with the witnesses," he stated when I joined him.

"You were hip to all this?" I asked angrily.

"I was, uh, made aware," Castiel stammered.

I glared. "Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance. You know, I almost got my heart ripped out of my chest."

"But you didn't."

I was taken aback by his uncaring tone. "I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos - you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks."

Castiel didn't seem fazed. "Read the Bible. Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier."

"Yeah?" I questioned. "Then, why didn't you fight?"

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder," Castiel replied. "We had larger concerns."

I shook my head. "Concerns? There were people getting torn to shreds down here!" I walked closer to him. "And, by the way, while all this is going on, where the hell is your boss, huh, if there is a God?"

Castiel nodded. "There's a God."

I folded my arms over my chest. "I'm not convinced," I remarked. "'Cause if there's a God, what the hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"

"The Lord works..."

I felt anger boiling in my blood. "If you say "mysterious ways," so help me, I will kick your ass." I paused. "So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses. This is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse."

"That's why we're here. Big things afoot," Castiel agreed.

"Do I want to know what kind of things?" I asked, wondering.

"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know," Castiel replied. "The rising of the witnesses is one of the 66 seals."

I shook my head. "Okay. I'm guessing that's not a show at Seaworld."

"Those seals are being broken by Lilith," Cast explained.

"She did the spell. She rose the witnesses."

"Mm-hmm," Castiel agreed. "And not just here. 20 other hunters are dead."

"Of course. She picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us," I realized.

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor," He replied uncomfortably.

"Well, we put those spirits back to rest," I stated.

"It doesn't matter. The seal was broken."

I felt annoyed. "Why break the seal anyway?"

"You think of the seals as locks on a door," Castiel began.

"Okay. Last one opens and..." I went on. This whole encounter was making me nervous.

"Lucifer walks free."

"Lucifer?" I questioned. "But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."

"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me," Castiel shrugged. "Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2,000 years?"

"To stop Lucifer." That gave me a bad feeling in my stomach. I couldn't help but look back at Sam and Lex.

"That's why we've arrived."

"Well... bang-up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice," I retorted, irritated.

"We tried. And there are other battles, other seals," he went on. "Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect."

"What do you want from me?" I asked, backing away from him. He was getting too close for comfort.

"Your sister. Alexis," he began.

"What about her," I demanded.

"She's not clean," he replied. "She needs help. Fix her."

I glared at him. "Why should I believe a damn word you say after you ditched us today?"

Castiel stared at me angrily. "There's a lot more to this than you know." He took a step towards me. "I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in."

He vanished right before my eyes.

I woke up with a start. "You all right?" Sam asked, sitting up on the couch. "What's wrong, Dean?"

"So... You got no problem believing in... God and Angels?" I asked, wiping the sleep away from my eyes.

Sam shook his head. "No, not really."

I contemplated this for a moment. "So, I guess that means that you believe in the Devil."

Sam looked at me confused. "Why are you asking me all this?"

I shook my head, at a loss for words. I looked around. "Where's Lex?" I asked.

Sam took a sip of his coffee. "I think she went outside with Dylan to work on his bike." I scoffed at him. I knew what that meant.

I went upstairs to her bag. Castiel had said she wasn't clean. I knew something was up with her as soon as I saw her. She was a damn mess, but I hadn't wanted to believe she was on something. I chalked it up to her being alone for four months. But maybe, maybe there was something going on. She had been sneaking around, jumpy, and out of it lately. I thought about how she ran upstairs before we went to the panic room. She'd been doing things like that a lot lately.

She hadn't listened to me like she used to the other day. That had given me the scare of my life. She always had listened to me, like a soldier. For her to question…

I lifted a pill bottle out of her bag. It was more than half empty. Adderall.

I threw them down on the bed. "You've got to be shitting me," I remarked. I looked around the room at all the empty beer bottles. There was an even an empty container of whiskey on the side table. What the hell was going on?

I pulled out my phone. "Hey, can you come inside for a minute?" I said to her.

"Yeah," she replied. "Be right there."

SPNSPNSNSPNSPNSPSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNSPNSPNS PNSPN

I walked into Bobby's house. The sun was so bright I couldn't see once I entered. "Hey," I said to Sam, who was walking into the kitchen. "Where's Dean?"

"Uh, upstairs," Sam replied. "I think."

I immediately got a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. I went up the steps and saw him in the room that I had been in. "What's up?" I asked, walking inside. He held up my pill bottle. I wasn't sure whether I should bother playing dumb or not. "Why are you going through my stuff," I demanded, trying to pull the bottle out of his hands.

"Have you drank today?" he asked me, avoiding my reach. "I can smell it on you. Damn it Alexis."

"What the hell do you want from me?" I asked, backing away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he roared. "Are you taking these? And then drinking?"

I didn't know how to answer that so I chose not to. He grabbed my arm. "Where are we going?" I demanded as he dragged me down the hall. He threw me into the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" I asked, starting to cry. He slammed the door behind me, locking me inside.

"You're going to be very hung over soon," he stated. "And I don't want you puking all over Bobby's house."

I was fuming. "Are you kidding me?" I demanded, kicking at the door. "Dean, let me out!" He was holding the door shut. "Dean this isn't funny!"

"I'm not doing it to be funny!" he screamed back. "You've been drunk off your ass this whole time and you're on pills."

"It's not like you haven't," I screeched, clawing at the door knob. It was like I couldn't control myself. I had to get the pills back. I had to.

"NO I HAVEN'T!" he yelled. I kicked at the door one final time before I stopped.

I sat on the edge of the tub and sobbed. "Dean, why are you doing this to me?" I asked, through my tears. I was out of control and I knew it.

"Because I love you," he retorted, unemotionally.

It was hours before I started puking. My body had become so attached to the constant high coming down was tearing me apart. I was shaking. I was hot. I was cold. I was exhausted but I couldn't sleep. I didn't know how long I had been in here.

"Dean," I called softly. I wasn't sure if he was still out there.

"Hmm," he answered.

"I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything to me. I don't know if he heard me. I don't know if I even actually said it. The voices were getting louder. I couldn't hear myself think anymore. I just let them tell my things that I didn't understand. I wondered if one of the voices was Castiel.

"You could have killed yourself you know," Dean stated, through the door.

"I tried," I admitted. I stared at the ceiling. I never noticed before, but it looked like swiss cheese.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Well I didn't have a lot to live for at the time," I stated, stoically. I puked into the toilet again. "That's how I broke my arm. I was high."

Dean stopped talking to me after that.

The next morning he opened the door. I just stared at him. "Here," he said, handing me water and aspirin. "Take it."

I took it and downed the two small pills in seconds. "Thanks," I replied.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Ankle biter," he began. "If you pull anything like that again. I will bust your ass so hard you'll wish you never even thought about it."

I nodded at him. "I'm going to bed." I crawled into the bed in the other room, noticing that all the beer bottles were missing. Dean really meant what he said.

I was so tired I couldn't even think straight. I reached into my bag and pulled out a pair of pajama shorts to wear. My clothes stank like vomit. I reached back in for a t-shirt and came out with a baggie with three pills in it. I stared at it for a moment.

I probably shouldn't take it. Dean kept his promises.

I put the baggie back in my bag.

What Dean didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

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	81. Season Four, Chapter Three

**Sorry this took so long guys. Had to get the explanations right and hunt down all the old scenes I needed! **

**Enjoy and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I own Alexis. Nothing else. **

Chapter Eighty One

I was awake. I had been awake for three, no four days straight now. I hadn't taken the pills since Dean had told me he'd kill me if he did. I had to be really careful around Dean. One slip up and I was screwed, and he had been watching me like a hawk. I was never out of his sight.

However the voices that screamed in my head kept me awake all night. Dean slept soundly on the couch. He had nightmares usually, but tonight he was quiet. He pretended that the nightmares were nothing, but I knew better. I heard him breathing heavy in the dark. I asked him about it once, and he said it was nothing; just a bad dream.

I had been to hell. I knew he was lying.

This night however was different. Sam got up in the middle of the night. He went into the bathroom for a moment, and then opened the door to leave. He looked back at Dean, then at me. I didn't move. He left without a word.

I waited fifteen minutes for him to come back before I sat up. He had snuck out? Why? Where was he going and with who? My gut told me Ruby but I wasn't sure what they were doing together. Hunting down Lilith?

I got out of bed and went to the window. The Impala was still in the parking lot. If anything, that made it worse. It meant that Sam didn't want to be found.

"Alexis," a voice said. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Castiel was standing to the left of me. "Whoa, Castiel," I said, putting a hand to my chest. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to…to explain."

"Explain?" I asked, feeling dread take over. I had wanted this for so long that I wasn't sure what I really wanted at all. "Explain what?"

"What you want to know," he said, taking a step towards me.

I instinctively took a step back. He seemed a little bit confused by this. "You don't need to be afraid," he remarked. His eyes flashed an icy blue. "I am not here to hurt you."

I looked to where Dean was sleeping on the couch. He was out cold. I thought about waking him up so I didn't have to do this alone, but I knew that I couldn't do this with him either. "OK," I said, standing still. "Go ahead."

He reached over to me and put his hand on my forehead. I felt a burning sensation all through my body. My stomach seemed to jerk forward. I closed my eyes.

I opened my eyes again in a nursery. I instantly knew where I was. The pale blue walls and the decals were so familiar to me. I had seen this room over and over in my dreams because of yellow eyes. "Castiel?" I questioned. It was eerily silent here. Castiel was nowhere to be found. I tried to leave the room and only entered it again. I was stuck in here.

I stared at the crib, wondering how in the world this was explaining. I was more confused now than ever.

Then, right in front of me, was myself.

I backed up to the opposite wall. "What the hell?" I questioned. I was standing there, bloody and bruised with yellow eyes.

Castiel appeared next to me. "What's going on?" I demanded.

"We're in your memories," he stated.

"In my – " I stuttered. I watched myself realize where I was.

The other me inched forward, peering into the crib. _"When are we?"_ past me asked.

_"The night mommy died," yellow eyes smiled, and leaned on the wall. There was a bright flash. I looked away, and then looked back to yellow eyes._ I remembered that bright flash from last time. I didn't know what it was then either.

_"I don't want to watch this," I had complained. _

_"Hang on," he said, putting a hand up. He had the creepiest smile. "This is the good part."_

_Yellow eyes appeared in front of the crib. "What are you doing?" I asked, as he leaned over the crib._

_"Trying to get rid of you" he said. "Those stupid—"he cut off, and sighed. "And well I was interrupted," he sighed, as the door creaked open._

I looked to Castiel. "Why am I watching this again?" I asked.

_Yellow eyes stopped leaning over, and my mother stared._

_"You," she said, and then was pushed against the wall. She slowly slid up the wall, wincing in pain as she went. I was crying in the crib. _I looked to Cas, to Yellow eyes, and then back to myself. This was painful to watch no matter how many times I watched it.

_"Stop," I had said, watching with wide eyes. "Stop, I don't want to see this."_

_"You already have," he said, pointing to baby me. "Technically, anyway."_

_She ended up on the ceiling, where her abdomen was bleeding. It dripped down. My father ran in. "Mary?" he questioned_.

I watched myself start to cry. "Castiel," I breathed. I didn't know where to look anymore. I was so confused_. "Alexis," my dad smiled, and moved the slight amount of hair out of my face. I just looked at him._

I closed my eyes this time as he looked up. _"What—"He looked up to see my mother. "Mary, god, Mary, no!" he said, and grabbed me._

_Dean came running in._

_"Dad—"_

_"Take your sister and your brother outside," my father said, without a second glance. "Now, Dean, go!"_

"Castiel I want to leave," I stated. I felt the pull on my stomach again. I was facing a tree. Castiel stared at me. "I already saw that Castiel. How is showing me my memories explaining anything?" I turned away from him in anger.

That was when I realized I was in another memory. I was in a cemetery. Past me was sprawled on the ground, Yellow eyes standing over me menacingly. "What is this for?" I asked, Castiel. He was gone.

"Fuck," I swore. This was the most frustrating way to 'explain'. I was never letting Castiel do this again.

I walked towards the scene in front of me. Yellow eyes pulled other me to my feet.

_"I got to ask," I had said, as he pulled me up. "Why do you want to kill me so bad if at first you made me?"_

_He smirked. "Oh sweetie, you're not one of mine. I didn't give you any of my sweet blood. You're not even close."_

_"Then why?" I demanded._

_"Don't know what to tell you," he said. "Not even sure what to call it. A divine intervention?" He shrugged, tightening his grip on me. "Too bad it didn't work."_

"He's right," Castiel stated.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. "What do you mean he's right?" I asked. "Castiel why can't you just – "

"I'm trying to show you," he stated, glaring at me. "Watch closely."

I was staring at the impala. I sighed. "What now…" I grumbled. I walked up to the door and got inside. At least this was somewhere I was familiar with.

_Dean, Sam and past me all got into the car. I was holding my arm, like I was in pain. However, when I moved my hand, the cut was tiny. I gasped in the past. _

_"What?" Dean asked, turning around._

_I stammered and shook my head. "Nothing, just, uh, scared myself I guess."_

Dean gave me a confused look but said nothing and started to drive off. I remembered the fear that I had then. The confusion that racked my brain for weeks. I didn't understand why Castiel was showing me this at all.

"Castiel!" I yelled. "C'mon just tell me already. Just tell me what's going on!"

I was teleported to another familiar scene.

I was in the police station again back when Henrickson thought that he caught us. Everything was in chaos. Demons were everywhere. Past me jumped into action and onto a demon.

It screamed at my touch. I was shocked for a moment, but she grabbed my arm, throwing me to the ground. I pulled her off and she screamed again. She was thrown across the room, away from me.

_"How did you do that?" Dylan had asked._

I was pulled away from this scene and into another one.

_Baliel was standing in front of past me and scoffed. "Am I speaking another language?" He paused. "You're not like your brother. That's all I know. Azazel didn't need you. He only wanted Sam."_

_"Then why was he in my room that night?" I had asked. "Why did he kill my mom?"_

_"Look," the demon said, lowering his eyes. "I don't know anything about his plans. Maybe you should've asked him before you killed him."_

_I huffed in annoyance and backed off as Dylan stepped forward. "So what you're telling us is that you have no idea where her powers come from__?"_

Once again I was whipped away. I was back in the motel room where I had started. I felt like I was going to throw up. "Castiel!" I called. He was standing in front of me. "What the hell are you trying to do?" I asked, annoyed. "Confuse the hell out of me?"

I peered over at the couch for a moment. Dean was gone. "Where's Dean?" I asked.

"You still do not understand…" Castiel stated, seeming disappointed. "I had thought this would work."

"Thought this would –" I stammered. I was at a loss for what to do. "Castiel, please. Just tell me what you want me to know."

"This," he stated.

I was in the nursery again. I groaned inwardly. "Castiel, we just saw this."

"Watch," He commanded.

I turned towards the crib. This time, I did not appear in the past. The bright light shown again, but this time it did not burn my eyes. Rather, it appeared like a figure hovering over me. The light shown so bright, and some of it seemed to transfer over to baby me.

"What is that?" I demanded. "Is that an angel? What's he doing?"

The light disappeared as fast as it came. Seconds later yellow eyes appeared. I couldn't tell before, but he was visibly upset about something.

"I've seen enough," I stated, looking at Cas. "Take me back."

We were back in the motel room again. "My powers are from the angels," I stated. Part of me was in shock, but another part knew that this was true. It all made sense now. Every single event. My powers were different from Sam's because I was made by the opposite of him. Now I just didn't know why. "What did he do to me?" I asked, in fear.

"He gave you part of his grace," Castiel responded. "It's still in you to this day."

"Grace," I repeated. I could feel my sanity slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. "What's grace?"

"It's what makes an angel, an angel," he explained. I sat down on the bed.

Castiel was just standing there. "Why?" I demanded. "Why did you do this to me?"

"I did nothing," he replied. "It was not a matter I was involved in."

I was so frustrated by this point. "Why did the angels interfere? Why did Yellow Eyes show up? Why did my mom end up dead?"

"I can't tell you," he replied. "But I can show you."

He reached to touch my forehead again. I appeared inside of a car, Dean and Castiel in the front seat. Dean inhaled sharply.

"Dean!" I exclaimed as he swerved on the road slightly. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," he replied. "So what? God's my co-pilot, is that it?"

Castiel just stared at him. Dean glanced back at me. "You ok?"

I was so deep in thought about what I had just learned that I barely heard him. "No," I answered honestly. I looked at him in the rearview mirror. "Are you ok?"

Dean didn't answer me. "Castiel, what is this?" He didn't answer Dean. "Well, you're a regular Chatty Cathy. Tell me something. Sam would have wanted in on this, why not bring him back?"

"You had to do this alone, Dean," Castiel stated.

"Then why am I here?" I asked. Castiel didn't answer.

"And you don't care that he's tearing up the future looking for me right now?" Dean asked, smirking.

Castiel didn't look fazed. "Sam's not looking for you."

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, leaning forward. "Where are we? Why isn't Sam wondering where we are?"

"Lex…" Dean sighed. "We're in 1973."

I stared at the back of his head. After everything that had happened to me this night, I couldn't even say that I was floored by this information. I needed a break from this crap. "Oh right, of course we are." I put my head in my hands. "And why are we in 1973?"

"I'll explain in a minute," Dean replied offhandedly. "Alright, if I do this, then the family curse breaks, right? Mom and Dad live happily ever after, and – Lex is a cheerleader and, Sam and I grow up playing little league and chasing tail?"

I choked back all my questions. "You realize, if you do alter the future, your father, you, Sam – you'll never become hunters. And all those people you saved, they'll die." Castiel looked over at Dean.

"I realize," Dean retorted.

"And you don't care?" Castiel asked.

"Oh, I care," Dean replied. "I care a lot, but these are my parents. I'm not gonna let them die again. I can't. No, not if I can stop it."

Castiel was gone.

"You wanna explain what the hell is going on now?" I demanded.

"Well when I woke up, the angel was staring at me, that was creepy," he replied. "And you were gone."

"Yeah that's a whole other story," I scoffed. He looked at me like he wanted to hear it. "You first."

"Mom and Dad are here," he started. "Mom she's….she's great, Lex. She's young, she's dating dad….but uh…"

"What?" I asked, climbing into the front seat with him.

"She's a hunter."

This information floored me. "She's one of us?" I asked, confused. "How could that, but dad and he and then…"

"I know," he said, stopping me. "I know. But there's more. Yellow eyes is here."

"He's dead," I replied, angrily.

"Not yet," Dean sighed. "We didn't kill him yet."

I threw my hands up in annoyance. "That's stupid. Time travel's stupid."

"So anyways," Dean went on. "The plan is to kill him with the colt, which is still with Elkins in Colorado. Then he never fucks with our family and we grow up happy and normal."

I was silent for a moment. "I wanna see mom," I stated.

Dean shook his head. "You will. Colt first." He sighed and stepped on the gas a little. "So where did you go?"

I was silent for a moment. "Not important right now, I'll tell you later. Let's deal with this first."

"Yeah well," he sighed, he pulled up the long drive. Even though I wouldn't see this drive for over 30 years in the future, it looked familiar. We were at Elkins house.

"Cover me," Dean said, opening the car door for me.

"With what?" I asked, throwing up my empty hands. "We don't have any weapons." Dean threw a punch at me. I dodged and grabbed his hand. "Point taken."

He headed up the drive. I followed behind him, barely thinking anymore. This was on the top 5 most insane days of my life right now, and I just wanted it to be over. Dean knelt down at the safe, breaking it open in only a few minutes. For that, I was thankful.

I heard the cocking of a shotgun behind me. I winced. "Hold it right there, friend. Drop the gun, be on your way," Elkins said calmly.

Dean slowly stood up. "Great job keeping watch," he mumbled. I glared at the back of his head. I was having a tough day, cut me a break.

Dean went to put the Colt on the top of the safe, but instead whipped it around. He pointed it at Elkins. "Lex," he snapped. I rolled my eyes, but stood behind him.

"Can't do it, Daniel," Dean replied.

Elkins wavered. "Who the hell are you?"

"A hunter, just like yourself," I called from behind Dean.

"Thief's more like it," he scoffed in return.

"I just need it for a few days," Dean explained.

Elkins shook his head. "Not happening, mister."

"Look, I have a chance to save my family's lives," Dean added, desperately. "My family. But I need this gun to do it. So if you want to stop me? Kill me."

He lowered the Colt, his other arm on me pushing me to the opposite side of wherever Elkins was pointing the shotgun. He pushed me ahead of him, turning around to look at Elkins once again. "There's some hunters in Lawrence, the Campbells," he stated.

"Never heard of them."

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "That's where she'll be."

We were allowed to walk all of the way out of his house. I looked to Dean. "That was close."

"Yeah," he scoffed. "Now to high tail it back to where Yellow Eyes will be next."

SPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNSPNSPNPNSPSNPSNSPN SPNSPNSPNSPSNPSN

"Ok," Dean said, as we approached Liddy Walsh's house. "You need to stay outside."

"What?" I demanded. "Why?"

"You're unarmed," he said, looking at me like I was crazy.

"That didn't matter earlier," I complained. "What happened to using my fists?" Dean looked at me like I was crazy.

"You want to go up against the yellow eyed demon with only your fists be my guest," he replied, pulling across from a house.

The door was busted down already, and there were clearly multiple people inside. "I don't think we're the first ones here, Dean," I said, nodding at the house.

"Stay," he called, getting out and running towards the house.

"I'm not a dog, Dean!" I yelled. I waited a few seconds, panicking. I huffed and got out of the car. Better dead than alone.

I ran inside to see the yellow eyes staring at me from some random guy's body. He was holding a blonde woman. I tried to hide my shock as I stared at her. It was my mother. Dad had been right; I really did look a lot like her.

"Let her go!" Dean yelled, holding up the Colt.

"Where'd you get that gun?" Yellow eyes asked, hiding his fear.

Yellow eyes smirked and smoked out. "Damn..." Dean remarked.

"C'mon," I said, grabbing at Dean's arm. "Let's get out of here." As much as I wanted to stare at my mother, I knew I couldn't. I was fighting the urge to latch onto her and never let go. I left the house before anyone else. I needed to get some breathing room.

"Mary, what else did he say to you?" Dean asked, as he left the house.

"I told you, just that he liked me," she repeated. She looked up at him, terrified. "What did he mean by that?"

"Liddy's a strong kid, she'll be fine," the old man said, coming out to join us in the front yard. He looked to Mary. "Are you okay?" I was taking it that this was her father, making him my grandfather.

"No, Dad, I'm pretty far from okay," she complained, clearly irritated. "Can we go?" She turned and walked towards their car.

Samuel looked to Dean. "Nice job in there."

"I missed the shot," Dean replied, shaking his head.

"Take the compliment, son. I'm saying that I was wrong about you," The man went on. He looked towards me. "Whose this?"

"My sister," Dean replied. "Alexis." I nodded. "This is Samuel."

"Hi," I said, nervously.

"We need to talk alone," Dean stated, looking back at Samuel.

"As soon as we get Mary back to the house," Samuel said, nodding towards his car. "She's pretty shaken up."

"Right," I nodded, pulling Dean towards our own car. "We'll meet you," I smiled. "C'mon Dean." We got into our own car and I moaned. "Dean, what the hell? What were you doing in there?"

"I can't kill our mother!" he exclaimed.

"You could've taken the shot, Dean," I stated.

Dean sped off.

We got back to the house where my mother grew up. I couldn't help but be fascinated by the entire thing. This was like a dream. These were the things that I never learned about my mother. I hadn't known what she was like when she was older let alone younger.

Mary headed upstairs into her bedroom. I stayed close to Dean. I needed him to keep me sane through this right now.

"We have to kill this thing now, or Mary dies," Dean said to Samuel, sitting at the dining room table.

"What? How do you know that?" Samuel demanded.

Dean pulled out our dad's journal. I wondered how he managed to get that to 1973 with him. "I just do, okay?" he stated.

Samuel scoffed. "When?"

"I don't know, maybe today, probably years from now, but it's happening, trust me," Dean went on.

"He's right," I added, standing behind Dean. "Mary's in trouble."

"So what, are you some kind of a psychic now too?" Samuel asked.

"No," Dean said, looking back at me. I shrugged. I didn't know what to say either. "Alright, listen to me," Dean stated. He leaned towards Samuel. "Now, this is gonna sound a little... actually it's gonna sound massively, massively crazy."

Samuel looked worriedly from me to Dean. "Okay."

"Mary is our mother," He started.

Samuel looked like he wanted to deck Dean across the face. "Excuse me?"

"And I am your grandson, and I know what the hell I'm talking about," He went on.

Samuel shook his head in disbelief. "You wanna run that by me again, son?"

"My real name is Dean Winchester, she's Alexis Winchester," he explained. "I was born January 24th, 1979. My parents are Mary and John Winchester."

Samuel scoffed. "I don't have to listen to this."

I walked towards Samuel. "Mary gets killed by a yellow eyed demon in 1983, and we think that this – what happened tonight – we think this is the moment that he caught her scent. Now, if we don't catch this thing now, and kill it, and it gets away? Then Mary dies. So I am asking you, please." I stared at him for a long moment. "This is my mother. Please," I added.

Samuel still looked rather unimpressed with our story. "This is…" he remarked. "This is just too hard to believe."

Dean was desperate. "How did I know about the Colt? Huh? How did I know about the Yellow Eyed Demon? Or where it would be? I'm not making this up, Samuel."

Samuel stared at us for a moment. "Every bone in my body is aching to put you six feet under, but there's something about you – I can't shake it. Now, I may be crazier than you, son, but I believe you."

Dean smiled. "Thank you."

"I mean, how do we find this bastard?" Samuel asked.

"Right here, the list," Dean said, flipping open dad's journal. I watched as he stopped at a page that I had seen a million times. It never meant much to me until now.

"And with the Colt?" Samuel asked. Dean pulled the colt out of his jacket and laid it on the table. Samuel stared at it. "Here, let me see it."

Dean hesitated for a moment. "Sorry, I don't let anybody hold it."

"I'm your grandfather," Samuel scoffed.

Dean shrugged. "Nothing personal."

"Sure it is, especially when it's me you're trying to kill."

Samuel's eyes flashed yellow. Both Dean and I were flung backwards. Dean was stuck in his chair, and I was pinned to the floor next to him.

I struggled to sit up, but was unable. "Great plan, Dean. Tell him the truth."

"Future boy, huh?" Yellow eyes said, walking up to Dean. "I only know one thing that's got the juice to swing something like that. You must have friends in high places."

He had no idea.

"So, I kill your Mommy? That's why you came all this way? To see little old me?" Yellow eyes asked, smirking.

"Oh, I came here to kill you," Dean stated, glaring so hard I was surprised old yellow eyes didn't burst into flames.

"Hey, wait a minute, if that slut Mary's your Mommy, are you... are you one of my psychic kids?" he asked, excitedly. He leaned in and sniffed Dean. "No, not you." He looked to me and frowned. "What the hell are you?"

"A divine intervention," I remarked, thinking of what he would say to me in the future.

"Well," He remarked. "Maybe you got a sis, or a bro. That's terrific, means it all worked out. After all, it's why I'm here."

"So that's what this is about, these deals you're making," Dean asked. "You don't want these people's souls."

"No, I just want their children," yellow eyes answered. " I'm here to choose the perfect parents, like your Mommy."

"Why her?" I demanded. "Why any of them?"

"Because they're strong," yellow eyes remarked. "They're pure, and they eat their Wheaties. My own little master race – they're ideal breeders."

I frowned. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a woman, probably my grandmother. I looked from her to the colt that was on the ground. She seemed to get my point.

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. No one's breeding with me," yellow eyes added, as Dean frowned. "Though, Mary? Man, I'd like to make an exception. So far, she's my favorite."

"Shut your mouth," I stated.

"So why make the deals?" Dean asked, angrily.

"I need permission," yellow eyes replied. "I need to be invited, into their houses, I know, I know, the – the red tape'll drive you nuts, but in ten short years, it'll all be worth it. 'Cause you know what I'm gonna do to your sibling?" Dean looked afraid. "I'm gonna stand over their crib and I'm gonna bleed into their mouth. Demon blood is better than Ovaltine, vitamins, minerals – it makes you big and strong."

No one would be able to tell but me, but I knew Dean was freaking out about what yellow eyes just said. We, meaning Sam and I, had never told Dean about the demon blood thing. I had known for a long time, but Sam never mentioned it again. I think it terrified him.

"For what? So they can lead your discount demon army?" I asked. "Is that your big plan?"

"Please, my end game's a hell of a lot bigger than that kid," yellow eyes answered.

"End game?" Dean asked. "What end game?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you, or those angels sitting on your shoulder," he replied. "No, I'm gonna cover my tracks good."

"You can cover whatever the hell you want, but I'm still gonna kill you," Dean retorted.

"Right. Now that, I'd like to see," he laughed.

"Maybe not today, but you look into my eyes, you son of a bitch, 'cause I'm the one that kills you," Dean said, nearly shaking with anger.

"So, you're gonna save everybody, is that right? Is that it?" yellow eyes laughed. "Well, I'll tell you one person that you're not gonna save." He pulled a knife out of his jacket. "Your Grandpappy." He winked and plunged the knife into his own side.

"No!" Dean, my grandmother, and I shouted.

Yellow eyes whipped around and looked to her. He went towards her, sending her flying away. I heard a snap and knew she was dead.

I could feel the weight of yellow eyes power of me waver. I got up and grabbed the colt. Dean ran upstairs to find Mary. "She's gone!" he yelled, running out the house past me. Yellow eyes was gone as well. There was no one here.

"Mary... Mary!" he yelled.

"Dean!" I yelled, following him. "We don't know where she went!"

"I do," Dean stated, getting in the car. I jumped into the passenger seat in the nick of time for him to take off.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Dad's proposing to her tonight," he replied. "At the lake, past downtown. I remember, he told me. He proposed to her."

"How do you know that's tonight?" I asked, looking at him like he was nuts.

"I just know," he answered.

We finally made it to where Dean presumed that they would be. Yellow eyes was kissing my mother. I screamed. "NO!" I jumped out of the car before Dean had even put it in park.

It was too late. Yellow eyes smoked out and was gone before I had the chance to shoot. My dad came back to life, taking a deep breath. "Mary?"he questioned, obviously confused.

"John," she breathed, holding him close.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Castiel.

Before I knew it we were back in the motel. I was lying in bed. I didn't remember getting in the bed. Dean gasped awake on the couch. "I couldn't stop any of it. She still made the deal. She still died in the nursery, didn't she?" he asked, looking to me.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Castiel replied. "You couldn't have stopped it."

"What?" I asked, getting out of the bed.

"Destiny can't be changed," he went on. "All roads lead to the same destination."

"Then why'd you send us back?" Dean asked.

"For the truth," Castiel responded. "Now you know everything we do."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean demanded.

Castiel glanced at the other bed, which was empty. "Where's Sam?" Dean asked.

"He left," I stated. "Before I did even."

"We know what Azazel did to your brother," Castiel went on. "What we don't know is why – what his endgame is. He went to great lengths to cover that up. We tried to intervene with Alexis." He looked to me. "You're meant to stop Sam. So do it."

Dean was adamant. "Where's Sam?"

"425 Waterman," Castiel answered.

Dean grabbed his keys. I followed him to the door. "You brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean, and we're not sure where it leads. So stop it. Or we will." He looked at us and then disappeared.

I followed Dean to the impala. "What did he mean they intervened with you," Dean sated. "What did he tell you earlier?"

I had a feeling that this night was very far from over.

**PLEASE REVIEW TO MAKE ME HAPPY**


	82. Season Four, Chapter Four

**Extra long chapter, with lots of drama. Sorry I haven't updated! Nursing schools a bitch! Love you guys!**

**P.s. The next chapter will be an original**

Disclaimer: I own Alexis and Dylan.

Chapter Eighty Two

This was quickly becoming the longest night of my life. Dean was deathly silent in the car. I hadn't answered his questions yet

"_What did he mean they intervened with you," Dean sated. "What did he tell you earlier?" _

I sighed. "He told me about what happened the night mom died," I began.

"Well that's stupid we already know that," Dean replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm telling you Lex, Sam is really freaking me out. I don't know what happened when I was gone but – but I don't like it."

I didn't really say anything about that. Dean didn't usually vent to me, which told me that he was going crazy. If Dean couldn't hold in his emotions he had way too much going on. I was more worried about that fact than whatever Sam was up to. Because when Dean was this emotional things were going to get crazy.

We pulled up to 425 Waterman. It was an abandoned factory. The walls looked like they might cave in at any second, decaying until you could see the support beams. I shivered. Something felt very, very wrong. "You really think he's in there?" I asked, looking around.

"I don't think an angel with an agenda would lie about it," Dean replied, getting out of the Impala. "You take flank."

I stopped in my tracks. "You act like we're about to get attacked."

Dean glanced at me. "Just stay behind me, ok?"

"Ok," I agreed, taking flank. He was really starting to worry me. I felt like he was expecting the worst.

We went into the warehouse and I heard Sam. He wasn't very well hidden in this building. He obviously did not expect us to show up here. I was about to just walk out towards him but Dean stopped me. I looked up at him, but his eyes were on Sam.

A man was tied to a chair. I was pretty sure he was possessed by a demon. There was a devil's trap spray painted on the floor. Sam paced in front of him, Ruby standing in the shadows. Dean's eyes were glued on Sam.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"Hell if I know," Dean remarked. "I was dead for four months."

Sam moved forward, confronting the demon. "Where's Lilith?" Sam demanded, leaning towards the demon.

"Kiss my ass," he scoffed, his eyes going black.

Sam smirked. "I'd watch myself if I were you."

"Why? Huh? Because you're Sam Winchester, Mr. Big Hero?" he laughed. "And yet here you are, slutting around with some demon. Real hero."

Sam tensed. "Shut your mouth."

"Tell me about those months without your brother," the demon went on. Apparently he knew all the buttons to push. "About all the things you and this demon bitch do in the dark."

I saw Ruby shift. "Huh? Tell me, hero," the demon taunted.

Sam was silent. I knew exactly what was going to happen next. His feet planted on the floor, he tensed every muscle, focused on the demon. His eyes went from open, to closed, to open again. He didn't seem to have to try as hard this time. This time it came naturally.

The black smoke poured out of the demon and Sam started to breath heavier. It was over a lot faster than the last time. Dean stood there next to me in shock from it all. I couldn't even believe that this was happening to be honest. It was like a dream.

The man fell unconscious. Sam checked for a pulse. "How'd it feel?" Ruby asked, smiling at Sam from behind.

"Good," Sam replied, like he had just taken a shower instead of something supernatural. "No more headaches."

Dean moved beside me. "What are you doing?" I asked.

I could feel the anger coming off of him. "C'mon," he said, pulling me with him. He stepped out from behind the doorway and stared at Sam.

"So... Anything you wanna tell me, Sam?" Dean asked. The vein in his head was throbbing. I stood awkwardly behind him, trying to stop myself from doing anything that would give away that I'd seen this before.

"Dean, hold on, okay?" Sam said, putting his hands up. "Just let me-"

"You gonna say, "let me explain"?" Dean asked. "You're gonna explain this?"

"Sam, this was really stupid," I began. "When I saw you two months ago I – "

"You knew?" Dean demanded, looking at me. He was spitting fire at this point. "You knew he was…he was…and you didn't tell me!?"

"I didn't think he was still doing it," I replied, looking up at Sam.

Dean put his face in his hands. "How about this?" he asked, pointing to Ruby. "Why don't you start with who she is, and what the hell is she doing here?"

Ruby stepped forward and smiled at him. "It's good to see you again, Dean."

"Shut up, Ruby," I remarked. I was still staring at Sam. He was going to take the brunt of this, I knew it.

"Ruby?" Dean asked, not smiling back. "How'd you know that?" He looked to me. I kept my eyes on Sam.

After a moment of contemplating, Dean grabbed her and shoved her up against the wall angrily. He pulled out the demon knife.

Sam grabbed his hand. "Don't!" he yelled. The struggled over the knife, but Sam won the battle. Dean threw Sam up against the wall instead.

"Dean, stop it!" I yelled, frustrated. Why couldn't we ever just have a conversation in this family.

Ruby grabbed Dean and whipped him so that his back was to the wall. I ran for her but Sam grabbed my arms, pinning me to him.

"Ruby! Stop it!" Sam stated. She glared at Dean for another moment before letting go.

"Well, aren't you an obedient little bitch?" Dean retorted.

She was fuming now as well. "Ruby," Sam said, as I wrestled myself out of his grip. "Ruby, he's hurt." She looked from Sam to the man. "Go." He urged.

She put the man over her shoulder and started walking out. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Dean asked.

"The ER... unless you want to go another round first." She walked right past him out the door.

Dean looked at Sam. "Dean," he sighed. Dean turned around and walked out, leaving me with Sam. "Dean!" Sam called again.

"Let him go," I stated, stopping him from following. "Just let him go."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNPNSPNSPNSPN SPNSPNSPN

With Dean gone, Sam and I were forced to go back to the motel room together. "This is all your fault," I remarked.

He tensed. "I didn't mean for him to find out like this."

"That's not what I meant, idiot," I stated, coldly. "You just had to get revenge, you left me, you decided to become more of a freak, and now we're here." I paused. "What the hell, Sam?"

"You're telling me you don't want revenge on Lilith?" he demanded. "Because you sure as hell did when Dean was dead."

"No, Sam," I replied. "That was you. I was perfectly fine with letting that bitch go."

"Oh really?" he demanded. "Then why did Dylan tell me you were working on your powers too."

Now it was my turn to tense up. "You're talking to Dylan?" I asked, angrily. "Wow, way to invade my privacy."

"Oh stop sounding like a teenage girl," Sam complained.

I glared at him. "I am a teenage girl, thank you."

There was tense silence for the rest of the car ride back. We got back to the motel room and I collapsed on the bed. "Look," I said, sitting up. "Regardless of who did what Dean's going to kill us." I paused. "I get playing around with this stuff after Dean was gone. We were desperate, I get that. But he's back Sam. C'mon, what were you thinking?"

"I was just trying to figure this out," Sam stated, shaking his head. "We both were."

"Yeah, except mine didn't involve demons," I scoffed. I thought for a second. "Apparently I'm swinging from the other side."

Sam frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Angel," I stated, like it was a dirty word. "I'm have angel in me."

Sam stared at me like I was speaking another language. "You're what? How?"

"Does it look like I know?" I asked, shaking my head. "Cas just told me last night."

Sam sighed. "Wow."

"Yeah."

We were silent after that until the sun came up. Sam took a shower, I took a nap. I half wondered where Dean was. He would be back. He had to come back, right?

Sam sat at the table reading some dumb book. I heard the roar of the impala pull up in front of our door. I turned the tv off and looked at Sam.

Dean came back into the room. He slammed the door shut behind him and went right over to his bag, which was next to me.

"Dean, what are you doing?" I asked, as he took his bag. He threw his clothes from the closet into the bag, hangers and everything.

Sam stood up. "What, are you, are you leaving?" he asked.

"You two don't need me. You and Ruby go fight demons," he stated, going for the door.

Sam stood in front of him, blocking him. "Hold on. Dean, come on, man," Sam said as Dean pushed his way around him.

Dean dropped his bag and punched Sam square in the jaw. Sam was knocked back by the force. I got up. "Hey!" I yelled.

Sam's lip was bleeding. "You satisfied?" he asked.

He immediately threw another punch. Sam wiped the blood off his lip. "I guess not."

I stepped between them. Dean looked like he was going to punch me too. "I know we deserve it, but stop," I pleaded.

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone? How far from normal? From human?" Dean demanded, looking right at Sam. It was like I was invisible to him I swear.

"I'm just exorcising demons," Sam explained.

"With your mind!" He screamed back. "What else can you do?"

"I can send them back to hell. It only works with demons, and that's it," Sam said quickly.

Dean pushed me out of the way and shoved Sam backwards. "What else can you do?!" he asked again, almost desperately.

"I told you!" Sam said again. He looked to me. "Why don't you focus on your sister who's apparently an angel!"

I glared at Sam. "Sam, shut up."

"Oh yeah very funny," Dean scoffed. "I know she's not perfect ok, this isn't a contest."

"No Dean," Sam repeated. "Cas told her. She's literally part angel."

Dean looked lost for a moment and looked at me. "That's what he told you last night?" he asked, stepping towards me. I instinctively took a step back. "Why didn't you tell me when I asked? What the hell Alexis?"

"We were a little busy," I remarked, looking back at Sam. "Remember, he's the one exercising people with his MIND."

"She worked on her powers too," Sam spoke up. "Dylan told me. They did stuff while you were gone."

"At least MY POWERS AREN'T FROM HELL!" I yelled.

"Would you two shut the fuck up!" Dean yelled at us.

Sam and I grew silent. Sam sighed. "Look, I should have said something." Dean turned around, no longer facing us. "I'm sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here."

Dean spun back around. "The other side?" he questioned.

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people," Sam answered.

Dean groaned inwardly. "Use the knife!"

"The knife kills the victim!" Sam urged. "What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"That what Ruby want you to think? Huh?" Dean asked. "Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?" He shook his head. "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends."

"I'm not gonna let it go too far," Sam stated.

Dean smiled slightly and walked over to the wall. He smacked the lamp on the table, making it fly into the opposite wall and shatter into a million pieces. He turned back to Sam. "It's already gone too far, Sam. If I didn't you know... I would wanna hunt you. And so would other hunters."

"You were gone. I was here. I had to keep on fighting without you," Sam tried to reason. I kind of wished that he would just shut up. "And what I'm doing... It works."

"Well, tell me. If it's so terrific... then why'd you lie about it to me?" Dean asked.

Sam looked down at the floor. He knew. We all knew.

"Why did an angel tell me to stop you?"Dean asked.

Sam looked up at that. "What?"

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will," Dean stated. "See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?"

Sam's phone rang. He pinched the bridge of his nose to collect himself. "Hello?" he asked. "Travis. Yeah, hey. Uh….It's good to hear your voice, too, yeah. Um, look, it's not a really good time right now. It's-Yeah, okay. Uh, well, just give me the details, and, uh…Carthage, Missouri." Sam wrote down some sort of information on the bedside table's notepad. "Looking for Jack Montgomery." There was a pause. "Ok yeah." He hung up and looked at me and Dean.

"That was Travis," Sam stated.

"Yeah," Dean scoffed. "I got that. What did he want?"

"He's got a case for us. Wants us to watch a Jack Montgomery in Carthage, Missouri," Sam explained.

"Ok," Dean said, grabbing his bag.

"Wait," I said, putting my hand up. "We're really just going to drop all this and go to a hunt. Seriously."

Dean said nothing and walked out the door. "Ok, awesome," I replied, grabbing my own bag. "That's cool."

We all piled back into the Impala and took off. I chilled in the backseat, trying to not think about anything. So far this wasn't working too well. Dean was recounting what he and I had went through last night due to Cas. It was crazy to think that I had interacted with my own mother.

"I can't believe it," Sam stated. "Mom, a hunter?"

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself," Dean replied, shaking his head. "That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down…the only other woman I know who can do that is ankle-biter back there."

"And don't you forget it," I remarked.

"How'd she look? I mean... was she happy?" Sam asked.

Dean actually smiled. "Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful." He glanced at Sam. "Dad, too. Until of course..." Sam sighed. "What?"

"Nothing," Sam remarked. "It's just, our parents. And now we find out our grandparents too? Our whole family murdered and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Dean looked confused for a moment. "Sam, I never said anything about demon blood." Sam and I exchanged a look for a split second. "You two knew about that?"

Sam didn't answer. I sighed. "Yeah, for about a year."

Dean looked defeated. "A whole year?"

"I should have told you. I'm sorry," Sam replied.

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam," Dean countered. "But whatever. You don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's fine."

Sam looked hurt. "Dean." Dean kept his eyes on the road. "Whatever," Sam sighed.

Dean glanced in the rearview at me. "Ok," he said, shifting in his seat. "Your turn."

"My turn to what?" I asked, frowning.

"What did Cas tell you exactly," Dean stated. "I want exact details."

"He showed me a bunch of memories," I began. "It was like I was watching them happen. He showed me times when my powers acted up. Like that one time that I healed my arm, or uh, exorcised that demon."

"Ok," Dean said, wanting me to go on.

"And then he showed me the night mom died," I added. "There was like, this flash of light? At first I couldn't see it but then…it was an angel Dean. He was there for only a second, and it looked like he…I don't know touched me? Then yellow eyes showed up, seemed mad and…well you know."

"And Cas said you have angel in you?" Dean stated. "That's…"

"Creepy," Sam stated.

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

"Shut up, Sam, you have no room to talk," I argued.

"And what is this about you working on your powers?" Dean asked. "You said you wouldn't."

"Yeah well," I sighed. "Like Sam said, I got desperate. But I stopped messing with it, I swear. It was too much."

"Huh," Dean huffed. "That everything you want to tell me?"

I thought about the voices that were in my head. I was dealing with them a little better. They were more like a constant dull roar instead of a scream. I thought about Dylan and how we were together but not together. I hadn't heard from him since Dean had locked me in the bathroom. I hadn't even called him. Funny how things slipped through the cracks. I thought about the pills that were in my bag right now, waiting.

"Yeah," I stated. "Yeah that's everything."

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSP NSPNSPNSPNSPN

"I need to make a phone call," I remarked, getting up from my seat at the table. We stopped at a diner before we were heading to where Travis was sending us.

"To who?" Dean demanded.

"None of your business," I stated. He grabbed my arm. "Dylan," I stated. I wrenched my arm out of his grip. "Can I go now?"

He didn't answer me, so I walked away. I dialed his number. "Hey," he greeted. "What's going on? You haven't talked to me in days."

"Are you trying to tell me you miss me?" I asked, smirking.

"Maybe," he replied. "Did you miss me?"

"Only a little bit," I laughed. "How's your sister?"

"Living," he sighed. "Busy."

"Yeah…"

"What's been going on with you?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. "Too much to say over the phone," I replied. "Look, when are you coming back?"

"Soon, I think," Dylan replied. "Are you ok?"

"I don't think so," I answered honestly.

"You're the only person I know who can get through anything," he stated, sounding earnest. "Be safe, ok?"

"Ok," I replied. I looked behind me, where Dean was shooing me daggers with his eyes. "I got to go, Dean's staring at me."

He laughed. "I'll call you."

"Thank you," I replied, and hung up.

I was getting really sick of being in this car with my brothers. We weren't exactly on the best of terms and being stuck together isn't easy when Dean is pissed off and Sam is moody. Apparently though we had to check on this Jack guy because he was going to go crazy at some point. So far, this was really dumb.

"Are you sure that's him?" Dean asked, looking into the house with binoculars. He was rummaging through the fridge.

"Only Jack Montgomery in town," Sam replied.

"And we're looking for...?" I questioned, stealing Dean's binoculars.

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird," Sam explained.

"Weird?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Alright, well, yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top," Dean stated. "But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

"I don't know, Dean," Sam stated. "Travis seemed pretty sure."

"Um guys," I said, giving Dean back his binoculars. "We don't even know Travis. He was one of dad's old contacts. I mean, we haven't seen him since I was like five."

"Sam look," Dean said, motioning towards the house. Even from this far away I could see that this Jack Montgomery guy was full on eating raw meat from the package. My eyes widened. "OK yeah that's, uh, that's –."

"I'd say that qualifies as weird," Sam cut me off.

We watched Jack for a few more hours until the lights went off inside the house. "Anyone have any idea what's going on?" I questioned, on the drive back to the motel. "Because I'm really confused."

"I think we should stop for a late night snack," Dean remarked, completely ignoring my question.

"Dean, its like one in the morning," Sam complained. "It's been a long day."

"Fine," Dean complained. "Way to ruin a man's mood guys."

I wondered why the hell Dean wanted to stay out so late when he had already been up the entire night before. He was having worse nightmares than I thought.

We went to sleep with me sharing a bed with Sam. I wanted to keep my distance from Dean. He was hiding it well, but he was still pissed at us. I think he just didn't know what to do about it yet. Technically I hadn't done anything wrong…except lying to his face a few times. But it wasn't like he hadn't done the same thing to me to protect me.

I couldn't sleep. My brain almost felt like it was going to combust. I wanted to get out of bed, give Dean the pill in my bag, tell him everything that I held back earlier, and for him to tell me it was alright, he trusted me and we were going to be ok.

A silent tear ran down my cheek. Yeah, like that was going to happen.

Morning came fast this night. We all went out for breakfast at the diner that Dean had wanted to stop at the other night. Not one of us spoke.

This was going to kill all of us.

We went back to the motel room to regroup and figure out what was supposed to be going on. Sam stopped in front of me and I ran into his back. "What?" I asked, pushing him. I peered around him and saw Travis sitting at our table.

Sam smiled. "Travis," he greeted.

Dean nudged Sam on the chest. "See, Sam. Told you we should have hid the beer."

Travis got up and smiled. "Smartass," he scolded, pulling Dean in for a hug. "Get over here." They hugged and Travis laughed. "Ahh, good to see you."

"You too," Dean remarked.

"Good to see you," Travis said to me and Sam, pulling us into a joint hug. It made me uncomfortable to be honest. I hadn't seen this man since I was really little.

"You too, Travis," Sam replied.

"Man, you got tall, kid," Travis stated, laughing at Sam's giant status. "How long has it been?"

"Ah, gotta be 10 years," Sam stated, shaking his head.

"You still a.. oh, what was it... a mathlete?" Travis asked.

Sam scoffed a little. "No."

Dean cut him off. "Yep, sure is."

"Been too long, guys," Travis went on. "I mean, look at you boys. Grown men. Alexis, a young lady. John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, looking at me and Sam. "Yeah, we're as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than family."

I glanced to Sam who looked as uncomfortable as I did.

"Sorry I'm late for the dance," Travis apologized. He sat back down at the table with Dean while Sam and I took to the beds. "Thanks for helping out an old man. I'm a little, uh, shorthanded." He put his right arm on the table showing us his cast. "So, you track down Montgomery?" he asked.

"Yeah, we found him at his home," Sam asked.

Travis nodded. "And?"

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook," Dean added.

Travis sighed. "That's him alright."

"Sorry but uh," I asked. "What's him?"

"Winchesters, we got a rougarou on our hands," Travis announced.

"A rougarou?" I asked, looking to Sam or Dean for help. "Is that made up?"

Dean nodded. "That sounds made up."

Travis sighed. "They're mean, nasty little suckers. Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy," Dean said, "I mean, he was wearing a cellphone on his belt."

"He'll turn ugly soon enough. They start out human, for all intents and purposes," Travis explained.

"So, what? They go through some kind of metamorphosis?" Sam asked.

"Nice word, Sam," I said, rolling my eyes.

"No he's right," Travis responded. "Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull fly." He sighed, almost like this next part was painful. "But most of all-they're hungry."

Dean frowned. "Hungry for what?"

"At first, for everything, but then... for long pig,"

Sam exhaled sharply. I looked towards him. "Long pig?" I questioned.

"He means human flesh," Sam replied, shaking his head.

Dean smirked. "And that is my word of the day." I hated when Dean got a word of the day.

"Hunger grows in -till they can't fight it," Travis went on. "Till they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?" Sam asked, sounding worried.

"They transform completely and fast," Travis replied. "One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

Dean looked confused. "Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" he asked.

"Let's just say it runs in his family," Travis stated.

"You mean, uh..." I wondered aloud.

"Killed his daddy back in '78," Travis replied. "Son of a bitch mangled 8 bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife... Little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?" Sam asked.

Travis sighed. "I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid... I don't think I'd have the heart." He paused. "No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do."

I got up from the bed and grabbed myself water from the fridge. "So, what are we supposed to do?" I asked, after taking a long sip. I imagined it was alcohol instead. God, I could use a drink right now. The voices were louder right now than they had been for the past few days. Something about using my emotions made me more vulnerable.

Travis smirked. "I'm glad you asked." He went into his bag and pulled out some gas cans. He handed one to Dean, who started tinkering with it.

Sam got up and left the room. I didn't know where he was going, but Dean didn't seem to care either. Dean didn't seem to care about anything right now.

"So fire, huh?" Dean asked, rigging the can to shoot fire once filled.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards; deep-fry 'em," Travis replied.

"Well, that's gonna be... horrible," I said, watching them. "Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

Travis didn't seem fazed. "Uh-huh."

"That's disturbing," I remarked. I had thought of the only other time we had used fire to kill something, and it was a wendigo. For some reason, that didn't creep me out as much. Maybe it was because to me, Jack was still human.

Sam came back into the room an hour later, carrying papers. "Not wasting any time, are you?" Sam asked, noting the almost finished cans.

Travis shrugged. "None to waste. The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

Sam sat on the bed next to me. "What if he doesn't hulk out?" Sam asked. He help up his papers. "I did a little homework. Uh, I've been checking out the lore on rougarous."

Travis looked offended. "What? My 30 years of experience not good enough for you?" he asked. I tensed, looking at Sam.

"What? No," Sam said, quickly, shaking his head. "No, I-I- I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn't…"

"Sam loves research. He does," Dean said, saving Sam's ass. Even when Dean was mad at us he was forever in big brother mode. "He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness." He looked at Sam, "It is."

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course, but uh," Sam said, beginning again. "I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?" Dean asked, raising his eyes.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform," Sam went on.

"So what?" I asked. "Go vegan, stay human?"

"Basically," Sam nodded. "Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..."

Dean grinned. "Long pig."

"Right," Sam replied with a nod.

Travis stared. "Good on you for the due diligence, Sam." He stood up from the chair. "But those are fairy tales."

I looked to Sam, who didn't look happy at this statement. Travis walked over to the kitchenette and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of... took that bite."

Sam stood up, getting worked up about this. I mentally slapped at him to sit down. "Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will."

Dean stood up from the table as well. I looked up at him. This situation could get out of hand, but Travis was our friend, right? I thought for a moment. No, Travis was a stranger. Dean stepped ahead of me.

"So what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?" Travis asked.

"No, we talk to him. Explain what's happening," Sam stated. "That way he can fight it." Sam sounded so hopeful. I couldn't help but remember just a few years ago when I would've thought the same thing.

Now? Now was as hopeless as a rock.

"Fight it?" Travis laughed. "Are you kidding me?" he looked at all of us. "You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

Dean looked downtrodden. "Yeah."

"Yeah. Right then," Travis replied. "So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?" Dean looked thoughtful for a moment. I could only remember the times when Dean had given me his share of dinner because dad was gone for longer than he was supposed to be and we ran out of money. I could only think of how good that chocolate bar that Dean bought me tasted after eating stale cereal for three days.

"That's what we are to him now, meat on legs," Travis went on, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure, base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's nice?"

Sam stood his ground. "I don't know. But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for." He sighed and walked out of the room.

Travis looked puzzled at this whole event. "What's up with your brother?" he asked, looking at Dean and Sam.

Dean sighed, sitting back down. "Don't get me started."

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Dean graciously accepted to try Sam's plan without much of a fight. I think it was different since he stuck up for Sam in front of Travis. I however, did not think that this had even the slightest chance of working whatsoever.

I had tried time and time again to get rid of the voices in my head. I worked on not having my powers come up. I tried to control it and ended up addicted to Adderall and booze. There was no getting around who you were meant to be. I was part angel somehow, and I was stuck being that.

We were in the Impala racing off to find this Jack guy again. "All right, so we're gonna go have a little chat with this guy-which, you know... I'm down," Dean started. He was obviously talking to Sam, who showed no interest in what Dean was saying. "But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you're gonna shove."

Sam finally looked at him. "Meaning?"

"Well, odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive," I said, leaning forward.

"Lex," Dean warned.

"This guy has a name and a wife," Sam replied, not looking at me.

"Yeah, who we're probably gonna make a widow, okay?" I stated, coldly. "I mean, you heard Travis. He's gonna turn. They always turn."

"Well, maybe he won't," Sam countered. "Maybe he can fight it off."

I shrugged my shoulders. "And maybe he can't, that's all I'm saying."

"All right, we'll just have to see then, okay?" Sam replied.

"This is what I mean, Sam," Dean stated. "You sure your emotions aren't getting in the way here?"

Sam shot him a look. "Who's side are you on here?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside," Dean stated. " Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate."

Sam was automatically seething. I could feel the anger coming off of him. "Stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the car or I will!"

Dean drove the impala to the side of the road and Sam was out of the car before he even put it in park. Dean and I followed him after a pause.

"You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean? Because of crap like this," Sam stated, walking around the front of the car.

"Like what?" Dean asked.

"The way you talk to me, the way you look at me like I'm a freak!" Sam walked right past Dean towards me. I backed up.

"I do not," Dean replied, looking annoyed.

"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" He turned back towards Dean. "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!"

"You don't do it to her!" he said, spinning around and pointing to me, almost smacking me in the head in the process.

I didn't say anything to defend myself. It was true, he never did treat me like that. I could feel my heart start to beat faster. I tried to breathe, to control myself. I stepped back again.

"What?" Sam asked, hands on his hips.

"Do you know the difference, Sam?" Dean asked, carefully. " I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately."

"You have no idea what I'm going through," Sam replied, stone cold. "None."

"Then enlighten me!" Dean shouted.

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean!" Sam yelled. "This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak!"

"Sam…" I said, trying to get my brain to stop thinking for just a second.

"And you treat me like I'm evil, and she's all perfect!"

"Hey!" I yelled, smacking his pointed arm down. "Don't you say that! You don't know that!"

"Whatever," Sam said, pushing me aside. "And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to."

Dean looked at him for a moment. "Let's just go talk to the guy," I stated.

Sam scoffed. "She means Jack," Dean added. "Okay?"

Sam gave a small, almost nonexistent nod, and walked back to his car door. I shook my head at Dean and opened the back door. "This is stupid," I mumbled.

We made our way to Jack's house, this time going right towards his backyard where he was watering the lawn. I looked to Sam, who was looking determined. "Jack Montgomery?" he called.

Jack hesitated but eventually turned around. "I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother; Dean, and sister; Alexis." He just stared at us. "We need to talk," Sam added.

"About?" Jack asked, looking at each of us confused.

"About you," Sam explained. "About how you're changing."

"Excuse me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You're probably feeling your bones move under your skin. And your appetite's reaching, you know, "hungry hungry hippo" levels," Dean listed off. "How am I doing so far?"

Jack looked taken aback. "Who the hell are you guys?" Jack asked.

"We're people who know a little something about something," I said, with a heavy sigh.

"We're people who can help," Sam pleaded. "Please, just hear us out."

Jack looked at Dean, then me, then back to Sam. "Ok," he said, putting down the hose. "Ok. What?"

We explained, well Sam did, everything we had learned. Jack just glared at us the entire duration of Sam's talk.

"A-a what?" he asked.

"A rougarou," Dean stated. "Sounds made-up, I know, but believe me, it's not."

"Alright, I've noticed certain things. I mean, some strange things," Jack explained, shaking his head. "But I just, I-I don't know. I'm.. I'm sick or something"

I was frustrated by this point. I felt like this entire situation was pointless. "Your father was one of these things," I stated. Jack whipped his head to look at me. "Your real father. He passed it on to you."

"No," Jack stated. "Are-are you guys listening to yourselves? You s-sound like you're-"

I put a hand up. "Skip the whole "you guys sound crazy", shall we? You're hungry, Jack. You're only gonna get hungrier."

"Hungrier for?"

"Long pig," Jack jumped in. "You know, a little manburger helper, may have crossed your mind already."

"No"

"It doesn't have to be like this, Jack. You can fight it off," Sam stated. Jack just shook his head. "Others have."

"We're not gonna lie to you, though. It's not gonna be easy," Dean added. "You're gonna feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey. But I'm telling you. You gotta say no... or-"

Jack looked worried. "Or what?"

"You feed once, and it's all over," I stated. "And then we'll have to stop you."

"Stop me?" Jack asked. "My dad, did uh, somebody stop him?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Get off my property right now. I see you guys again, I'm calling the cops," Jack went on.

"Jack, your wife, everybody you know, they're in danger," Sam went on.

"Now!" Jack yelled.

The neighbor looked over the fence at us. "I think it's time to go," I said, grabbing onto Sam's elbow.

"Good talk," Dean nodded, walking off.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNSPSNP SNSPN

"I don't want to do this," I stated, as we sat in the car. We were stalking out Jack again for what felt like the millionth time. "This guy should just turn already. Jeez."

"God, Lex," Sam said, angrily. "Can you seriously be any more… I don't know. Insensitive?"

"Insensitive?" I asked, with a laugh. "What am I your boyfriend? Oh sorry I'm being so insensitive about a monster Sam. My bad."

"He's not a monster," Sam complained.

"Yeah, not yet," I scoffed.

"Ok, seriously?" Dean said, putting his hand in front of my face. "Knock it off."

I sat back in my seat. "I'm starting to think I was better off by myself," I mumbled. Dean just glanced at me, but said nothing. I laid down and reached into my pocket. The pill was there. I could take it here. Get my high.

My heart started racing. I wanted it bad. I wanted that feeling that I was on top of the world. I needed that invincible status. I took a deep breath, and took the pill out of my pocket. Maybe I would only take half. Yeah, that made sense right?

I slowly gnawed it in half with my teeth, so as not to make any noise. I put the half in my mouth and swallowed. I nearly gagged, but I got it down. I immediately felt sick to my stomach, and not just because of the pill. What had I done?

I sat back up. Dean waved over to the bench in the park. "Look at him. He's clearly upset."

Jack closed his phone, which he had been listening to, and looked up. I looked to where his eyes were staring. There was a woman undressing on the third floor. Jack stood up and walked across the street towards the building. "Oh yeah," I remarked, pointing to the window. Sam's eyes widened. "He's clearly devastated."

"Damn it. Jack. No," Sam stated, grabbing a flamethrower from the floor of the car and getting out of the car.

Dean grabbed one as well, handing the last one to me. "Come on," he stated.

We ran up to the building, where Jack was somehow climbing the fire escape. I mean, I was pretty agile, but for him to just be climbing like it was nothing was crazy. "What the hell?" I questioned. Dean pulled me into the building.

We ran up the stairs, apparently deciding that the elevator would take too long. By the time we got to the door, all three of us were winded and panting. Dean immediately kicked down the door. The woman was coming out of what I assumed was the bedroom. She screamed, ran back inside, and slammed the door behind her.

"Way to jump the gun on that one," I mumbled.

"Wait!" Dean yelled. I looked to Dean and Sam who looked as confused as I was. "Whoa, uh, we're here to save you, I guess."

"I'm calling the police!" she yelled from the other side of the door.

"We should go," I said, backing up through the kicked down door. "Like now."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, pulling Sam with him.

We got back in the Impala and took off for the motel. "He didn't do anything," Sam stated, almost sounding giddy.

"Yeah, Sam," I said, rolling my eyes. "But where the hell did he go?"

"We need to find Travis," Dean said, shaking his head. "This has to stop. We can't keep following this guy until he messes up. We have other things to be doing."

"Like what?" I asked, with a snort. "Hunting down another case?"

"Uh, figuring out what's going on with you two for one," Dean stated, oblivious to the fact that Sam and I tensed up.

"Ok, ok," Sam said. "Let's talk to Travis." He got out of the car before Dean had even turned it off.

Dean and I followed him to the room, a step behind him. Sam opened the door to an empty room. The lights were off. "You think he hit up the bar down the street?" Dean asked, sitting on the bed.

I stared at him. "No," I said. "He went after Travis."

"What?" Sam demanded, stepping out of the bathroom. "What do you mean?"

"The extra fire thingy's gone," I said, pointing to the table. "And his car wasn't in the parking lot." I smirked. "You guys need to be more observant. I can't always be here to help your asses along."

"But we don't even know where Travis went," Dean remarked. "How would Travis know?"

"Exactly," Sam stated, snapping his fingers. "So he would wait for him at home."

"Can we go?" I asked, already heading to the door. "Before Travis does something stupid?"

"You have a lot of energy all the sudden," Dean stated. "I thought you didn't care about Jack."

"I don't," I scoffed. "But he shouldn't be incinerated without proof." Sam clapped a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him, rolling my eyes. "Can we please _go_?"

We headed back to Jack's house. Travis' car was on the opposite side of the street. "I guess now we know where Travis is," Dean said, getting out of the car, flamethrower in hand.

"That stupid son of a bitch," Sam scoffed.

The front door wasn't locked. I didn't think that was a good sign. Dean went in first, pushing me behind him. The house seemed empty. There was an overturned chair in the living room. Sam motioned to the blood spot on the floor. I grimaced. I really hoped that wasn't Travis'. There was a trail around the couch, where I couldn't see. I looked to Sam.

He walked over a lump on the floor. I followed him, right behind him. He leaned down. "Oh god," Dean remarked, standing back up. "You think that's Travis."

"What's left of him," Sam replied, looking defeated. He looked to me. "Guess you were right about Jack."

I saw a shadow move. "Guys – "

Dean was pushed forward into the coffee table, slamming his head down. He was out before he hit the floor. I ran over to him, trying to figure out what was going on. Jack was on top of him. I desperately grabbed him off, hoping he hadn't burst his head open.

"Dean!" Sam yelled. Jack pushed me back, sending me into Sam. He pushed me off, grabbing the flame thrower.

"Sam, now!" I yelled, going after my own flamethrower I had dropped.

Jack grabbed my legs, effectively pulling me to the ground. I struggled against him, but he had a tight grip on my legs. He picked me up, with inhuman strength, tossing me into the wall.

I saw stars, white dots filling my vision. Don't pass out. Don't pass out. That was my mantra as everything went dark.

I opened my eyes to more darkness. Sam was nearly on top of me. I pushed at him, effectively waking him as well. "Where are we?" I asked, in a whisper. I felt my head and came away with blood on my hand.

He looked up. "Closet," he answered. He stood up, giving me his hand. He tried the handle. It was locked, of course. "Dean?" he called.

A rough voice replied. "Dean can't come to the phone right now."

Sam slammed his hand against the door. "Jack! If you hurt him, I swear to God!"

"Calm down!" Jack yelled back. "Your brother's alive." Sam and I both shared a sigh of relief. "But not if you don't calm down," Jack added.

"Alright, Jack. Listen. Open the door. We can figure this out, okay?" Sam stated, trying to remain calm. I on the other hand, was seething. If I wasn't so worried about Dean, I would kick down this door anyways.

Jack laughed a little to himself. "We'll have ourselves a little brainstorming session."

"Jack," Sam begged. "Please."

"I don't think so," Jack replied, bluntly. "After what you did?"

"What?" I spoke up, frustrated. "What are you talking about?"

"You send your friend here. He tried to burn my wife alive," Jack replied.

"What? Why?" Sam asked. He nodded to me.

I nodded back. I searched my pockets and came up empty. Of course, I hadn't pinned my hair back today either. I turned around and grabbed a hanger.

"He didn't say," Jack replied. "I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves."

"Listen to me. You gotta believe me," Sam stated. "My brother and I, we never would have hurt her, okay?"

I bent the hanger out of place, trying to make some sort of pick. "Oh, God. I'm so hungry," Jack pleaded.

I looked up at Sam, egging him to keep talking while I worked. "Jack, don't do this," Sam went on. I bent down and went for the lock.

"I can't ever see my family again," Jack went on. "You two... your friend. You made me into this!"

"No one's making you kill us," Sam replied. I grew frustrated, the lock was not opening. "Listen to me… You got this dark pit inside you. I know." Sam kept talking.

"Believe me, I know." He closed his eyes and opened them again. "But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't have to be a monster."

I went at the lock again, thinking about Dean out there. I had to keep working, I had no choice.

"Have you seen me lately?" Jack asked.

"It doesn't matter what you are," Sam went on. "It only matters what you do. It's your choice."

Jack was silent except for a few moans. I felt the slight click of the lock in my hands. I nodded to Sam again.

He whipped out the door, leaving me in his dust. "Jack!" Sam yelled, flamethrower already in hand.

Jack was still. He looked at Sam, and then pounced for the attack. I closed my eyes as he turned the flamethrower on. Jack screamed all the way until the fire overtook him. I opened my eyes again to see the enflamed lump on the floor and Sam's defeated gaze.

SPNSPSPNPNSPNSPNSPSNPSNPSNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN SPNSPN

Dean was speeding down the backroads in the Impala. Each of us was silent for our own reasons. Dean finally broke it. "You did the right thing, you know," Dean remarked. "That guy was a monster, there was no going back."

Sam said nothing, just lowering his head.

"Sam, I wanna tell you I'm sorry. I've been kind of hard on you lately," Dean went on. Sam looked up.

Sam looked so broken. I felt bad for bothering him earlier. He was only trying to do the right thing. "Don't worry about it, Dean."

"It's just that your, uh, your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me," Dean went on. He looked to me in the backseat. "You're head is healed," he remarked, looking freaked.

I felt my head, but shrugged, honestly uninterested. "I'm part angel."

"Look, if it's all the same... I'd really rather not talk about it," Sam stated, cutting me off.

Dean looked over at Sam, a small smile on his lips. "Wait a minute. What? You don't want to talk? You?"

"There's nothing more to say. I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand," Sam went on, stoically.

I raised my eyes in shock.

"Why don't you try?" Dean asked.

"I can't. Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me," Sam went on. "It's just something I got to deal with."

"Not alone," Dean replied.

Sam sighed and was silent for a moment. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. These powers... it's playing with fire. I'm done with them." He shook his head again. "I'm done with everything."

"Really?" Dean asked. Sam said no more. "Well, that's a relief," he added. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you," Sam went on, with a scoff. "Or for the angels or for anybody. This is my choice."

The weight of the half pill in my pocket multiplied by a million. It weighed a ton. I avoided both of their gazes, leaning back into the shadow of the backseat. I wished I could make the same choice.

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	83. Season Four, Chapter Five

**I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON!**

**But in other news, I hope you like it :)**

**Read and Review!**

Chapter Eighty Three

The entire world was a fog.

I couldn't see and everything was blurry again. I had to admit, it scared me somewhere deep down inside. However, everything felt like it was a live wire. I could never sit still, and was always in motion.

"Lex," Dean complained for the millionth time. "Would you sit the fuck down?"

I looked over at him. He was staring at me from the couch in our new motel room. "Sorry," I apologized. I sat down on my bed. "I'm just bored."

Dean looked at me like he was trying to figure out a complex math problem. "We just got off a case," he retorted. I only shrugged. "Ok," he replied.

I wasn't used to the high. I noticed that first. I wasn't used to the feeling that I could run around for six hours and still go on like I hadn't moved an inch. Dean noticed that something was up. I knew he did. That was why I had to be more careful.

I looked at the door. "You wanna go and get a drink or something?" I asked. I figured maybe a beer would calm me down a little bit back to normal.

"Sure," Sam said, closing his laptop. "Maybe we should get out of this room."

Dean looked from me to Sam. "Nah," he said. His eyes were focused on me. "C'mon let's just hang here."

I stared right back at him. He was testing me, I could feel it. The bad part was, I wasn't exactly sure how to pass. I took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right," I stated, falling backwards. "I need a night in, relaxing."

Sam looked a little confused. "But you just said –"

"We're staying in, Sammy," Dean said, clapping him on the back. Dean collapsed back onto the bed and grabbed the remote from the side table. "I vote we watch a movie, kick back, relax…."

Sam looked from me to Dean and back again. "Whatever," he remarked, sitting on the bed opposite Dean. "Can we watch an actual good movie though?"

Dean scoffed. "I am not watching some pansy chick flick so you can get your rocks off, Sammy."

I stood up again and went into the bathroom. I shut the door, but could still hear them arguing. "It's not a chick flick, Dean," Sam complained. "It's a documentary."

Dean groaned. "Sam, c'mon. It's about penguins."

I looked at my eyes in the mirror. If you were close enough you could see my pupils were dilated, and they were slightly red, like I hadn't slept in a few days. I was more pale than usual, probably because I hadn't been spending much time outside of motel rooms. I started to feel claustrophobic in here. The walls were closing in on me.

I was shaking and sweating when I left the bathroom. "You okay?" Dean asked, as I grabbed water from the fridge.

"I'm good," I laughed shakily. "Why?"

Dean stared at me for a second. "No reason," he remarked. He went back to staring at the TV.

I collapsed on the bed next to Sam. He didn't seem fazed at all. I stared at the TV along with him, pretending to watch whatever was on. My mind was exploding on the inside. I closed my eyes after awhile.

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was barely rising. Everything was eerily cast in a blue light. I grabbed my bag and went into the bathroom. Turning the shower on, I stripped down to nothing. I took the pill out of the bottom of my bag and put it between my teeth. The water was still freezing, but I didn't care. I felt like I was burning up.

I swallowed the pill, feeling the familiar lump in my throat as it made its way down. The water was warmer now, and I felt a lot better. I dried off after cleaning up and threw on jeans and a tshirt.

I opened the door to Dean on my phone.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Hang on, she's out now." He handed me the phone. "It's your boyfriend," he stated. He didn't sound like he was amused.

I glared at him and snatched the phone out of his hand. "Hello?"

"Hey," Dylan stated. "Winchester, where you guys at? Dean wouldn't tell me."

"Missouri," I stated. I heard Dean behind me scoff. "Why, what's up?" I went on, ignoring Dean.

"I'm nearby," he said. "Like an hour into Oklahoma. Wanna stop by today?"

"Maybe," I said, smirking. "What are we doing?"

I could feel Dylan smile on the other side of the line. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

I smiled to myself. "Sure, be there in a few hours." I hung up the phone. Dean was already glaring at me.

"What?" I asked. "Am I not allowed to tell him where we are?"

"What if he was possessed?" Dean demanded. "What if he was being held at gunpoint? We're not painting all these sigils for nothing." He pointed viciously at the wall.

"Dean, c'mon," I stated. "I'm pretty sure we're safe."

"Yeah well not for long if that's how you're going to act," Dean scoffed.

I looked to Sam for help, but he just shrugged. "Alright, well I'm gonna take off," I said, grabbing my bag off the floor.

"You're leaving us to go hang out with your boyfriend?" Dean asked, like it was the most unreasonable thing I've ever suggested.

"Yes, Dean," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Hey," he said, holding onto my arm. "Just be careful, ok?"

"Ok," I replied, sliding out of his grip. "I'll call you when I get there."

"You two better not be having sex over there," Dean called at me as I walked out the door.

"Dean!" Sam complained.

"Oh trust me," I shouted back. "That's all we'll be doing." I heard Dean's sound of disgust before I shut the door behind me.

I grabbed a car in the parking lot and took off for Vinita. I arrived after only an hour and a half. "Hey," I called, meeting Dylan in the parking lot.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted pulling me closer.

"Beautiful, huh?" I said, pulling away from him to look at his face. "What, do you want something?"

He scoffed. "I'm offended you'd ask such a question." I went back to hugging him. "But…now that you mention it…"

I sighed. "What?"

"Would you go on a date with me?"

I stared at him, my jaw on the floor.

"Close your mouth," he said, pushing my jaw back up. "I'm serious."

I busted out laughing. "Are…are you seriously asking me out on a date?" He let go of me, clearly disgruntled. "I'm sorry…" I said, collecting myself but still grinning. "Why?"

"I don't know," he said, shrugging the question off. "Because we've never went on one."

"We're not exactly the dating kind of people," I remarked.

"That's exactly why I'm asking," he replied.

I huffed. "Yes."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Yes, I'll go on a date with you," I stated, trying not to burst out laughing again. "Where are we going?"

He smiled. "The movies."

"To see what?" I asked.

His smile dropped. "Uh, I don't know."

I shook my head. "You're not very good at this are you?"

He grumbled to himself. "Let's just see the next thing that's playing then."

"Okay," I stated, wanting to laugh at his disgruntled expression again. "Let's go." He pulled me towards his bike. I hopped on behind him, clinging to his jacket. He brought me to this crowded theater. I looked around at all the other teenagers on dates and with their friends. I'd been to plenty of movies before, even on dates with Logan, but somehow this just felt a lot different. Logan was never an outcast like I was. Dylan was just like me. He didn't belong either.

I grabbed his arm and we grabbed tickets to some scary movie. We sat somewhere near the side of the theater. Dylan's arm was around my shoulders. "Hey," he said, whispering to me in the darkness. "If you don't want to be here –"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "This is nice."

The movie screen flickered to life. I settled into a spot and tried to stop my head from pounding. I was coming off my high from this morning. I was running out of pills again. I blinked a few times to make the blurriness go away.

"You ok?" Dylan asked, as I fidgeted for the millionth time.

"Yeah, yeah," I nodded. "Just watching the movie." I scanned the crowd once again before settling back into my seat. I felt almost paranoid.

"You sure?" Dylan asked, looking worried. "Cuz we can go"

"No," I shook my head. "I want to watch now shush." He only smirked.

After almost an hour, I had no idea what was going on in the movie. I was too busy flinching every time someone moved near us. "Scared?" he whispered.

I was crawling in my own skin. "No," I stated, with a smile. "Are you?"

He shook his head. "This isn't even realistic. Ghosts don't leave footprints."

"It's not a ghost," I replied. "It's a demon."

Dylan frowned. "That's even worse."

There was a loud noise and I jumped almost onto Dylan's lap, my hand in my boot ready to grab my knife. "Jesus, Winchester," Dylan stated, playing with my hair. "Calm down."

"I'm calm," I replied, sinking into my seat. The movie ended without another incident. We walked out of the theater and got on his bike.

"Dinner?" he asked over his shoulder.

"God yes," I replied, as he took off.

In the end, we grabbed a pizza. My whole body was starting to feel like I was on fire. "You okay?" he asked me with a mouth full of pizza.

"Yeah," I replied. I stopped. "Actually no," I said, getting up. "I need, uh – I need to go and get some things from the store."

"Okay?" he said, getting up. "What do you need? I can take you –"

"No," I said, a little too quickly. "I mean, you don't need to. I can walk. I want to walk."

"Are you –"

"I'm sure," I said. "It's that time of the month, I think." I said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll meet you back at the room." He nodded.

I walked out and started walking. I wasn't even sure where I was going. I just needed my fix and I needed it now. It took me a few hours, but I got a seller to contact me. I had to go through a few people, but I found my fix.

I walked into the gas station and bought a coke zero just like I said I would. A kid around my age got in line behind me. I bought it and then waited outside. "How much you want?" he asked.

"How much you got?" I retorted.

He smirked. "Come with me."

I felt my gun that was hidden in my jeans. "Okay." I followed him all the way back to a motel room that was only a few blocks from where Dylan was staying. I let him go inside first, ready to run in case this was going to turn into a struggle. Something was making me nervous.

"I have this whole bottle if you want it," he stated, pulling an orange bottle out of a bedside table. "But it's going to cost you."

"I'll give you two fifty," I said, reaching into my back pocket.

He smirked. "Deal." He tossed me the bottle. I immediately opened it and took one out. I swallowed it dry. "How long you been using?"

I shook my head. "I don't see how that's any of your business." I coughed and balanced myself on the wall. I all of the sudden felt very dizzy. I looked at him, watching his face go from clear to very blurry. "What the hell?" I demanded.

I put my back against the wall to keep myself from falling over. "What was in that?" I asked again, my voice going in and out. I saw black spots. The kid came closer to me, grabbing my hair so I was looking up at him. "What did you give me?" I asked again.

He smiled, his eyes turning a milky black. "Just a little present from hell."

I could feel myself losing consciousness. "Get away from me," I said, pushing him off. My some means of strength, I got my arm behind me to my gun. I shot him, the kickback knocking me on my ass. He backed up and yelped as the salt pierced his skin.

I hit Deans speed dial. The demon kicked my phone out of my hand. "You really think it's that easy?" he laughed.

"Hello?" I heard Dean answer. I couldn't speak.

The demon stepped on the phone, cutting off the call. "C'mon," he complained. "Where's those special powers you're supposed to have." He grabbed me by the throat. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe.

The door busted open, and someone came blazing inside in a wave of light. The demon dropped me to the floor. I was still seeing black spots and couldn't see well. At first I thought that it had to be Dylan. He had to have found me.

But an unfamiliar face greeted me on the floor. "Alexis," he said, "Drink this."

I took a small sip at first until I realized how badly I needed this drink. I gulped the rest of the poor tasting liquid down. The blackness faded away and I could think again. I took big gulps of air. "Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"My name is Malik," he answered. "I am an angel."

I nearly stopped breathing again. "What do you want with me?" I asked, trying to get off the floor.

"I came here to help you, in hopes that you would help me."

I stared at him. "Why would I help you?" I asked.

"Well for starters, I just saved your life," he stated, deadpan.

"Touché'" I remarked back, nodding. "But I don't know how much help I would be." I got up finally and sat on the bed in the room. My voice sounded hoarse, and I rubbed my neck.

Then I remembered that I had attempted to call Dean. He was probably going nuts right now, thinking I was dead. I went and picked my phone up off the floor. It was ruined and I didn't have a spare on me. I inwardly groaned and looked to Malik. "I don't suppose you have a phone on you, do you?" I asked. He shook his head. I sighed, "Dean is going to murder me."

"You still have not answered my request," Malik went on.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, putting my head in my hands. "Angels need my help, with what?"

"I am here for Castiel," Malik said, standing by the doorway still. "He believes that the angels have a double agent, someone spilling secrets. Since you are able to hear them, he thinks that you listening in may give details as to who this angel is."

"Okay," I said, slightly confused. "But I can't make out what the voices are saying. It all sounds mumbled to me."

He came over closer to me. "You need to concentrate," he stated. "Put your full mental power into hearing them. Truly listen."

I closed my eyes and tried to relax. "What exactly am I listening for?" I asked, trying my best to concentrate. The voices seemed to get louder, more defined. I could feel my head start to throb along with my heartbeat.

"Anything that sounds like information you wouldn't want to overhear," Malik replied. "Plans of sorts."

I opened my eyes and looked to him. "I don't know what you mean by that, but why isn't Castiel here himself?"

"He's busy working on other things," Malik stated, sounding bored. "Why don't you just repeat what you hear?"

I closed my eyes and took a breath. "Okay," I said, focusing. My head was killing me, and I was starting to feel nauseas.

_Breaking the seals _

_Need to stop_

_Haven't a lot of time for that_

_She's getting a lot more done_

_Maybe we should head her off on the twelfth_

_No that's a waste of time_

I repeated every fragment I heard out loud. "It doesn't sound like anyone is talking in private," I stated.

"Keep listening," he urged.

I could feel my nose start to bleed.

_Keep them together_

_Tell Castiel not to interfere with that one, no reason_

_Can't let this keep happening_

_Maybe the plan is better ended _

_Someone is listening_

_Someone is listening_

_**Someone is listening**_

All the sudden it was like a freight train was taking over, blasting through my head. I cringed and stopped focusing. "They know I was listening," I stated, my head in my hands. "I can't hear anything anymore."

Malik looked visibly upset, and stood up.

The door crashed open, and Castiel came barreling through the door. He stepped towards Malik. Malik's eyes went black. Castiel put his hand on his forehead, killing him with a bright light.

He came over to me, glaring. "Why were you talking to a demon?" he asked.

I was still slightly in shock. "He told me he was an angel. He knew things. He saved my life. I thought…"

"He was not," Castiel stated. "He was lying."

"Obviously," I glared.

Dean came running into the room next. "What the hell, Lex?" Dean demanded.

"She was with a demon," Castiel replied for me. "I need to go." He disappeared.

"So what?" Dean demanded, looking at the two bodies lying on the floor. "You just invite random guys in now?"

"I didn't know the first one was a demon and the second told me he was an angel," I replied, my head still pounding.

"Oh," Dean said, laughing slightly. "Well in that case its all ok then."

"Dean –"

He picked up the pill bottle on the floor. "You were trying to get more, right?" he asked. I didn't say anything. "Right?" he screamed.

Sam stayed in the doorway. I don't even think he knew what to say.

"Get up," Dean demanded. I stood. He grabbed my arm and took me to the bathroom once again.

"What, are you going to lock me in here again?" I asked, slightly woozy.

"Flush them," he said, not answering my question.

I looked from him to the pill bottle. "Why don't you do it?"

"It doesn't mean anything if I get rid of them, apparently," he remarked.

I took the bottle out of his hand. He started to walk away. "Aren't you going to lock me up or something?" I asked, as he started cleaning up the mess.

He shook his head. "If you want to leave, then leave. But I'm not coming after you this time." I stared at him. His eyes were like ice. "If you want to be a part of this - " he said pointing to Sam. "Of this family, you'll flush them."

I set them on the counter. Dean seemed slightly disappointed. I sat on the toilet and closed the door.

My mind wanted me to take all the pills right now. I knew it didn't make any sense, but I already knew how badly that this was going to hurt.

I didn't start getting sick until late that night. I slept on the bathroom floor. The next morning, I stepped out to get some air. Dean was sitting on the bed drinking a beer. He didn't say anything to me. He just got up and left.

"Here," Sam said, handing me some water. "You're going to dehydrate yourself." I took a small sip.

I wondered to myself if Dean would ever trust me again. My brain was on fire. "Thanks, " I stated, my voice hoarse.

"Why Lex?" Sam said. "Why did you start this?"

I shrugged. "Same reason you went off with Ruby. I needed it."

He scoffed. "I didn't need her."

"I know, Sammy," I said, making my way back to the bathroom.

Dean came back hours later. Sam was asleep. I took the pill bottle off the counter and flushed them all down the toilet. Dean watched out of the corner of his eye. I handed him the empty bottle. "There," I said, "You happy?"

"No," he replied, smacking the bottle out of my hand. He looked at me for a long time. "You told me you tried to kill yourself. Why?"

I swallowed. "I hear voices."

"You what?"

"That's what the demons wanted the other day," I stated. "They wanted to know what I overhear. I think its other angels, I don't know. But the pills…they numb them. Make them not as loud for me."

"You hear voices," he stated. "Right now?"

"All the time," I replied.

"What happened when you, uh…"

"I didn't know at the time but the angels stopped it," I answered. "They didn't want me dead I guess."

I sat on the small chair in the corner and tried to relax. The back of my throat was burning, I was hot, I was cold, I was everything at once and exhausted. I just wanted this to be over.

I woke up to Castiel staring at me. I jumped up. "Whoa, personal space," I complained.

He reached over and touched my forehead. At first I wasn't sure what he had done, until I realized that it was quiet. I could hear my own thoughts for the first time in months. "What did you do?" I asked.

"It's too dangerous for you to overhear anymore than you already have," he stated. "I blocked it out of your consciousness."

I glared at him. "You couldn't have done that months ago?"

"It was not a problem before," he responded. He disappeared again.

I scoffed. Dean and Sam were both still asleep. I got up and washed my face in the sink. Now that they were gone, I felt immensely calm. I could relax in my own head.

I climbed into bed next to Dean. I felt him flinch, but he just rolled over and looked at me. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm fine."

I fell asleep in peace.

When I opened my eyes again, Dean and Sam were both up and eating Chinese food. "What time is it?" I asked, when Dean threw a pillow at my head.

"Seven pm," Sam replied. "You just slept for seventeen hours."

"That's all?"I joked. I realized I really needed to pee.

"You feel better?" Dean asked.

"I think I got dropped out of an airplane, but yeah," I answered.

"Good," Dean replied. "Because we're leaving. But uh, your boyfriend is worried about you. Been calling you for two days."

I grabbed my phone off the counter. I had eleven missed calls. "I'll be right back," I said, going outside.

"Hey, what the hell?" Dylan demanded, answering after only one ring. "You just disappeared and then Dean tells me you're detoxing?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I was."

"So it finally caught up to you, huh?" he asked, not sounding upset.

"Don't sound too happy about it," I retorted. "Wanna come over?"

"Not to be mean, but no," he replied.

I scoffed. "What are you mad at me or something?"

He was silent for a second. "Actually, yeah I am kinda pissed."

I was taken aback at that. "What?"

"You ditched me Winchester," Dylan replied. "More than once. Lied to me, ask me for help, act like we're a thing and don't talk to me about what's going on. You used me. What the hell are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, defensively. "I didn't use you."

"How is asking to be a thing, me helping you work on your freaky shit, and then leaving when things get tough not using me?" he asked.

"Never thought you'd be the emotional one Porter," I accused.

"I'm not being emotional," he spat. "I don't understand why you act like I need to care when you clearly don't."

"Whatever," I said, "You were right, we never should have done this."

"It's what I said from the beginning," he replied. "Too complicated."

"All right, so we're done," I stated. "Bye." I clicked to hang up.

I went back inside. "So when are we leaving?" I asked. "I'm ready to get the hell out of this room."

Dean looked from Sam back to me. "Tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good," I answered, drinking some water.

You think I would stop being surprised when things went wrong. But I was still as lost as ever. No, that wasn't true. To be lost meant I knew where the hell I was going in the first place, and I could say one thing for certain.

I had no idea where I was headed.


End file.
